Matakin ci gaban ɗan adam na gaba da aka bayyana a cikin Alƙur'ani shi ne mudghah. Wannan kalma tana nufin tauna, taunawa, abin da ake tauna, kuma ana kuma amfani da ita ga ɗan naman ƙanƙanta. Haka kuma tana bayyana amfrayo bayan ya wuce zuwa wani mataki kuma ya zama nama.63 Sauran ma'anoni sun haɗa da abin da haƙora suka tauna suka bar alamomi a kansa; da alamomin da ke canzawa a lokacin tauna saboda maimaita aikin.64 An ƙara yin bayani kan matakin mudghah a wani wuri na Alƙur'ani:

The next stage of human development defined in the Qur’an is mudghah. This term means to chew, mastication, chewing, to be chewed, and a small piece of meat.61 62 It also describes the embryo after it passes to another stage and becomes flesh.63 Other meanings include something that teeth have chewed and left visible marks on; and marks that change in the process of chewing due to the repetitive act.64 The mudghah stage is elaborated on further, elsewhere in the Qur'an:

sannan daga wani guntsi na nama (mudghah), wanda aka siffanta shi da kuma wanda ba a siffanta shi ba. 65

then from a fleshy lump (mudghah), formed and unformed. 65

Kalmar Larabci da aka yi amfani da ita a nan don 'an halicce' ita ce mukhallqah, wadda kuma tana iya nufin 'an siffanta' ko 'an tsara ta'.66

The Arabic word used here for ‘formed’ is mukhallqah which can also mean ‘shaped’ or ‘moulded’.66

Ta hanyar amfani da hanyar nazarin ma'anar kalma, wannan mataki yana magana ne a kan mako na 4, lokacin da somites, waɗanda suke kama da alamomin haƙori [duba Hotuna 5 da 6], suka fara bunƙasa. Bayyanar tayin a wannan mataki, saboda bunƙasar somites, ta yi daidai da ma'anonin: 'a tauna' da 'wani abu da haƙora suka tauna suka bar alamomi a bayyane a kansa'. Game da bunƙasar somites, Barry Mitchell da Ram Sharma sun rubuta:

Taking a lexical approach to the interpretation of the word, this stage deals with the 4th week, when somites, which resemble tooth-marks [see Figures 5 and 6], begin to develop. The appearance of the embryo at this stage, due to somite development, corresponds with the meanings: ‘to be chewed’ and ‘something that teeth have chewed and left visible marks on’. Concerning somite development, Barry Mitchell and Ram Sharma write:

A cikin mako na huɗu, ƙwayoyin mesenchyme da ke tsakiyar somites suna ƙaura zuwa notochord don su samar da sclerotomes [mesenchyme shi ne nama mai haɗa jiki da ke sassake a sako-sako a cikin amfrayo].67

In the fourth week, the medially placed mesenchymal cells of the somites migrate towards the notochord to form scelerotomes [mesenchyme is the loosely arranged embryonic connective tissue in the embryo].67

Wani ma'anar kalmar mudghah ta ƙunshi cewa tana kama da ɗan naman da aka cije ko guntun nama. Wannan ma kwatanci ne daidai da yadda tayi take a wannan mataki. Abin sha'awa, bayanin Alƙur'ani na mudghah a matsayin "wanda aka sifanta da kuma wanda ba a sifanta ba", na iya nufin lokacin organogenesis, wanda a cikinsa dukkan manyan gabobi suka fara haɓaka, amma ba su cika cikakkiyar siffarsu ba tukuna. Wannan lokaci kuma yana faruwa kusan a mako na huɗu.

Another meaning for the word mudghah includes something looking like a morsel of flesh. This too is an accurate description of the embryo's appearance at this stage. Interestingly, the qur’anic explanation of mudghah as being “formed and unformed”, can refer to the organogenetic period, during which all the main organs have begun to develop, but are not yet fully formed.68 This period also occurs at around the 4th week

Wata hujja da masu suka suka gabatar game da matakin mudghah ita ce cewa, guntun naman da aka tauna ko dunƙulen nama ba ya kama da tayi a kowane mataki da ilimin tayi na zamani ya bayyana. Domin mayar da martani ga wannan, wajibi ne a bayyana abin da ake nufi da ‘guntun nama da aka tauna’. Ba wai tauna kawai ba ne ya ke ciki, har ma da abin da aka taunawa sau ɗaya kawai. Wannan yana tabbatar da ma’anar kalmar mudghah, domin alamomin cizo suna kama da guntun nama da aka tauna sau ɗaya. Wannan kuma yana ƙara bayyana a ma’anarta ta wata fuskar: ‘abin da haƙora suka tauna suka bar alamomi a kansa’.

An argument raised by critics concerning the mudghah stage is that a chewed piece of meat or a lump of flesh does not resemble the embryo at any stage described by modern embryology. In responding to this, it is necessary to clarify what constitutes a ‘chewed piece of flesh’. It includes, not just mastication, but also something being chewed just the once. This maintains the meaning of the word mudghah as the bite marks do resemble a piece of meat chewed once. This is highlighted by its other meaning: ‘something that teeth have chewed and left visible marks on’.

Matakin `mudghah:

The `mudghah stage:

Ci gaban somites wanda ke ba tayin bayyanar abu da aka tauna. Abin da yake kama da ƙwayar nama - wata cikakkiyar bayani ce ta yadda tayin yake a wannan mataki.

The development of somites giving the embryo the appearance of a chewed substance. What looks like a morsel of flesh - an accurate description of embryo's appearance at this stage.

Hakanan yana bayyana lokacin samuwar gabobi (watau ci gaban gabobin jiki, waɗanda ba su kai ga cikakkiyar siffarsu ba tukuna).

It also describes the organogenetic period (the development of organs, not yet fully formed).

Kamar kullum, an sha yunkurin kwatanta kalmar Alƙur'ani "mudghah" da rubuce-rubucen Galen domin tabbatar da ra'ayin cewa Annabi Muhammad ﷺ ya yi satar fasaha daga rubuce-rubucen Helenawa game da ci gaban halittar ɗan adam. Sai dai idan aka yi nazari kan rubuce-rubucen Galen, aka kuma kwatanta su da ma'anoni daban-daban kuma masu yawa na kalmar mudghah, sai bambanci mai fayyace ya bayyana. Galen ya ce:

As ever, there have been attempts to compare the qur’anic term mudghah with Galen’s work to substantiate the view that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ plagiarised from Greek writings on human development. However, upon analysing Galen’s writings, bringing it in contrast to the various and extensive meanings of the word mudghah, a pointed difference is made distinct. Galen states:

Lokaci na uku yana biye da wannan, lokacin da, kamar yadda aka faɗa, ana iya ganin sassa uku masu mulki a fili, da wani irin zayyana, kamar inuwa, na dukkan sauran sassan. Za ka ga tsarin sassa uku masu mulki a fili, na sassan ciki a ɓoye, kuma fiye da haka, na gaɓoɓi. Daga baya suna samar da "rassa", kamar yadda Hippocrates ya bayyana, yana nuna ta wannan kalma kamanninsu da reshe.69

The third period follows on this, when, as was said, it is possible to see the three ruling parts clearly and a kind of outline, a silhouette, as it were, of all the other parts. You will see the conformation of the three ruling parts more clearly, that of the parts of the stomach more dimly, and much more still, that of the limbs. Later on they form ‘twigs’, as Hippocrates expressed it, indicating by the term their similarity to branches.69

Kamar yadda aka bincika, Alkur'ani ya ambaci mudghah a matsayin wani abu mai kama da tauna da kuma wani karamin yanki na nama. Sabanin haka, Galen ya tattauna "tsarin" "sassan mulki guda uku", "inuwa" da "reshe", wanda mafi yuwuwa yana nufin samuwar kashin gabobi. Ya bayyana wadannan sassan mulki guda uku a matsayin wadanda suka fi bayyana fiye da ciki da gabobi. Sai dai Alkur'ani bai ambaci hakan ba, kuma ambatonsa na samuwar kashin gabobi ya zo a mataki na gaba. Saboda haka, yin tunanin cewa Annabi Muhammad ﷺ ya kwafi ayyukan Galen ba shi da hujja kuma ba zai yiwu ba, domin Alkur'ani bai hada da wani daga cikin bayanan da Galen ya bayar a wannan mataki ba.

As explored, the Qur’an mentions mudghah as a chewed-like substance and a small piece of flesh. In contrast, Galen discusses the “conformation” of “the three ruling parts”, “silhouettes” and “twigs”, which is most likely in reference to limb bone formation. He details these three ruling parts as being more visible than the stomach and the limbs. However, the Qur’an makes no mention of this, and its mention of the limb bone formation comes at the next stage. It is both implausible and impractical, therefore, to suggest the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ copied the works of Galen as the Qur’an does not include any of the descriptions provided by Galen at this stage