Scientific Error In Quran-Phases Of Human Creation (23:14)
It is not something antique, this difference is a very well known difference between ‘ fa ‘ and ‘ Thumma ‘. Following is another example: کَیۡفَ تَکۡفُرُوۡنَ بِاللّٰہِ وَ کُنۡتُمۡ اَمۡوَاتًا فَاَحۡیَاکُمۡ ۚ ثُمَّ یُمِیۡتُکُمۡ ثُمَّ یُحۡیِیۡکُمۡ ثُمَّ اِلَیۡہِ تُرۡجَعُوۡنَ ﴿۲۸﴾ ہُوَ الَّذِیۡ خَلَقَ لَکُمۡ مَّا فِی الۡاَرۡضِ جَمِیۡعًا ٭ ثُمَّ اسۡتَوٰۤی اِلَی السَّمَآءِ فَسَوّٰىہُنَّ سَبۡعَ سَمٰوٰتٍ ؕ وَ ہُوَ بِکُلِّ شَیۡءٍ عَلِیۡمٌ ﴿۲۹﴾ (لوگو ) تم اللہ کے منکر کس طرح ہوتے ہو، دراں حالیکہ تم مردہ تھے تو اُس نے تمھیں زندگی عطا فرمائی؟ پھر وہی تم کو مارتا ہے، پھروہی زندہ کرے گا، پھر تم اُسی کی طرف لوٹائے جاؤ گے۔ وہی جس نے تمھارے لیے زمین کی سب چیزیں پیدا کیں، پھر آسمان کی طرف متوجہ ہوا اور سات آسمان استوار کر دیے، اور وہ ہر چیز سے واقف ہے۔ (Quran 2:28-29) (Excerpt from Al-Bayan: Javed Ahmed Ghamidi)
There are different stages of development and can’t be explained in details to anyone who has no knowledge about it, specially people of previous centuries. They had no knowledge about it and that’s why it has been given in simple language to give them some understanding. Usually there is one cell stage then four cell stage and so on, usually called morula and gastrula etc. Then it transforms into three layers. Ectoderm from which skin and other organs are made. Second mesoderm from which bone and muscles are made and third endoderm from which intestine and associated organs are made. All these changes go on simultaneously till by 8th week human figure is developed and by 12 week heart starts beating. Then these organs grow further and get mature. It is not like that first one organ is made then second then third etc. All these changes go simultaneously. Before development of bones it is a soft substance like a ball with three layers as said above. Then bones develop and make it feel hard and tissues around bones become muscles. These two things develop separately, with how much difference of time, may be few seconds, few minutes or hours. Purpose of these ayats is not to teach embryology but to indicate that Allah has the capability to transform a small piece of flesh like substance into bones muscles and then a human figure. Purpose is to inform that there are different stages of development which people didn’t know two centuries ago. It’s Allah who makes all these changes. A good teacher is one who teaches according to level of understanding of student. One can’t teach student of of class 10 in the same way as MA MSc student. There are many other things in Quran which older people couldn’t understand and translate properly but found scientifically correct now. For example solar system, and water cycle, cloud formation and raining etc.