Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends and Family of the Heart:

You might think this quote is by a modern  Western Evolutionist, dogmatically  asserting the validity of the “Theory of Evolution”,  which as we all know, attempts to link us, sophisticated and intelligent Homo Sapiens, with more basic and primitive life forms in a long and complicated  evolutionary chain. You may be surprised however to know, that this declaration, well known among Medieval Muslims was  uttered by Jallaluddin Rumi, Sufi  philosopher, theologian and according to some, even a Saint.  Rumi’s was  not a lone voice crying in the wilderness of ignorance about our alleged origins. He was joined in this by other  Muslim philosophers and men of learning  such as Ibn Kathir, Ibn Khaldun, Ibn Arabi, and Ibn Sina who had in fact  very diligently, developed the idea of evolution from the mineral state to higher life forms, a thousand years before Darwin would revive the concept. Darwin’s contemporaries, notably, Sir William Draper were well aware of the Muslim contributions in this field and had called the  evolutionary theory expounded by the medieval Muslim scholars, the “Mohammadan Theory of Evolution”. Although the idea was not new  to these Medieval Muslims either, as before this the Greeks had also believed in a  primitive and crudely defined Evolutionary process that preceded the origin of man,  Muslims can be regarded as pioneers in the field, because they formulated the theory of evolution in a systematic manner, and introduced many new concepts in it.

Muslims propounding the theory of evolution may prove to be a shocking discovery for many people, as Islam being a religion with an overwhelming influence on its adherents, is predicated on the belief in One Supreme Creator and Ruler of the Universe, who by the power of the words’ “Kun Fa Yakun” or  “Be and it is”, instantly created life.  It is Allah, in the words of the Qur’an, Who Created “the heavens and the earth and all that is in between” The powerful words “Kun Fa Yakun” employed in bringing about this wonderful creation into existence, would appear not to require or rely on an evolutionary process, which may be subject to chance, trial and error and an unavoidable tardiness and randomness, not necessarily governed by intelligent direction.    Yet, in spite of this seemingly inherent and obvious contradiction between evolutionism and creationism, Muslims propounded an evolutionary theory which, according to some, was far more advanced and  sophisticated than the one more commonly known to modernity, because it builds its case on the hypothesis that life evolved from the mineral stage rather than from single-celled organisms. 

One must therefore necessarily ask the question as to whether a clear creationist Qur’anic stance  can possibly  be reconciled with the fact that so many Muslims were proponents of the theory that life originated in water, or that it evolved from more humble origins? Could it be reconciled by analyzing the etymology of certain Qur’anic terms? Are  the bases of  finding such evidence weak, and when Muslim philosophers thought of evolution as having a basis in the Qur’an,  were they stretching their imagination too far? Does there even need to be a conflict between the Creationist viewpoint and the Theory of Evolution?

Indeed for now over a century these pressing questions have sparked endless discussions and  debates between the Creationists and Evolutionists. The Creationists are of course people with a religious bent of mind, whether they are Christian, Muslim or other, and they vehemently  uphold the existence of a  God or a Supreme Being, who is solely responsible for the creation of the universe and its ongoing function. Evolutionists on the other hand tend to bypass the need for a Creator or God. They suggest that life emerged out of nothing , by random chance and then gradually evolved into more complex organisms. They believe that millions of years ago, inorganic matter  made the transition to being a living cell and from then on progressed  to better and higher forms through a series of  genetic mutations favoured by “natural selection”, which enables stronger species to survive in the Evolutionary chain.  Religious people consider this  a fanciful idea and to believe in something like this for them, is no less of a leap of faith. Many  Muslims suggest that such a belief in evolution would be synonymous with  “Kufr” or disbelief and atheism. Other Muslims however, are looking at the debate between creationism and evolutionsim with a fresh approach and have tried to find concordance between the viewpoints based on a unique understanding of certain Qur’anic verses. What has resulted is a certain degree of syncretism, or a blending and mixing of religious and secular ideologies.  Ibn Arabi and Ibn Sina have been resurrected in these new Islamic evolutionists, and evolutionism seems to have acquired a new meaning for these Muslims.

We shall examine some of these viewpoints as follows:

According to both the Bible and the  Qur’an, Adam was  created as a man, from clay and God breathed life into that clay. I am focusing mainly on the Qur’an, so I will quote a verse from Surah Sajdah which describes creation as follows:

“He who perfected everything that He created--He started the creation of man from clay, then he inculcated in him the potential to reproduce through a drop of humble fluid, then he embellished and fashioned him in due proportion and breathed into him of His spirit and (thereby) developed in you (the abilities) of listening, vision and feelings”

There are verses  in the Qur’an such as the above, which clearly and according to some, unequivocally, support the Creationist viewpoint.  If we consider the most obvious meaning of the verse, it is apparent that man did not  “descend” from another hominid or ape-like creature going back in the evolutionary chain to the first primate, the Proconsul.  Yet there are others who believe that even this verse is not  a  clear and unequivocal  proof of Creationism in the Qur’an and in fact may point to an evolutionary process within creation.. Let us examine this viewpoint in greater depth.

A number of  interpretations of the above verse have been advanced  by Muslim scholars which appear to go counter to its most obvious meaning, which points to Creationism.  Salient among these interpretations is the one that suggests that the Earth itself has been given the ability by Allah to produce living creatures who can procreate. Some interpretations suggest that God created the rough  image of certain things, or perhaps the prototype of these organisms, and then left these to evolve and develop into something more and more complex. Other commentators  say that  man’s creation as a species came about in stages, and man-like creatures roamed the earth before the modern homosapiens appeared. This, according to them, would constitute the first stage of creation that the Qur’an vaguely alludes to in the above verse. They say that man was first created from clay and the ability to reason, reflect, and feel emotion was not present in man in this first stage. These humans were then given the ability to procreate. In the third stage Adam and Eve, the first human beings or homosapien couple were created with the added ability to reproduce and  feel emotion . This pair was also endowed with a strongly developed moral sense and an innate knowledge of the Creator.   Perhaps this is why the Qur’an refers to human beings as the “ Children of Adam” or “Bani Adam”,  which may in itself  suggest that there may very well have been human- like species before the Homo Sapiens, who were not Bani Adam or the Children of Adam.

The following verse of the Qur’an makes this scenario an even greater possibility (2: 21)

 The verse reads:

“O Mankind! Worship your Lord who had created you, and those before you, so that you may ward off evil”

Thus, while the Qur’an speaks of Adam and Eve as the first insans  or Homo Sapiens, it hints at other intelligent life forms, possibly human -like creatures that may have indeed existed before.   It should be pointed out that Humankind is  addressed as a whole in this verse,  and clearly there are other species referred to in the verse here, that existed before humankind.  Adam and Eve, may simply have been the first homosapien couple  If we interpret the relevant verse in this way, then the Qur’an does not in any way contradict scientific discovery or fossil records. But it is still not a clear and conclusive proof of evolution in the Qur’an, because these life forms may have simply existed at various stages of the earth’s history, may have become extinct due to natural disasters or other natural phenomena,  and one species may not necessarily have descended from another.

Whereas the  above verse may be somewhat indicative, although not conclusively, of an evolutionary process in creation, verse 6: 133 speaks a little more clearly of human beings as “descendants”  and  “successor” of other peoples.  Muslim evolutionists suggest that these “successors” that the Qur’an speaks of are descendents of possibly other hominid species. The relevant verse reads:

“If God wills He destroys you and in your place appoints whom He wills as successors just as He brought you forth from the descendants of other peoples.”

Again, nothing is black and white in the above verse.

It is not clear whether mankind is addressed here collectively or  whether a certain community of peoples have been addressed who may have descended from another community, but the verse clearly admits of many interpretations. One such interpretation suggests that “descendants” of other people can mean the descent of the “Children of Adam” from other hominid species, and whereas Adam an Eve may very well have been the first homosapiens, they may have descended from Homo Erectus or Cro Magnon.

But all this is very subjective and speculative, and no clear evolutionist stance can be cogently deduced from these verses, so we have to look for other clues in the Qur’an which may suggest evolution.

By far the clearest concordance between the Qur’anic verses and the Darwinian view of evolution is in the fact that both credit water with prehistoric and modern life forms. The Qur’an states that every four-legged or two-legged creature that trails the earth was created from water.

“And Allah has created every animal from water. Of these there are some that creep on their bellies, some that walk on four. Allah creates what He wills, for Allah has power over all things.”(24: 25)

There appears to be a further confirmation  of the above information in the following verse: As an aside,  the verse also speaks of the Big Bang, billions of years ago.

“Have not those who disbelieve, known that the heavens and the earth were of one piece, then we parted them and we made every living thing out of water. Will they not then believe?(21: 30)

Muslim evolutionists believe that the Qur’an agrees with all the recent  scientific discovery and the evidence of evolution that they fnd in the Qur’an, may actually be a proof of God’s existence rather than a negation of His existence, because only God would have had foreknowledge of evolution.  They go on to explain that  The Holy Qur’an uses the word “Dabba” for living creatures, however large or small.  Therefore protozoa  and single-celled organisms  which live in water would be included in this category. Life, the Muslims evolutionists argue,  began with these single-celled organisms, germinating in water,  and later developing into something more complex.

However, the other scientific explanation  of the reference to water in the verse  is that the  human body is 80% percent water, and therefore such a reference does not necessarily prove that  life originated in water as single-celled organisms. Again no conclusive evolutionary process can be extrapolated from the Qur’an when it speaks of all things being created from water. Nonetheless, the votaries of Islamic evolution, including the stalwart Maulana Azad, often quote this verse to suggest a connection between the Qur’an and the Theory of Evolution in the modern Darwinian sense.

Further concordance is asserted by Muslim evoultionists between the Qur’an and the  fossil records available to Darwin, which  confirm that hominids or human like species have existed on earth for about two million years. Whereas the Bible places the earth’s age at roughly 6000 years, the Qur’an is silent as to the specifics of the chornology, but  speaks of a very long time span before humans emerged on  this planet.

Verse 76 :12 of the Qur’an reads:

“Has there not been an endless time span when humans were not even a thing thought of?  Verily it is We who created man out of a drop, We made him a being endowed with hearing and sight.”

But these may appear to be very flimsy connections between the Qur’an and the modern theory of evolution Thus, the  greatest proof  yet offered by Muslim evolutionists in favor of the theory of evolution and its basis in the Qur’an is that the word Khalaqa, which means to create, actually connotes “creation by stages”, and therefore may imply creation through an evolutionary process. Muslim evolutionists assert that an evolutionary process within creation is alluded to in the terminology because it employs the word khalaqa throughout the Qur’an for living things as well as for the universe. The dictionary meaning of the word  Khalaqa, means “to create gradually in successive stages, each one being different from the previous.”

Muslim  Evolutionists maintain that the reference in the Qur’an to the creation of man from clay, is actually a reference to the inorganic state from which life emerged and gradually evolved. Hence the word Khalaqa would be appropriately used by the Qur’an to describe creation through evolution.

Verses  13, 14 of chapter 71 state:

“What is the matter with you , that you do not place your hope for kindness and long suffering in Allah,

Seeing that it is He who created you in diverse stages.”

Thus, it is stages in the process of creation that are being discussed here in the Qur’an. However, the text is  silent about what it means by “creation by stages”. This leaves room for a plethora of interpretations both supporting the creationist stance  as well as the evolutionist viewpoint.

Again the following verse appears to suggest evolutionary stages in creation, involving first, the  fashioning  in due proportion and the giving of the just bias.

“O Man! What has seduced you from Your Lord Most Beneficient

Him who created you, fashioned you in due proportion and gave you a just bias.

In whatever form He wills, He puts you together.” Verse 82, 6--8

In yet another verse of the Qur’an, It is stated that it is Allah, who begins the “process of creation”. Indeed what is alluded to here is a process, and a process necessarily involves various stages.  This does not mean that  if Allah wished, He could not create instantaneously as well by the words, “Kun Fa Yakun” The Qur’an therefore appears to speak of both possibilities which may coexist.

The etymology of the Arabic  word “Khalaqa”  is not the only piece of evidence presented as proof of  evolution in the Qur’an.  The manner in which certain verses are worded is also interpreted as further proof of evolutionism in Islam, such as the following verse:

“Will you blaspheme against Him who has created you out of dust, and out of a drop of fluid and in the end has fashioned you into a human?” 18: 37

Again, one can easily determine from the above verse that  there is a series of events that have preceded the formation of the human or insan, and again this sequence of events points to an evolutionary process in creation.

This idea becomes even more forcefully expressed in the next verse:

“And God has caused you to grow out of the earth in gradual growth”  71:17.

Again the following verse describes an evolutionary process in creation.

“And lo Thy sustainer said unto the angels. Behold I am about to create mortal human out of sounding clay, out of dark slime transmuted and when I have fully formed him and breathed into him of My spirit fall prostrate before him.”

Again the words “Kun Fa Yakun” would not be employed in  this process . That would imply an instant creation whereas according to this verse there appears to be a time lag between the human, when he was just clay,  and the breathing of God’s spirit into him.

In the following verse again, there are various stages which speak of the  perfecting  and strengthening  of the human form.  According to Muslim evolutionists, this idea leans strongly towards an evolutionary process.

“It is We who created them and strengthened their form” 76 28.

“He has created the heaves and the earth in just proportions. He designed you and perfected your shapes and to Him is the final goal.”

Thus indeed when the Qur’an speaks of perfecting the human form, or strengthening the human form as these verses seem to suggest, then this can form a valid basis for a belief in the stages in the evolutionary process of the human being.

But the question still remains as to whether the  Qur’an supports the Darwinian theory of evolution? The answer would have to be a clear and unequivocal “no”

At best what the Qur’an appears  to support  is what may be termed  a “ Theistic Evolution”. This evolutionary process is controlled and set into motion by The Creator Himself. It does not negate the existence of the Creator as does the Darwinian theory of evolution at times.

There are some other points of departure as well, which we can look at now:

For example, the Darwinian theory credits genetic mutations according to random chance, accompanied by the process of natural selection, for the advancement and evolution of various species. 

The Qur’an on the other hand, speaks distinctly  of creation having been guided  by intelligent direction. Verse 20:5, states:

“Our Cherisher is He who gave to everything its creation, then guided it 20:5.
 

Most definitely according to  the Qur’an, nothing is achieved through random chance, but is on the other hand guided by a Cosmic Intelligence or Creator.  According to some Muslim evolutionists, the Qur’an is referring here  to the genetic code when it speaks of created things being “guided”.

So what conclusion can we draw from these verses. Is there room for an evolutionary viewpoint in the Quran or not.?

In a nutshell, whether  you are a creationist,  or a theist-evolutionist as some Muslims strive to be, you’ll find evidence in the Qur’an supporting both viewpoints. The Qur’an does not come and outright  contradict the concept of evolution, but it most certainly disagrees with its mechanics, particularly the randomness with which it is supposed to occur.  Evolution, according to the Qur’an, would still be guided and controlled by the Creator.

An objective and critical analysis of  the issue would reveal that the Qur’an’s discourse tilts strongly in favor of Creationism. Although the Arabic ‘Khalaqa” has been understood by some to mean “creation by stages”, it may or may not imply the evolutionary stages described in the Darwinian theory.  The stages that the Qur’an lists, involve, the fashioning of Adam or man from clay, the breathing of life into that clay, and then the ability given to it to procreate and reproduce through offspring.  The stages again, are perhaps not the evolutionary stages of Darwinism, but the stages in the development of the human being, from an embryo to the fetal stage, birth, infancy childhood and eventually adulthood

In the end, we must ask, if religion and evolution can be reconciled in some way? Yes, it can be and we have seen how evolutionary theory can be reconciled with the Qur’an. It is said about Darwin though, that he recanted the theory of evolution and reverted to Christianity before he died. This would indicate that he found the idea of religion and evolution as being mutually contradictory. Whether or not this actually happened is something that cannot really be confirmed as the information on it is very scanty, but we do know that even Darwin remained unsure about his findings and said in his book entitled the “Origin of Species”  that “much remains obscure” and the Origin of Species remains “a mystery of mysteries”. Religion too remains a “mystery of mysteries” and in that respect, both are in agreement.

Whereas the religious left appears to want to find agreement between religion and evolution, the  tussle  has resurfaced in modern times between those on the religious right and those who espouse a more secular ideology. Only time will tell, with the aid of even newer scientific data, whether the theory of evolution will be discarded entirely, or whether, religion itself will someday validate it.