COCCYX
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The coccyx (tailbone) is a small, triangular bone at the base of the spine. It consists of three to five fused vertebrae and acts as an anchor for muscles and ligaments, providing support when sitting and functioning as a shock absorber. It is a vestigial structure, a remnant of the tail from which humans evolved, yet it plays an essential role in supporting and stabilizing the pelvic floor. From a scientific standpoint, it is composed of fused tail vertebrae and does not decompose as easily as some other bones. However, it is not considered a “point of origin” in the modern scientific sense.
Embryonic Development
In the early embryonic stages, a tail-like structure appears and then atrophies, leaving the coccyx as an evolutionary vestige.
Decomposition After Death
The coccyx decomposes like other bones, and there is no conclusive scientific evidence that it never decays.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said in a hadith (Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim): “All of Adam’s descendants will decay except for the coccyx; from it he was created, and from it he will be resurrected.” And man will be recreated from it on the Day of Judgment, just as a plant sprout from a seed.
In contemporary Islamic books and commentaries, the hadith is linked to facts of embryonic biology, indicating that the spinal column (primitive streak) is the first thing to form in the embryo, from which the rest of the body develops, and that its remnants remain in the coccyx.
The coccyx is the origin of the first creation and will be the starting point for the resurrection on the Day of Judgment. Recreation is a matter of the unseen, linked to God’s absolute power, and is not necessarily subject to known physical laws. Science studies only matter and its mechanisms; it does not address resurrection or rebirth after death because these fall outside the scope of experimentation. A common mistake is attempting to subject metaphysical texts to the laws of the laboratory, or demanding that science prove what is beyond its domain.
This scientific introduction leads us to a true story that took place in the United States. Here is the story: A wealthy man died in the late 1940s in the United States. Years later, a woman carrying a child went to court and claimed that the child was the man’s son.
The judges were torn between believing her or dismissing her case, especially given the woman’s insistence that the wealthy man was indeed the father of her child.
DNA testing was unknown at the time. They searched American law but found no precedent for this case. They then turned to the laws of ancient nations—Roman, Greek, Indian, and East Asian—but found no answer.
The judges decided to send a committee of their own, along with doctors, to Turkey. They had heard that in Istanbul there lived a renowned scholar, unparalleled in his knowledge, named “Al-Amir al-Nasihi Bilman.”
The committee arrived in Istanbul and presented him with the perplexing case, but they could find no solution.
He asked them a question that astonished them: “Are the bones of the deceased man preserved?”
They answered: Yes!
He asked them to look for a small bone at the bottom of the back called the coccyx. Then he told them: Place a drop of the child’s blood on that bone. If it is absorbed, that is proof of paternity. If it is not absorbed, then the woman’s claim is false.
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The doctor asked: Where did you acquire this knowledge, O Mufti?!
The Mufti replied: This bone neither decays nor perishes, no matter how much time passes. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, informed us that people will be resurrected from it on the Day of Judgment, for it is the origin of creation. Say: ﴾He will quicken them who originated them the first time; He has knowledge of every creation﴿ ( Ya-Sin-79). (God Almighty has spoken the truth).
The judges were torn between believing her or dismissing her case, especially given the woman’s insistence that the wealthy man was indeed the father of her child.
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The delegation left Turkey astonished, some unconvinced by the sheikh’s words, especially the doctor accompanying them. To prove the mufti wrong, the grave was opened, and the bones were removed. The doctor placed a drop of his own blood, but it wasn’t absorbed. Then he placed the child’s blood, and the bone absorbed it immediately. He stood there bewildered, his doubt now a certainty.