Pain Receptors in Skin
The Quran implies pain is felt through skin - confirmed by discovery of cutaneous nociceptors.
كُلَّمَا نَضِجَتْ جُلُودُهُم بَدَّلْنَاهُمْ جُلُودًا غَيْرَهَا لِيَذُوقُوا الْعَذَابَ
Kullamā naḍijat julūduhum baddalnāhum julūdan ghayrahā liyadhūqul-'adhāb
“When their skins have been burned away, We shall replace them with new ones so that they may continue to feel the pain.”
Verify on Quran.com610-632 CE
The verse describing this phenomenon was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
Time Gap
1,300+ years
Before scientific confirmation
20th century CE
Charles Sherrington / modern neuroscience confirmed: Pain Receptors (Nociceptors) in the Skin
This verse describes a punishment in the Hereafter where skins are replaced after being burned so that punishment can be "tasted" (felt). The implicit scientific principle is profound: pain is felt through the skin, and once skin is destroyed, the sensation of pain in that area is lost.
Modern neuroscience confirms this. Pain receptors (nociceptors) are concentrated in the dermis layer of skin. In third-degree burns where the skin is completely destroyed, victims often report that the burned area itself doesn't hurt - they feel pain only at the edges where partial burns have occurred.
The Quran's statement that new skins would need to be provided to continue feeling pain reflects an understanding of pain physiology that was not scientifically established until the 20th century.
Phenomenon
Pain Receptors (Nociceptors) in the Skin
Discovered By
Charles Sherrington / modern neuroscience
Year Discovered
20th century
Time Gap
1,300+ years
Pain is sensed by specialized nerve endings called nociceptors, which are concentrated in the skin. When skin is severely burned (third-degree burns), these nerve endings are destroyed, and the victim cannot feel pain in that area.
The Quran's description of skins being replaced so punishment can be "tasted" (felt) is scientifically accurate - pain sensation is dependent on intact skin with functioning nociceptors. The verse implicitly acknowledges that: 1. Pain is sensed through the skin 2. Destroyed skin cannot feel pain 3. New skin would be needed to restore pain sensation
Ancient Understanding
Ancient physicians and philosophers believed pain was sensed by the heart or brain directly, not by the skin. Aristotle taught that the heart was the seat of sensation. Galen believed nerves carried sensations to the brain, but didn't understand that skin itself contained specialized pain receptors.
Medieval & Renaissance Period
Medieval medicine followed Galenic theories. Pain was understood as a signal reaching the brain, but the concept that specific structures in the skin (nerve endings) detected pain was unknown. Burned skin was thought to hurt due to continued irritation, not because of specific receptors.
Scientific View Before Discovery
Before modern neuroscience, pain was thought to be a general property of all body tissues, with no understanding of specialized nociceptors. It was not known that severely damaged skin loses pain sensation, or that pain receptors could be destroyed.
Common Misconceptions (Before Modern Science)
- Pain is sensed by the heart or brain directly
- All tissues feel pain equally
- Destroyed tissue should hurt more, not less
- Burn pain comes from heat irritating the wound
- There are no specialized pain-sensing structures in the skin
The Paradigm Shift
Charles Sherrington's work on neurophysiology (1906) and the discovery of nociceptors established that pain is sensed by specialized nerve endings concentrated in the skin. Third-degree burns destroy these receptors, causing numbness - a counterintuitive finding that the Quran implicitly understood.
Related Signs
Human Embryonic Development
The Quran describes embryonic stages (alaqah, mudghah) with accuracy confirmed by modern embryology.
Uniqueness of Fingerprints
The Quran emphasizes fingertip recreation - fingerprint uniqueness was only discovered in the 1890s.
Water as the Origin of Life
The Quran states all life is made from water - confirmed by modern biochemistry and cell biology.
Sources & References
4 sources cited on this page