The Theory of Evolution and Islam
INTRODUCTION
Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution of Species has been a point of discussion in academic and religious circles for over 150 years. The theory is widely accepted among the scientific community and academia. A large number of atheists view this theory as proof against the existence of a creator, while the views of the followers of various religions of the world are divided on the issue. Some theists outright reject the theory because of it being inconsistent with their religious beliefs, yet others consider it to be in perfect harmony with theirs.
The purpose of this article is to analyze the theory of evolution in light of the Holy Qur'an and narrations of prophet Muhammad and his pure progeny. We will provide the views of some of the esteemed Islamic scholars, and derive some conclusions based on our discussion.
THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION
The theory of evolution is described as a process demonstrated by the following observations:
1) Species produce more offspring than can possibly survive
2) Individuals differ from each other (They have varying morphological, physiological and behavior traits)
3) Traits are heritable (Features can be passed from generation to generation)
4) Individuals compete for food and resources
5) Over successive generations, individuals with traits better suited to their environment survive. This process is called "Natural Selection".
The theory implies that all life on earth descended from a common ancestor.
A DISCUSSION ON COMMON CRITICISMS ON EVOLUTION
We will now take a step by step approach to discuss the various points raised by those who oppose the theory.
Criticism 1: The theory of "Evolution" goes against "Intelligent design". God created everything through a method and for a reason. Evolution on the other hand is not driven by intelligence.
Short Comment: Evolution is Intelligent design. Everything in nature occurs through a system of inter- related processes, including evolution. These processes are created and sustained by a conscious being possessing infinite power and intelligence.
Discussion
Those who view evolution as being outside the scope of intelligent design do so due to their deficient understanding of theology. Many theists commonly talk about "Divine Intervention" or "Work of God" with overly limited definitions of the phrases.They consider these to be acts that happen sporadically and on an as needed basis. Based on this ideology, the creation of every being must also be an act of divine intervention. Evolution, on the other hand creates through a continuous process and this is where it clashes with their idea of divine intervention.
Interestingly, most people of faith who have made peace with the theory of evolution also fall back on this same understanding of divine intervention.They claim that the common ancestor must have been created by God (an act of intervention) and then, evolution took over.
For example, Pope Francis has said: “Evolution in nature is not inconsistent with the notion of creation, because evolution requires the creation of beings that evolve.” [1]
Approximately a third of the Holy Qur'an talks about Tawheed - Unity (reality) of Allah. The verses of our holy book, and the narrations from our prophet and his successors (the pure and infallible Imams) teach us a concept of God that rises above and beyond all other perceptions of a creator. According to Islam:
Divine intervention is not an act. It is a continuous and eternal process, necessary for the existence of everything that can exist. It is the only reality - A reality which encompasses every thing within and outside the bounds of time, space and matter.
Let us think of existence as a collection of trillions of simultaneously occurring "acts". The motion of electrons within the atom is an act. As is the breathing of an ant, the utterance of words, the reading of this article, and the motion of the planets. Similarly, evolution is nothing but a collection of such acts. Now, if we think of an act as light emitting from a bulb, then Allah is the one who created the bulb, switched it on (through a means which He also created), is the electricity that keeps it glowing, and is the reality which the light illuminates. Yet, there is no multiplicity in Him.
While the Holy Qur'an is replete with mention of our Lord as "The Creator", it does not stress upon the creation of the "first being ever created". Rather, it repeatedly directs the attention of man towards the marvelous processes that surround him and are within him.
Many leading Muslims scholars have attested to this as well. Here is an excerpt from one of Ayatullah Nasar Makaram Shirazi's works:
"Even if we assume that the Theory of Evolution of Species is established, all it would do is to take the form of a scientific rule that has manifested for us a natural cause and effect phenomenon - one, which shall be no different from the cause-effect relationship existing in the animal world and between other entities. Are the discoveries of natural causes that lead to rainfall, the tides of the seas, or the earthquakes an impediment in acquiring awareness of God? Surely not! Similarly, the discovery of an evolutionary relationship between the various species does not create any obstacle in the way of developing the cognizance of God" [2]
Criticism 2: There was nothing else when Prophet Adam was created. He was the first creation.
Short Comment: The verses of Qur'an talk about the creation of Adam, as a new creation. This does not imply that there were no creatures that lived before him.
Discussion
Allah talks about the creation of Adam in the second chapter of the Holy Qur'an as a conversation between Himself and the angels:
Allamah Tabatabai writes in the exegesis of this verse:
"Imam As-Sadiq (a.s.) said: "The angels could not know what they said (Will you place in it such as shall make mischief in it and shed blood), if they had not (earlier) seen someone who had made mischief in it and shed blood." (At-Tafsir, al-'Ayyashi)
This tradition may be pointing to an earlier creature that inhabited the earth before the mankind, as some other traditions say. It is not against what we have said that they understood it from the very words of Allah: Verily, I am going to make in the earth a vicegerent; rather the tradition and our explanation are complementary. The tradition, without putting it in the framework of our explanation, would show that the angels too, like Iblis, had committed the folly of unauthorized analogy -- a very objectionable practice." [3]
The underlined text above states that there are some traditions (from the prophet and the infallible imams) which also point towards this reality. There is an interesting discussion by the same author in his book, Shiite Islam, under the heading "The continuity and succession of creation" (The references for the narrations can be found in the references section of the original book):
"One could ask if before the creation of this world and present race of humanity there had been another world and another human race; or, if after the life of this world and its inhabitants terminates, as the Holy Qur'an declares that it will, another world and humanity will be created. The direct response to these questions cannot be found in the Holy Qur'an. There, one can only discover allusions to the continuity and succession of creation. But in the traditions (rewayat) of the Imams of the Household of the Prophet transmitted to us it is asserted that creation is not limited to this visible world. Many worlds have existed in the past and will exist in the future.
The sixth Imam has said, "Perhaps you think God has not created humanity other than you. No! I swear to God that He has created thousands upon thousands of mankinds and you are the last among them."
And the fifth Imam has said, "God, the Exalted, since creating the world has created seven kinds none of whom were of the race of Adam. He created them from the surface of the earth and set each being one after another with its kind
upon the earth. Then He created Adam, the father of mankind, and brought
his children into being from him."
And also the sixth Imam has said, "Do not
think that after passing away of the affair of this world and the Day of Judgment
and the placing of the virtuous in heaven and the evil in hell there will no longer
be anyone to worship God. No, never! Rather, again God will create servants
without the marriage of the male and the female to know His Oneness and to
worship Him." [4]
According to the narrations of the Imams, there were many creatures before Adam. There were thousands of mankinds before him. Adam, however was the first of his kind and the father of the final mankind.
Criticism 3: Adam was an original creation. He could not have descended from "inferior" humanoids.
Short Comment: According to the verses of the Holy Qur'an and the narrations of the infallibles, Adam's physical being was an independent creation. Additionally, Allah granted him intelligence, self-awareness and the ability to recognize His Lord which set him apart from all previous generations of "humans".
Discussion
We will start by presenting an excerpt from Ayatullah Nasar Makaram Shirazi's work. Regarding the creation of Adam:
"..... we infer that although the verses of the Qur’an do not directly mention the issue of evolution or 'constancy of species', nevertheless, the apparent meanings of the verses is more in accordance with the concept of independent creation (of course, this is as far as the creation of man is concerned)." [5]
The Laws Governing Reality
The statement under discussion (Criticism 3) is valid but does not contradict the theory of evolution of species itself.
Allah has power over everything. There are many verse of the Holy Qur'an which refer to Allah being "Qadeer" (powerful) over everything. Grammatically, the word Qadeer belongs to a category of adjectives (technically, in Arabic, adjectives are types of Nouns) which refer to a permanent quality (Al Sifat- ul- Mushabahah) of a being. The root letters for Qadeer are Qaaf-Daal-Raa. The verbal noun (Al-Masdar) "Qadr" is also based on the same root. So Qadeer is one who is a permanent possessor of Qadr.
Qadr can be roughly translated to the act of measuring, assessing, or determining. Broadly speaking, Qadr is an infinite set of events that can occur at any given time. In other words, one can imagine Qadr as being the laws that govern reality, both physical and metaphysical. The laws of science and spirituality fall under the umbrella of Qadr.
With this understanding of Qadr we can now realize a deeper meaning of Qadeer i.e one who is the permanent possessor and executor of all laws that govern reality and existence.
From the infinite set of events, the occurrences of which Qadr offers, the one that does occur is called Amr (i,e His Command). The Qur'an teaches us that it is easy for Allah to pass judgement (this judgment is called Qadhaa) and make his Amr happen.
His command (Amr), when He intends anything, is only to say to it: Be, so it is [36:82]
Once again, it must be noted that the above verse does not imply that Amr in some way bypasses the laws set forth by Allah's Qadr. Perhaps this is why Qadr and Amr are often mentioned side by side in the Holy Qur'an. For example, in Surah-tul-Qadr (Chapter of Qadr), Allah says that angels descend with His Amr on the night of Qadr. And in another place we read:
Surely, Allah attains His purpose (Amr); Allah indeed has appointed a measure (Qadr) for everything [65:3]
Verse 36:82 mentioned above means that there is no time lapse between Allah's intention and for the intention to materialize.
We can now summarize all of the above:
Allah has created a system of laws (Qadr) and has full control over it (He is Qadeer). He wills whatever he wishes (Qadhaa) and instantly his will materializes as his command (Amr).
The Creation of Prophet Adam
The Holy Qur'an mentions on various occasions that Adam was created from dust. In the narrations of the infallibles, we find more detailed accounts of his creation. For example Imam Ali is reported to have explained:
"Allah collected from hard, soft, sweet and sour earth, dust* which He dripped in water till it got pure, and kneaded it with moisture till it became gluey. From it He carved an image with curves, joints, limbs and segments. He solidified it till it dried up for a fixed time and a known duration. Then He blew into it out of His Spirit whereupon it took the pattern of a human being with mind that governs him, intelligence which he makes use of, limbs that serve him, organs that change his position, sagacity that differentiates between truth and untruth, tastes and smells, colors and species. He is a mixture of clays of different colors, cohesive materials, divergent contradictories and differing properties like heat, cold, softness and hardness, grief and joy." [6]
*The Arabic word used for dust is Turbah (which cam be translated as dust).
One may argue that the account of creation of Adam does not necessarily imply that he had no ancestors. However, this can be negated by the following Qur'anic verse:
Indeed, the example of Jesus to Allah is like that of Adam. He created Him from dust; then He said to him, "Be," and he was. [3:59]
"A group of Christian people entered in Medina and went to meet the Prophet of Islam (S). They, talking with him, stated that the birth of Jesus (as), without having a father, was a sign of, and an evident for, his divinity.
Then the verse was revealed and answered them such that: if the fatherless creation is the evidence for Christ's divinity or being the Son of Allah, the creation of Adam is something more important than that, because Adam had neither father nor mother. So, why do you not consider Adam the Lord or Son of the Lord?" [7]
Looking back at what we have discussed so far, we can say the following about aspects of creation.
Evolution of Species: Evolution is a mechanism of creation falling under Allah's system of laws (Qadr). Allah's commands (Amr) are continuously realized as species evolve.
Creation of Adam: Adam's creation was Allah's command (Amr) via a mechanism of creation differing from that of evolution.
What Makes us Human?
This is a relevant question. If we claim that Adam was the first "human" of our kind then what exactly does that mean? What is it that defines a human being?
The Holy Qur'an clearly states that the purpose of the creation of Insaan (Human) is worship.
And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me [51:56]
In order to fulfill this purpose, man requires the ability to recognize truth and falsehood. Allah, in His infinite mercy, has bestowed man with the abilities, and provided him with the tools necessary to choose the correct path. This is mentioned repeatedly in the Holy Qur'an. For example, in Surah-tul-Insaan:
Has there [not] come upon man a period of time when he was not a thing [even] mentioned? Indeed, We created man from a sperm-drop mixture that We may try him; and We made him hearing and seeing. Indeed, We guided him to the way, be he grateful or be he ungrateful. [76:1-3]
In Surah-tul-Shams:
And [by] the soul and He who proportioned it. And inspired it [with discernment of] its wickedness and its righteousness. [91:7-8]
This ability of discernment is called 'aql (intellect). Man is free to utilize his intellect whichever way he wills. Using this intellect, the generation of Adam was able to ascend to high levels of sophistication in various aspects of life. The holy Qur'an mentions these defining attributes of man, usually after the mentioning of man's creation. These attributes are significant from an anthropological and sociological stand point since they were either non-existent or in their infancy in the primitive "man". The later man, or insaan is at the height of his mental acumen. And this is what distinguishes him from the previous generations.
The following are verses 2-5 of the Surah-tul-'Alaq, the first Qur'anic revelation on the holy prophet:
"The verse "Who taught by the Pen" can be rendered in two ways.
The first is that: Allah taught writing and the book to Man and it is He Who is able to do this portent; to establish the origin of all sciences, knowledge and civilizations in him.
The second meaning is that through this way and by this means Man is taught all of the sciences and knowledge.
In short, according to one commentary, the objective meaning is 'teaching how to write' and another commentary says the objective meaning is 'the sciences taught to man by writing'." [8]
Similarly in Surah-tul-Rehman, we read:
He created man. He taught him (distinct) speech [55:3-4]
Insaan is one who has a developed a sophisticated linguistic system.
When reminding man of the favors which Allah has bestowed on him, He mentions man's ability to domesticate animals. In Surah Yasin:
Do they not see that We have created for them from what Our hands have made, grazing livestock, and [then] they are their owners? And We have tamed them for them, so some of them they ride, and some of them they eat. And for them therein are [other] benefits and drinks, so will they not be grateful?
From the above discussion, we may conclude the following:
Adam was the first Insaan. Insaan is a later generation of human beings (possibly 10,000 years old) which acquired a high form of intellect and self awareness. He has the ability to become cognizant of his creator or rebel against him. He has used his intellect to develop and sophisticate science, arts, philosophy, knowledge, and civilization.
REFERENCES
[1] Pope Francis, http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/10/28/pope-francis-evolution-big-bang/18053509/
[2] Ayatullah Makaram Shirazi, http://www.al-islam.org/180-questions-about-islam-vol-2-various-issues-makarim-shirazi/16-theory-evolution-inconsistent
[3] Allamah Tabatabai, http://www.almizan.org/ [Surah 2, Verse 30]
[4] Allamah Tabatabai, Shiite Islam, Section 7.7, "The continuity and succession of creation"
[5] Ayatullah Makaram Shirazihttp://www.al-islam.org/180-questions-about-islam-vol-2-various-issues-makarim-shirazi/17-theory-evolution-species
[6] Nahj-ul-Balgahah, Sermon 1
[7] An enlightening commentary into the light of the holy Qur'an, Volume 3
[8] An enlightening commentary into the light of the holy Qur'an, Volume 20
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