... فِي قَرَارٍ مَّكِينٍ ﴿١٣﴾

... in a safe lodging.

إِلَى قَدَرٍ مَّعْلُومٍ

فَقَدَرْنَا فَنِعْمَ الْقَـدِرُونَ

For a known period. So We did measure; and We are the Best to measure. (77:22-23)

meaning, for a known period of time, until it is established and moves from one stage to the next.

Allah says here,

ثُمَّ خَلَقْنَا النُّطْفَةَ عَلَقَةً ...

Then We made the Nutfah into a clot,

meaning, `then We made the Nutfah, which is the water gushing forth that comes from the loins of man, i.e., his back, and the ribs of woman, i.e., the bones of her chest, between the clavicle and the breast. Then it becomes a red clot, like an elongated clot.'

Ikrimah said, "This is blood.''

... فَخَلَقْنَا الْعَلَقَةَ مُضْغَةً ...

then We made the clot into a little lump of flesh,

which is like a piece of flesh with no shape or features.

... فَخَلَقْنَا الْمُضْغَةَ عِظَامًا ...

then We made out of that little lump of flesh bones,

meaning, `We gave it shape, with a head, two arms and two legs, with its bones, nerves and veins.'

... فَكَسَوْنَا الْعِظَامَ لَحْمًا ...

then We clothed the bones with flesh,

meaning, `We gave it something to cover it and strengthen it.'

... ثُمَّ أَنشَأْنَاهُ خَلْقًا آخَرَ ...

and then We brought it forth as another creation.

means, `then We breathed the soul into it, and it moved and became a new creature, one that could hear, see, understand and move.

ثُمَّ أَنشَأْنَاهُ خَلْقًا آخَرَ (and then We brought it forth as another creation).

Al-`Awfi reported that Ibn Abbas said,

"We change it from one stage to another until it emerges as an infant, then it grows up through the stages of being a child, adolescent, youth, mature man, old man and senile man.''

Imam Ahmad recorded in his Musnad that Abdullah -- Ibn Mas`ud -- said,

"The Messenger of Allah, the Truthful One, told us:

إِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ لَيُجْمَعُ خَلْقُهُ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا نُطْفَةً، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ عَلَقَةً مِثْلَ ذلِكَ، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ مُضْغَةً مِثْلَ ذلِكَ، ثُمَّ يُرْسَلُ إِلَيْهِ الْمَلَكُ فَيَنْفُخُ فِيهِ الرُّوحَ وَيُؤْمَرُ بِأَرْبَعِ كَلِمَاتٍ: رِزْقِهِ، وَأَجَلِهِ، وَعَمَلِهِ، وَهَلْ هُوَ شَقِيٌّ أَوْ سَعِيدٌ، فَوَ الَّذِي لَا إِلهَ غَيْرُهُ إِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ لَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ حَتَّى مَا يَكُونُ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهَا إِلَّا ذِرَاعٌ، فَيَسْبِقُ عَلَيْهِ الْكِتَابُ فَيُخْتَمُ لَهُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ النَّارِ فَيَدْخُلُهَا، وَإِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ النَّارِ حَتَّى مَا يَكُونُ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهَا إِلَّا ذِرَاعٌ، فَيَسْبِقُ عَلَيْهِ الْكِتَابُ فَيُخْتَمُ لَهُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ فَيَدْخُلُهَا

The creation of anyone of you is gathered for forty days in his mother's stomach as a Nutfah, then he becomes a clot for a similar period of time, then he becomes a little lump of flesh for a similar length of time.

Then the angel is sent to him and he breathes the soul into it, and four things are decreed:

*

his provision,
*

his life-span,
*

his deeds, and
*

whether he will be wretched or blessed.

By the One besides Whom there is no other god, one of you may do the deeds of the people of Paradise until there is no more than a forearm's length between him and it, then the decree will overtake him and he will do the deeds of the people of Hell and thus enter Hell.

And a man may do the deeds of the people of Hell until there is no more than a forearm's length between him and it, then the decree will overtake him and he will do finally the deeds of the people of Paradise and thus enter Paradise.

This was recorded by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.