Islamic views on evolution
Part of a series on | ||||
Creationism | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
History | ||||
Types | ||||
Biblical cosmology | ||||
|
||||
Creation science | ||||
|
||||
Rejection of evolution by religious groups | ||||
Religious views | ||||
|
||||
Part of a series on |
Islam |
---|
Islamic views on evolution are diverse, ranging from
History
Early views
In Kitab al-Hayawan ('Book of the Animals'), the 9th-century Muslim scholar al-Jāḥiẓ references several facets of natural selection, such as animal embryology, adaptation, and animal psychology. One notable observation al-Jāḥiẓ makes is that stronger rats were able to compete better for resources than small birds, a reference to the modern day theory of the "struggle for existence".[10] Al-Jāḥiẓ also wrote descriptions of food chains.[11]
Animals engage in a struggle for existing, and for resources, to avoid being eaten, and to breed... Environmental factors influence organisms to develop new characteristics to ensure survival, thus transforming them into new species. Animals that survive to breed can pass on their successful characteristics to their offspring.
— Al-Jahiz, Book of the Animals
In 10th century
According to Sami S. Hawi, the 11th-century Persian scholar Ibn Miskawayh wrote about the evolution of man in his Fawz al-aṣghar.[14]
The 14th-century influential historiographer and historian Ibn Khaldun wrote in the Muqaddimah or Prolegomena ("Introduction") on what he referred to as the "gradual process of creation". Some of Ibn Khaldun's thoughts, according to some commentators, anticipate the biological theory of evolution.[15] Ibn Khaldun asserted that humans developed from "the world of the monkeys", in a process by which "species become more numerous".[16] He believed that humans are the most evolved form of animals, in that they have the ability to reason. He also stated that the Earth began with abiotic components such as "minerals". Slowly, primitive stages of plants such as "herbs and seedless plants" developed and eventually "palms and vines".[17]
Shoaib Ahmed Malik has pointed out that Ibn Khaldun's theory, while remarkable for its acceptance of the kinship between monkeys and humans, should be understood in the context of the
Modern views
19th and 20th centuries
Evolution was an accepted fact among some Islamic scholarly circles.[22] In his 1874 book titled History of the Conflict between Religion and Science, John William Draper, a scientist and contemporary of Charles Darwin, criticized the Catholic Church for its disapproval of "the Mohammedan theory of the evolution of man from lower forms, or his gradual development to his present condition in the long lapse of time".[23] However, Draper's book has been criticized by more recent scholars as lacking historical accuracy.[24]
In the 19th century, a scholar of
A contemporary of Al-Afghani, Ottoman-Lebanese Sunni scholar Hussein al-Jisr, declared that there is no contradiction between evolution and the Islamic scriptures. He stated that "there is no evidence in the Quran to suggest whether all species, each of which exists by the grace of God, were created all at once or gradually", and referred to the aforementioned story of creation in Sūrat al-Anbiyā.[27][28][29][30]
The late Ottoman intellectual Ismail Fennî, while personally rejecting Darwinism, insisted that it should be taught in schools as even false theories contributed to the improvement of science. He held that interpretations of the Quran might require amendment should Darwinism eventually be shown to be true.[31]
In Kemalist Turkey, important scholars strove to accommodate the theory of evolution in Islamic scripture during the first decades of the Turkish Republic; their approach to the theory defended Islamic belief in the face of scientific theories of their times.[32] The Saudi Arabian government, on the other hand, began funding and promoting denial of evolution in the 1970s in accordance to its Salafi-Wahhabi interpretation of Islam.[33] This stance garnered criticism from the governments and academics of mainline Muslim countries such as Turkey,[34] Pakistan,[35] Lebanon,[36] and Iran,[33] where evolution was initially taught and promoted.
21st century
In the contemporary era, a significant minority of Muslims who support evolution exist, but evolution is not accepted by mainstream scholars of the post-colonial Muslim world. However, some scholars argue that evolution is compatible even with a literal reading of the Qur'an.[37]
Although evolutionary concepts, including natural selection, are presented in the curricula in many Muslim countries, explicit discussion of human evolution is often missing. With the exception of Pakistan, though, religious references are not common in evolutionary science curricula.[38]
Khalid Anees, of the
Contemporary Islamic scholars
While Muslim scholars reject Young Earth creationism,[45] and claim the story of creation in the Book of Genesis was corrupted,[46] a movement has begun to emerge recently in some Muslim countries promoting themes that have been characteristic of Christian creationists. This stance has received criticism, due to claims that the Quran and Bible are incompatible.[47][48][49]
According to the Guardian newspaper, some British Muslim students have distributed leaflets on campus, advocating against Darwin's theory of evolution.[47] At a conference in the UK in January 2004, entitled Creationism: Science and Faith in Schools, "Dr Khalid Anees, of the Islamic Society of Britain stated that 'Muslims interpret the world through both the Quran and what is tangible and seen. There is no contradiction between what is revealed in the Quran and natural selection and survival of the fittest'."[39]
Zakir Naik, a contemporary preacher of Islam and advocate of creationism rejects evolution on the basis that it is only a theory and not a proven fact.[54] Seyyed Hossein Nasr, a prominent Iranian religious scholar, is also a supporter of creationism and refuses evolution for the "chance-like mechanism embedded in the process", the inconsistencies present within, and for the emendations that the theory had undergone since its inception; this view is similarly held by a former pupil of Nasr's, Osman Bakar.[54]
Nuh Ha Mem Keller, a scholar of Islam, is a proponent of the human exceptionalism view of evolution; he believes that evolution is possible only for non-human species, and that humans cannot be viewed through the lens of evolution due to man having been created by Allah with such creation being afforded a special consideration and thus separates man from the evolutional path other living beings go through.[55]
Contemporary scholar Yasir Qadhi believes that the idea that humans evolved is against the Quran, but says that God may have placed humanity perfectly into an evolutionary pattern to give the appearance of human evolution.[51]
Modern scholar Usaama al-Azami later argued that scriptural narratives of creation, and evolution as understood by modern science, may be believed by modern Muslims as addressing two different kinds of truth, the revealed and the empirical.[8]
Another scholar, Muneer Al-Ali, argues that faith and science can be integrated and complement each other in explaining the complexity and mysteries of existence.[9]
David Solomon Jalajel, an Islamic author, proclaims an Adamic exceptionalism view of evolution which encourages the theological use of tawaqquf; a tawaqquf is to make no argument for or against a matter to which scripture possesses no declarations for.[56] With tawaqquf, Jalajel believes that Adam's creation does not necessarily signal the beginning of humanity as the Quran makes no declaration as to whether or not human beings were on Earth before Adam had descended.[57] As a result, Jalajel invokes tawaqquf which insinuates that it is possible for humans to exist or not exist before the appearance of Adam on earth with either belief being possible due to the Quran, and that it is possible that an intermingling of Adam's descendants and other humans may or may not have occurred.[57] Thus, the existence of Adam is a miracle since the Quran directly states it to be, but it does not assert there being no humans who could have existed at the time of Adam's appearance on earth and who could have came about as a result of evolution.[57] This viewpoint stands in contrast to creationism and human exceptionalism, ultimately declaring that evolution could be viewed without conflict with Islam and that Muslims could either accept or reject "human evolution on its scientific merits without reference to the story of Adam".[57]
A research paper published in 2016 by the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research wrote that there is not a consensus among scholars on how to respond to the theory of evolution, and it is not clear whether the scholars are even qualified scientifically to give a response.[58]
In 2017, Turkey announced plans to end the teaching evolution before the university level, with the government claiming it is too complicated and "controversial" a topic to be understood by young minds.[59]
Rana Dajani, a university professor who teaches evolution in Jordan, wrote that almost all of her students tend to be hostile towards the idea of evolution at the beginning of the class, but by the end of the class, the majority accept the idea of evolution, except when it comes to humans.[60]
Theology
Unlike the Bible, the story of creation in the Qur'an is not told in one chapter, but rather can be pieced together from verses all over the book.[61]
Creation of the universe
Some modern-day Muslim scholars advocate for interpreting the term al-sama, traditionally believed to be a reference to both the sky and the seven heavens,[62] as also referring to the universe as a whole. Therefore, they argue that the Quran confirms the Big Bang in Sūrat al-Anbiyāʼ,[63][64][65][66][67] where the Quran states that "the heavens and the earth were a single body" before being parted:[68]
Do the disbelievers not realize that the heavens and earth were one mass then We split them apart? And We created from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?
—Quran 21:30
This view that the Qu'ran references the initial singularity of the Big Bang is also accepted by Muslim scholars such as
We built the heaven with might, and We are certainly expanding it.
—Quran 51:47
Some modern scholars understand that the "smoke" mentioned in Surah Fussilat could be referring to the state few minutes after the Big Bang when the universe was primarily hot Hydrogen and Helium:[67]
Then He directed himself to the heavens when it was smoke, and then said to it and to Earth: "Come willingly or by force" they said "We do come willingly"
—Quran 41:11
The time period described is 6 periods for this whole creation,[73] most Muslims hold the view that, these 6 days are not solar days rather a different relative time, which starts from the beginning of universe.
The Fatimid Muslim thinker al-Mu’ayyad fi’l-Din al-Shirazi rebukes the idea of the creation of the world in 6 solar days of either 24 hours, 1000 or 50,000 years. He questions both how creation can be measured in units of time when time was yet to be created, as well as how an infinitely powerful Creator can be limited by the constraints of time, as time itself is part of his own creation.
The word yawm is understood, within the Qur'an, to be a long period of time—an era or eon. Therefore, Muslims interpret the description of a "six days" creation as six distinct periods or eons. The length of these periods is not precisely defined, nor are the specific developments that took place during each period.[74]
The concept of a "day of rest" does not appear in the Quran, and in fact the concept that God needed rest after the creation from tiredness is explicitly denied in a verse:[75][76][77]
Indeed, We created the heavens and the earth and everything in between in six periods, and We were not touched with fatigue.
—Quran 50:38[78]
Creation of life
The emergence of life is mostly mentioned in Quran during discussion of creation of man. According to Quran the life has its origins from a single being,[79] with some modern adherents considering it as the LUCA. The Quran states that every human's existence starts from extract of organic soil.[80][81][82] The only explicit reference to the creation of non-human life in the Quran appears in Sūrat al-Anbiyāʼ, in which the Quran proclaims "We made out of water every living thing". According to Muhammad Asad, "only water has the peculiar properties necessary for the emergence and development of life."[83]
Creation of humanity
The first beings, Âdam and his wife (in Islamic tradition called Ḥawwāh: the Arabic for Eve), appear in the Quran as the first man and woman. The Quran states that they were created from water and extract of altered clay.[84][85] This mixture is said to have been given time for it to develop[86] and was brought to life by the blowing of soul into their bodies[87] followed by the event of mass prostration to Adam and castration of prominent Jinns like Iblis. Some Islamic scholars proposed that the verses could have multiple interpretations metaphorically, as the Quran supports the idea that some verses have multiple meanings.[88]
He sent down to you this scripture, containing straightforward verses, which constitute the essence of the scripture, as well as multiple-meaning or allegorical verses. Those who harbor doubts in their hearts will pursue the multiple-meaning verses to create confusion, and to extricate a certain meaning...
—Quran 3:7
The majority of Islamic scholars, including
In modern times, there has been increased support for the idea that humans evolved. Many Muslims base their belief of this idea on a chapter in the Quran, which says:
And your Lord is the Rich, possessor of Mercy. If He wished, He could remove all of you and bring after you whom He pleases, just as He established you from the seed of another people.
—Quran 6:133
While the evolutionist scholars argue this may refer to proto-human ancestors humans evolved from,[92] the creationist scholars argue that the "predecessors" refer to those civilizations who have lived before.[95]
Statistics
A 2000 study conducted by a researcher of the University of Oklahoma found that 19% of participants believed that Islam's tenets were not at odds with Darwin's theory of evolution while 81% believed there to be some form of conflict between Islam and Darwinism.[96] One of the participants, an Islamic teacher, stood in opposition to the theory of evolution although was willing to accept certain aspects that were proposed by it.[97] The participants who believed there to be no conflict between Islam and Darwin's theory of evolution were split as it pertained to the possible relationship between primates and humans with only 6% of participants seeing no issue with the assertion.[98]
As per a 2008 report, evolutionary biology was included in the high-school curricula of most Muslim countries. Science foundations of 14 Muslim countries, including Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Indonesia, and Egypt, recently signed a statement by the Interacademy Panel (IAP, a global network of science academies), in support of the teaching of evolution, including human evolution.[52]
A 2009 survey conducted by the McGill researchers and their international collaborators found that 85% of Indonesian high school students and 86% of Pakistani high school students agreed with the statement, "Millions of fossils show that life has existed for billions of years and changed over time."[1] However, in Indonesia, creationism is common among older residents, even among biology teachers and biology education professors.[99]
According to a 2013 Pew study, the numbers of Muslims who support evolution appear to be increasing slowly but steadily. For instance, a large majority of people accept human evolution in Kazakhstan (79%) and Lebanon (78%), but relatively few in Afghanistan (26%) and Iraq (27%), with most of the other Islamic countries somewhere in between.[4]
Ahmadiyya views of evolution
The
Teaching of evolution
According to Rana Dajani adopting new ways of thinking to pursue the knowledge is a core tenet of Islam.[101] Dajani says interpretation of Quran being a fluid and ongoing process of human exercise can, always, be revisited to clear contradictions, if any arise during pursuits of scientific knowledge.[101] According to Dajani interaction with modernization and globalization has imported some problematical hostile attitudes towards science like rejection of the theory of evolution into Muslim societies. Dajani says the negative attitudes among Muslims towards evolution came post twentieth century associating Darwin with western colonialism materialism and racism, but actually rudimentary theories of evolution were proposed by Muslim scholars right from ninth century even up to 1880s.[101] Dajani says while some Muslim students think accepting theory of evolution means denying existence of God, but that need not be so rather after initiation of God, universe can evolve according to principles of science and logic.[101] Dajani says usually a detailed explanation of natural evolution of plants, artificial breeding, antibiotic resistance, development of modern medicines and vaccines, helps Muslim students accept evolution still some reservations remain in accepting human evolution; here Dajani says Muslims are warned against arrogance and need to understand humans are part of rest of the creation.[101] Dajani says, as a scientist, Charles Darwin contributed to human understanding of the emergence and diversification of life on the Earth and that evolution is right mechanism to explain diversity and the development of species.[101] Dajani says discussion of controversial topic of evolution helps Muslim students avoid blind acceptance of status quo and question even other aspects of their lives.[101]
See also
- Religious interpretations of the Big Bang theory#Islam – Islamic interpretations of the Big Bang theory
- History of evolutionary thought#Islamic philosophy and the struggle for existence – Early evolutionary thoughts in Islam
References
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-04-24.
- ^ "Bülent Şahin Erdeğer | Evrim, İslam ile çelişir mi?". Independent Türkçe (in Turkish). 2020-06-12. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "Evolution In Quran". Evolution In Quran. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ a b "The World's Muslims: Religion, Politics and Society" (PDF). Pew Research Center. April 30, 2013.
- ^ Review of Religions eGazette November 2008
- ^ ISBN 9786053112082.
- ^ ISBN 9789758727049.
- ^ a b c al-Azami, Usaama (2013-02-14). "Muslims and Evolution in the 21st Century: A Galileo Moment?". Huffington Post Religion Blog. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
- ^ ]
- JSTOR 984852.
- Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America. 83 (2): 142–146. Retrieved 2014-10-28.
- ^ Muhammad Hamidullah and Afzal Iqbal (1993), The Emergence of Islam: Lectures on the Development of Islamic World-view, Intellectual Tradition and Polity, p. 143-144. Islamic Research Institute, Islamabad.
- ^ Ahmed Malik, Shoaib (2019). "Old Texts, New Masks: A Critical Review of Misreading Evolution Onto Historical Islamic Texts". academia.edu. p. 515-518. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
- ISSN 0126-5636.
- ISBN 9780415927673.
- ^ Katsiaficas 2001, p. 55.
- ISBN 978-0691017549.
- ^ Malik 2021b, pp. 160–162.
- ^ Malik 2021b, pp. 155–156.
- ^ Malik 2021b, p. 159.
- ^ Malik 2021b, p. 162.
- ^ Taslaman, Caner. Bir Müslüman Evrimci Olabilir Mi?
- ^ Draper, John William (1874). History of the Conflict Between Religion and Science (PDF). p. 126.
- S2CID 241654249. p. 504)
- ^ "al-Afghani, Jamal al-Din (1838-97)".
- ^ Charles Darwin and Evolution Archived August 29, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Adra, Jawad. "Political inheritance-Absent entirely within the Shia'a community, dwindling within the Maronite and Sunni communities and omnipresent within the Druze". Monthly Magazine. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- ISBN 978-0-313-33576-1.
- ^ Majid, Abdul. "The Muslim responses to evolution." Science-Religion Dialogue (2002).
- ^ Varisco, Daniel. "Darwin and Dunya: Muslim Responses to Darwinian Evolution." Journal of International & Global Studies 9.2 (2018).
- PMID 26337528.
- .
- ^ ISSN 2158-818X. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2018-02-19. Retrieved 2014-01-13.
- ^ "Turkish academics tell ministry that evolution theory excluded from curriculum 'only in Saudi Arabia'". Hürriyet Daily News. 1 March 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
- The World Academy of Sciences. Archived from the originalon 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2014-06-20.
- ISBN 9781475816457.
- ^ Galadari, Abdulla (2017). "Creatio Ex Nihilo and the Literal Qur'ān". Intellectual Discourse. 25 (2): 381–482.
- S2CID 144369606.
- ^ a b Papineau, David (2004-01-07). "Creationism: Science and Faith in Schools". Guardian. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
- ^ Erzurumi, İ. H. (1257). Marifetname
- ^ a b "Quran and the Theory of Evolution". Archived from the original on 2011-08-31. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
- ^ a b Are evolution and religion compatible? Archived 2013-04-17 at the Wayback Machine, aljazeera.com, accessed April 12, 2013
- ^ a b Edip Yuksel, Blind Watch-Watchers or Smell the Cheese Archived 2013-03-25 at the Wayback Machine, 19.org, accessed February 17, 2013
- ^ David Yonke, Adrian doctor to lecture on evolution, The Blade, accessed March 7, 2013.
- ^ "The Origin of Life: An Islamic perspective". Islam for Today. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 2007-03-14.
- ISBN 9781614581840.
- ^ a b Campbell, Duncan (2006-02-21). "Academics fight rise of creationism at universities". Guardian. Retrieved 2008-07-19.
- ^ Sayin, Ümit; Kence, Aykut (1999). "Islamic Scientific Creationism: A New Challenge in Turkey". National Center for Science Education. Retrieved 2009-11-12.
- ^ Koning, Danielle (2006). "Anti-evolutionism amongst Muslim students" (PDF). ISIM Review. 18: 48. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 March 2009. Retrieved 2007-03-14.
- ^ "Seeing the light -- of science". salon.com. Archived from the original on 2009-01-14. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
- ^ a b Hameed, Salman (11 January 2013). "Muslim thought on evolution takes a step forward". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
- ^ S2CID 206515329.
- Harun Yahya
- ^ a b Malik 2021a, p. 114.
- ^ Malik 2021a, p. 124.
- ^ Malik 2021a, pp. 133–134.
- ^ a b c d Malik 2021a, p. 135.
- ^ Youssef Chouhoud (2016). "Modern Pathways to Doubt in Islam". Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
What these varied responses point to is a lack of consensus around not just the best way to tackle this issue, but whether the leaders charged with addressing it are qualified to do so.
- ^ Kazeem Shaheen (23 June 2017). "Turkey schools to stop teaching evolution, official says". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- S2CID 4447536. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
- ISBN 9781605505459.
- ^ Oliver Leaman, ed. (2005). The Qur'an: An Encyclopedia. Routledge. p. 258.
- ISBN 994442403X.
- ^ Ahmad, Mirza Tahir. "The Quran and Cosmology". Al Islam. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
- ^ "Big Bang Theory and Religion by Ron Kurtus – Succeed in Understanding Religion: School for Champions". www.school-for-champions.com. Retrieved 2017-01-06.
- ISBN 978-9758727001.
- ^ a b Taslaman, Prof Dr Caner (2015). Big Bang ve Tanrı (in Turkish). İstanbul Yayınevi.
- ^ Quran 21:30
- ^ a b Ashraf, Faheem. "Islamic Concept of Creation of Universe Big Bang and Science-Religion Interaction". Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ISBN 978-1904510000.
- ISBN 978-0857730756. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ Suleiman, Omar (31 March 2015). "The Beginning and the End with Omar Suleiman: 6 Days, 7 Heavens, 7 Earths? (Ep. 15)". Bayyinah Institute. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
- ^ Q57:4, 50+ translations, islamawakened.com
- ^ "Islam creation story". nau.edu. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
- ^ "Qaf 50:38".
- ^ Ashraf, Faheem. "Islamic Concept of Creation of Universe Big Bang and Science-Religion Interaction". Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ Suleiman, Omar (31 March 2015). "The Beginning and the End with Omar Suleiman: 6 Days, 7 Heavens, 7 Earths? (Ep. 15)". Bayyinah Institute. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
- ^ Q50:38, 50+ translations, islamawakened.com
- ^ Quran 6:98
- ^ Quran 23:12
- ^ Quran 15:26
- ^ Quran 37:11
- ISBN 978-1904510000.
- ^ Quran 25:54
- ^ Quran 15:28
- ^ Quran 6:2
- ^ Quran 15:29
- ISBN 9780826449573.
- ^ Lim, Eunice (13 September 2014). "Muslim scholar explains relationship between evolution and the Quran". The Daily Pennsylvanian. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
- ^ Ghlian, Mohamed (6 April 2014). "On Muslims & Evolution". On Matters Islamic, Political, Scientific, & Philosophical. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
- ^ "'Darwin, evrimi Müslümanlar'dan çaldı'". T24 (in Turkish). Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ a b "The Evolution Series Episode 1". الدكتور عدنان إبراهيم Dr Adnan Ibrahim (in Arabic). 2015-12-23. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ Yüksel, Edip. "Evrim Teorisi". 19.org (in Turkish). Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "Darwin'den 1000 yıl önce evrim fikrini ortaya atan Müslüman: Basralı El Cahiz". BBC News Türkçe (in Turkish). Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "Evrim Teorisini Kabul Etmek Şirktir, Din Adına Bunu Savunanlar Müşriktir!". Ahmet Mahmut Ünlü (in Turkish). Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- hdl:11244/6022.
- hdl:11244/6022.
- hdl:11244/6022.
- S2CID 219925614.
- ^ Jesus and the Indian Messiah – 13. Every Wind of Doctrine Archived 2010-05-09 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ PMID 25903591.
Sources
- Malik, Shoaib Ahmed (2021a). Islam and Evolution: al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm. London: Routledge. ISBN 9780429345753.
External links
- Science in the Quran, by Ashraf Salmawi
- The Muslim Responses to Evolution by Abdul Majid
- Quran Evolution and Intelligent Design, by S. Nemmers
- In the Muslim world, creationism is on the rise Boston.com