The Amazing Tailbone
(An Islamic Perspective)
The phenomenon of recreation (Resurrection) is as mysterious and more, than the mystery of first creation. Creation takes place beyond the visible eyes, and it takes place in stages. Human creation begins with the creation of the gamete (zygote), and it proceeds in stages in mother's womb. The stages include the physical and spiritual components, which are complementary to the creation of a human being. From beginning to the end, the physical development is a continuous process, and takes place simultaneously at molecular levels. It is far beyond human intellect to perceive these delicate, and yet intricate processes that go on in the layers of darkness:
"He makes you, in the wombs of your mothers, in stages, one after the another, in three layers of darkness." [Surah al-Zumar, 39:6]
After fertilization, the gamete divides to form a bilayer embryo. A group of these cells thicken to form the structure, called The Primitive Streak. The cells in this stage are pluripotential. They are capable of differentiation into specialized cell lines, which eventually form different organs with specialized functions:
"And indeed! We created man (Adam) out of an extract of clay (water and dirt). Thereafter We made him (Adam's offspring) as Nutfah in a safe lodging (mother's womb). Then We made the Nutfah into a clot, then We made the clot into a little lump of flesh, then We made out of that little lump of flesh bones, then We clothed the bones with flesh, and then We brought it forth as another creation. So Blessed is Allah, the Best of creators." [Surah al-Mu'minun, 23:12-14]
One of these cell lines in the primitive streak induces the development of embryonic mesoderm. The Notochord, the primordium of future vertebral column, develops in the mesoderm, and dictates the embryo its vertical axis. Starting at the base of the primitive streak, the notochord grows cranially to lay down the vertebral column, but its caudal most part remains unchanged and develops into the tailbone or the coccyx.
Thus, as the last piece of the notochord, the tailbone holds the remnant of those pluripotential cells, the genome of which, under appropriate conditions, are capable of regenerating new cell lines as the original. In Resurrection, the genomic material preserved in these cells of the tailbone will be primed with Blessed Rain and everyone will be recreated from the same dirt they decayed to after burial:
"Afterwards He will return you into it (the earth), and bring you forth (again on the Day of Resurrection)." [Surah Nuh, 71:18]
The precision of recreation is so perfect that the new creation will resemble the original creation (one before death) to the extent that it will match even to the tips of his finger, not even a line of finger print will be missing:
"Nay, We are able to put together in perfect order the very tips of his fingers." [Surah al-Qiyamah, the Resurrection, 75:4]
The Holy Qur'an addresses the phenomenon of Resurrection as the Hour. The Holy ProphetSAW said that the Hour will not be established until a series of minor and major warning signs are given [Sahih al-Bukhari 7121, Book 92, Hadith 68, Vol. 9, Book 88, Hadith 237, Subject: Afflictions and the End of the World]. The Resurrection is for final accountability and reward.
"Verily, the Hour is coming—and I am almost hiding it from Myself—that every person may be rewarded for that he strives." (Surah Ta-Ha, 20:15)
After the last major sign, angel IsrafilAS will be ordered to blow the Trumpet. There will be two blowing, separated by a period of "Forty". The time of the onset and the designation of this 'gap period' have been kept hidden from human knowledge, because of its unbearable impact on human emotion and psychology (Surah Al Maidah, 5:101).
With the first blowing, everything and everyone alive, will be caused to die except him whom AllahSWT wills (Surah al-Zumar, 39:68), and the life in Barzakh (Interregnum) will start. Life in this interim period will last until the second blowing that will mark the beginning of the Hour.
The Resurrection will begin with revival of the dead existing in the state of Barzakh. The first to be revived will be our ProphetSAW. He said: "I will be first to raise my head after the second blowing of the Trumpet, and will see Musa (Moses) holding on, or clinging to, the Throne; and I will not know whether he had been in that state all the time or after the blowing of the trumpet." [Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol. 6 Hadith No. 337, Hadith N. 4812: Prophetic Commentary on Qur'an (Verse 68, Surah al-Zumar), Narrated Abu HurairahRA)
The ProphetSAW will be revived from his intact body, the way he was buried; his body did not decay, because AllahSWT forbade the earth to disintegrate the bodies of the Prophets. The ProphetSAW said: "Verily, Allah has forbidden the Earth to consume the bodies of the Prophets." [Sunan Abî Dâwûd (1047), Sunan al-Nasâ'î (1374), and Sunan Ibn Mâjah (1636)]
And, the martyrs will be revived from their intact bodies, because their bodies also do not decay to the earth: "Think not of those who are killed in the Way of Allâh as dead. Nay, they are alive, with their Lord, and they have provision." [Surah Aal-Imraan, 3:169]
But, the rest of all human beings, in whatever form they are disposed of after their death, will be consumed by the earth, from where they will be resurrected and brought forth again. Human life cycle began with the creation of AdamAS who was created from dirt in the best mold, which AllahSWT created with His Two Hands (Surah S'ad, 38:75). We inherited that mold coded in the genome of AdamAS:
""(Remember) when your Lord said to the angels: "Truly I am going to create man from clay.""
And,
"Verily, We created man in the best stature (mold)" [Surah At-Tin, 95:4)
On burial, we will return to the earth, and on Resurrection everyone will be revived from the dirt where his/her body decayed. On revival, they will be rushing out of their graves: spellbound, and in crowd, they will hasten as if running in a race to reach the Post:
"Thereof (the earth) We created you, and into it We shall return you, and from it We shall bring you out once again." [Surah Ta-Ha, 20:55]
"The Day when the Trumpet will be blown, and you come forth in crowds." [Surah An-Naba, 78:18]
An example of revival is given through the growth of vegetation from a lifeless dry earth when rain water falls on it. Between the two blowing and before the beginning revival, AllahSWT will send down the Blessed Rain from the sky:
"And it is Allah Who sends the winds, so that they raise up the clouds, and We drive them to a dead land, and revive therewith the earth after its death. As such (will be) the Resurrection!" [Surah Fathir, 35:9]
The ProphetSAW further elaborated on the phenomenon of resurrection in the following traditions. In the tafsir of the above verse, Allah's Apostle said: "Between the two sounds of the trumpet, there will be forty." …"Then (after this period) Allah will send water from the sky, and then the dead bodies will grow like vegetation grows, there is nothing of the human body that does not decay except one bone; that is the little bone at the end of the coccyx of which the human body will be recreated on the Day of Resurrection." [Book: Prophetic Commentary on the Qur'an (Tafsir of the ProphetSAW. Global Id: 4779 (0), English reference: Vol. 6, Book 60, Hadith 457, Arabic reference: Book 65, Hadith 4985]. Chain (0): Muhammad bin Ubaid al-Tanafasi -->> Muhammad bin Khazim al-Darir -->>Suaiman al-Amash -->>Dhakwan Abu Salah al-Saman al-Ziyat -->>Abu Hurairah]
"And the Trumpet will be blown; and all who are in the heavens, and all who are on earth will swoon away except him whom Allah wills…". [Surah az-Zumar, 39:68]
And, in the tafsir of the above verse, the ProphetSAW said: "Between the two trumpets there will be forty". The people said, O Abu Hurairah! Forty days?". I refused to reply. They said, "Forty years?". I refused to reply and added: Everything of the human body will decay except the little bone at the end of coccyx, and from that bone Allah will reconstruct the whole body. [(Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No. 338, Chapter: 254 ->Book 60: Prophetic Commentary on Qur'an (Tafsir of the ProphetSAW), Narrated by Abu Hurairah]
So, the End of this world, and the beginning of the Hour, will be heralded by a series of minor and major signs. The last major sign will be followed by the first blowing of the trumpet. With the first blowing, everyone will die (except him whom Allah wills).
Resurrection will begin with the second blowing. There is an unspecified time period of "Forty" between the two blowing. In this period and prior to the second blowing, the earth will be soaked with blessed Water from the sky, and the revival of each individual will start from his "little bone at the end the coccyx." This is Allah's Will and Plan. He is the Creator, and He creates however He wants.
From science point of view, creation of an identical replica of a person is possible only from his "genomic material". The genomic material is the DNA that carries the code of hereditary propagation, and dictates body's physical and functional qualities. DNA is made up of billions of base pairs of nucleic acids (Adenine and Thymine, Guanine and Cytosine, Uracil replaces Cytosine in RNA). Chromosome, the source of DNA is the Mold, it is the best Blue Print on which man is created: "Verily, We created man in the best stature (mold)" [Surah At-Tin, 95:4)
From Belief point of view, a person is created from dirt, will return to dirt (after death) and will be resurrected from the dirt: "Thereof (the earth) We created you, and into it We shall return you, and from it We shall bring you out once again." [Surah Ta-Ha, 20:55]. Therefore, the dirt must be source of genomic material (DNA), necessary to recreate a particular individual.
According to the Hadith, on death the body will decay, but not the last piece of coccyx. And AllahSWT will recreate the person from that little piece at the end of coccyx (tailbone). So, the tail piece is preserved, and must be preserved in the dirt. So, the dirt must save the genetic information contained in the tailpiece without disintegrating it into meaningless protein molecules.
Resurrection will begin with the reconstruction of coccyx, the most caudal unit of the spine (the coccyx is the caudal most part of the vertebral column). The human embryo was identified with the development of the tailpiece followed by the development of the spinal column. To fully grasp the role of the tailpiece in individual resurrection, it is important to understand the anatomy and functions of the coccyx, and its development in the early embryonic period.
The coccyx is the last part of the vertebral column of human being, more specifically it is the tail bud, mentioned in the Hadith, as the "little bone at the end of coccyx". The vertebral column gives human being the upright posture, the distinction of upright creation, that carries its weight on two legs.
The development of adult human body passes through embryogenesis that last for two weeks followed by gastrulation which is marked by appearance of primitive streak and development of the three-layered embryo. Now it is called a Gastrula and the layers are, from back to front, the ectoderm, the mesoderm and the endoderm, which can specialize to form all the organs of a future adult.
In early embryogenesis, when the embryo has only two layers, an area of thickening appears in the endodermal layer at its junction with the ectoderm, called the prechordal plate, the future site of oropharynx, that identifies cranial end of the embryo. Thus, it patterns the vertex to caudal orientation of the embryo.
In early embryogenesis, opposite to the pre-chordal plate, at the caudal end, a specialized group of cells appear and compact themselves to form a firm rodlike structure, called the primitive streak. These are the progenitor cells. At the cephalic end of the primitive streak there appears node, called the primitive knot which has a middle depression called the primitive pit. The node determines and patterns the antero-posterior axis of the embryo by directing the development of the chordamesoderm. The chordamesoderm is a specific type of mesoderm that will differentiate into notochord and somites. The notochord determines and patterns the vertical axis of the embryo. It also induces the development of the neural tube from an in-folding of the ectoderm dorsal to it. These structures: the notochord, the somites, and the neural tube will later form the vertebral column. The upper limb buds appear on the 26th day when the embryo is only 3.5 to 4 mm in its crown rump length (CRL). Further growth of limbs are away from the central point determined by the notochord (the site of adult vertebral column). (The Development of Human, Clinically Oriented Embryology, 7th Edition, Moor Persaud)
Similar to the site of prechordal plate and future oropharyngeal membrane, the caudal end of the embryo is represented by the cloacal membrane which is posteriorly attached to the tip of the coccyx (the tailbone) and anteriorly to the median raphe. The coccyx develops from the base of the notochord. Since the notochord develops from primitive knot and primitive streak, the site of the pluripotential cells, and the coccyx develops from the caudal end of the notochord, the coccyx does contain those pluripotential cells. The genome of these pluripotential cells is preserved in the dirt, the site of decay. Therefore, these pluripotential cells, derived from the coccyx, will provide the genomic material for resurrection.
In conclusion, the Hadith establishes the role of the Coccyx in the phenomenon of Resurrection and indicates the fact that it is the genomic material (DNA) that will be used to produce the replica of the dead person. Other factor necessary for Resurrection is the blessed Water from the sky.
This Hadith was narrated by the ProphetSAW over fourteen centuries ago, when there was no sign of any science, let alone the genomic science, but it laid the foundation of future genomic science, which could have been possible only through Divine Inspiration:
"Nor does he speak (his own) desire. It is only a Revelation revealed." [Surah An-Najm, 53:3-4]
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