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Many Muslims wonder about
the theory of biological evolution – the theory that living species on
Earth today are descended from others in the past, and that the present
diversity of living species we see is a result of descent with modification
over the course of numerous generations.
Muslims also wonder about
one of the main processes that evolutionary theory proposes to explain how
evolution takes place – the process of natural selection. This is the idea
that the individuals within a populations of living organism vary in their
individual traits – they are not exactly alike – and that the organisms
which are most successful at leaving descendants will pass on their unique
traits to the next generation at the expense of the traits possessed by
less successful organisms in the population, thereby contributing to a
long-term gradual change in the suite of traits found within the
population.
To start with, it is not
our intention in this article to discuss the scientific implications of
evolutionary theory. We wish to explore the issue from the perspective of
Islamic teachings.
We as Muslims must ask:
Does the theory of
evolution – and likewise the theory of natural selection as a mechanism of
evolution – conform to Islamic teachings or conflict with them?
Is a Muslim allowed to
believe in evolution as a scientific theory as long as he or she accepts
that Allah is behind it?
Is a Muslim allowed to
believe in human evolution? If not, how can we explain the fossils of
upright, bipedal, tool-using apes with large brains that have been
discovered?
We wish to re-emphasize
that our concern here is not with examining the scientific merits of the
theory of evolution. What we want to know is what Islamic teachings have to
say about the idea. Whether evolution is true or false scientifically is
another matter altogether.
When we look at the sources
of Islam – the Qur’ân and Sunnah – we see that, with respect to human
beings living on the Earth today, they are all descendants of Adam and Eve.
Allah also says: “O
mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into
nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most
honorable of you with Allah is the one who is the most God-fearing.” [Sûrah
al-Hujûrât:13]
The Prophet (peace be upon
him) identified the "male" mentioned in this verse as being Adam.
He said: “Human beings are the children of Adam and Adam was created from
Earth. Allah says: ‘O mankind! We have created you from a male and a
female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one
another. Verily, the most honorable of you with Allah is the one who is the
most God-fearing’.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (3270)]
We also see that Allah
created Adam directly without the agency of parents.
Allah says: “The similitude
of Jesus before Allah is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then
said to him: ‘Be’ and he was.” [Sûrah Âl `Imrân: 59]
We also know that Eve was
created from Adam without the agency of parents.
In the Qur’ân, Allah states
clearly: “O mankind! Be careful of your duty to your Lord Who created you
from a single soul and from it created its mate and from them twain hath
spread abroad a multitude of men and women.” [Sûrah al-Nisâ’: 1]
Therefore, the Qur’ân tells
us that Adam and his wife were the father and mother of all human beings
living on the Earth today. We know about this by way of direct revelation
from Allah.
The direct creation of Adam
(peace be upon him) can neither be confirmed nor denied by science in any
way. This is because the creation of Adam (peace be upon him) was a unique
and singular historical event. It is a matter of the Unseen and something
that science does not have the power to confirm or deny. As a matter of the
Unseen, we believe it because Allah informs us about it. We say the same
for the miracles mentioned in the Qur’ân. Miraculous events, by their very
nature, do not conform to scientific laws and their occurrence can neither
be confirmed nor denied by science.
What about other living
things, besides the human beings living on the Earth today? What about
plants, animals, fungi, and the like?
When we turn our attention
to this question, we find that the Qur’ân and Sunnah do not tell us much
about the flora and fauna that was present on the Earth before or at the
time of Adam and Eve’s arrived upon it. The sacred texts also do not tell
us how long ago Adam and Eve arrived upon the Earth. Therefore, these are
things we cannot ascertain from the sacred texts.
The only thing that the
Qur’ân and Sunnah require us to believe about the living things on Earth
today is that Allah created them in whatever manner He decided to create
them.
Allah says: “Allah is the
Creator of all things and over all things He has authority.” [Sûrah
al-Zumar: 62]
Indeed, Allah states
specifically that He created all life forms: “And We made from water all
living things.” [Sûrah al-Anbiyâ’: 30]
We know that “Allah does
what He pleases.” Allah can create His creatures in any manner that He
chooses.
Therefore, with respect to
other living things, the Qur’ân and Sunnah neither confirm nor deny the
theory of biological evolution or the process referred to as natural
selection. The question of evolution remains purely a matter of scientific
enquiry. The theory of evolution must stand or fall on its own scientific
merits – and that means the physical evidence that either confirms the
theory or conflicts with it.
The role of science is only
to observe and describe the patterns that Allah places in His creation. If
scientific observation shows a pattern in the evolution of species over
time that can be described as natural selection, this is not in itself
unbelief. It is only unbelief for a person to think that this evolution
took place on its own, and not as a creation of Allah. A Muslim who accepts
evolution or natural selection as a valid scientific theory must know that
the theory is merely an explanation of one of the many observed patterns in
Allah’s creation.
As for the fossil remains
of bipedal apes and the tools and artifacts associated with those remains,
their existence poses no problem for Islamic teachings. There is nothing in
the Qur’ân and Sunnah that either affirms or denies that upright, brainy,
tool using apes ever existed or evolved from other apelike ancestors. Such
animals may very well have existed on Earth before Adam’s arrival upon it.
All we can draw from the Qur’ân and Sunnah is that even if those animals
once existed, they were not the forefathers of Adam (peace be upon him).
And Allah knows best.
Prepared by the Research
Committee of IslamToday.net under the supervision of Sheikh `Abd al-Wahhâb
al-Turayrî
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