* Dust comprises minerals, metals, salts and other chemical elements such as calcium, sodium, phosphorus, potassium, silicon, chlorine, iodine, fluorine, magnesium, zinc, sulphur, iron, etc. These and other clay elements also form a balanced diet essential for nourishment. The animals whose meat and milk we consume graze upon vegetation. The grains, vegetables and fruits that constitute our diet benefit from the soil they grow in and absorb all its chemicals.
* In Arabic, the word ‘al-nutfa’ is mentioned, and it refers to a zygote, which is a mixture of male and female gametes. It is the new single cell formed after the union of a sperm and ovum.
* The word ‘alaqa’ in this verse describes the human embryo from days 7–24, which clings to the endometrium of the uterus in the same way that a leech clings to the skin. Just as the leech derives blood from the host, the human embryo derives blood from the decidua or pregnant endometrium. It is remarkable how much the embryo of 23–24 days resembles a leech. No microscopes were available in the 7th century, so none would have known that the human embryo at this stage was clinging to the endometrium and had a leech-like appearance.
* Seven tracks may refer to the seven heavens, being above one another, according to the description of traditional cosmology. It may also refer to the paths of the five visible planets, including the sun and the moon, or the celestial spheres in which the sun and the planets move, traditionally known as ‘aflak’. Another possible meaning could be the seven magnetic fields around the vast atmospheric expanse of the earth for safeguarding the cosmic system.