Is it correct to say that the meaning of "Then We clothed the bones with flesh" is that the flesh was a covering for the bones, and it does not necessitate the bones remaining unclothed before that, as stated in the Tafsir of Ibn Ashour? And is it obligatory to refer the knowledge of ambiguities back to Allah Almighty?
The Almighty's saying: ﴿فَكَسَوْنَا الْعِظَامَ لَحْمًا﴾ (And We clothed the bones with flesh) means: We clothed the bones with flesh and caused it to grow upon them, to be a covering for them like clothing, or We made the flesh a garment for the bones. Ibn Ashour said that the flesh was like a covering for the bones, and that does not mean that the bones remained unclothed. Physicians are of the view that bones form inside the membrane and cartilage between the sixth and seventh weeks and continue until the twenty-fifth week. Attributing knowledge to Almighty Allah in all that is ambiguous or unknown is the practice of the righteous predecessors, as Al-Nawawi said in Al-Majmu': "Part of the scholar's knowledge is to say concerning what he does not know: 'I do not know,' or 'Allah knows best.'" And Allah knows best.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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