The theory of human evolution, namely that man descended from apes,
is widely accepted amongst non-Muslims although there have been many
non-Muslim scientists, atheists included, who argue that it is flawed.
As an opinion, it was wholly rejected by all Muslims as it goes against
their basic knowledge that Allah created Adam with his own hands, from
clay, in the physical form of a human being, and then breathed life into
it. Even so, there have been a few Muslims over the years that have
endorsed the theory attempting to initiate a discussion on the topic,
whilst there are non-Muslims who criticise us for being 'simple-minded'
and 'scientifically inconsistent'.
Due to such attacks, some Muslims felt inferior and thought that the
problem could be rectified by an acceptance of the evolution theory, or
at least accepting it as a valid alternative. However, the decisive
verses of the Qur'an as well as the ahadith (Prophetic narrations)
provide a problem for such an undertaking, and so we find that there are
mistakes and random misinterpretations. Of course, those of truth will
always oppose such heresy, to which these Muslim evolutionists, if there
ever was such a term (!), respond that "we believe in the existence of
Allah, the initial Creator, yet what is wrong in concluding that the way
in which God created all human beings, including the first human, Adam,
was by means of evolution, and namely, non-human parents who descended
from apes?” Such people insist that this latest version of the theory is
compatible with revelation given that there is no unequivocal
scriptural text to deny it!
In order to deal with such unfounded claims, I would like to approach
the issue in a scholastic and systematic manner so as to demonstrate
how theological deviancy comes about through incompetence in
systematically and rationally deriving meaning from the scriptural
texts. It is due to this incompetence (that we should all be aware of so
we save ourselves) that some attempt to legitimise the theory of human
evolution and others unrecognised views that accompany it.
It is commonly believed that the Qur'an and the ahadith (Prophetic
traditions) are the only sources of Islamic authority, yet we find that
one of the primary causes of an individual's theological (and legal)
deviancy is the attempt to fully understand the divine texts by
his/herself, with complete disregard for the profound understandings and
well-substantiated views of hundreds of thousands of Muslim scholars
from around the world who have contributed to the vast corpus of Islamic
scholarship over the last 1400 years. The irony of such disregard is
that Muslim proponents of the evolution process completely brush aside
Islamic scholarly consensus yet are the first to advocate the (supposed)
consensus of non-Muslim scientists!
It is clear that priorities are misplaced, for in glorifying western
scientists the proponents of human evolution neglect the intellectual
aptitude of Muslim scholars, particularly, the early scholars who were
extremely astute and would, with all dedication, intensely scrutinise
each and every aspect of the Islamic religion prior to any form of
endorsement or inclination towards a given view – in fact, it is only
very recently that scientists have adopted the same level of rigour.
Given such a profound analysis, none of Islam's scholars, let alone the
greatest amongst them, ever articulated the view that Adam came into
existence as a result of some evolutionary process. In fact, none of
Islam's early scholars ever even considered the possibility of Adam
being created in stages of existence, or that he experienced childhood
at some time of his life.
In adopting a religious opinion which is counter to a scholarly
consensus made up of thousands of Muslim scholars over a long period of
time, the proponents of human evolution expose their distorted outlook
on Islamic knowledge and the Muslims scholars (as a collective) whom
Allah has appointed as trustees of the faith. Such an attitude implies
that Allah, may he be free from such an implication, has allowed the
entire Muslim ummah, over a period spanning more than a millennium, to
deviate from the truth whilst the correct view is uncovered by
(theological) laymen in recent times!
Disregarding the binding legacy of scholastic consensus goes against
plain old common sense and a number of verses and Prophetic traditions
that state that scholars, not as individuals but as a collective, are
the trustees of the faith. The explicit statements are numerous, such as
Allah's statement, "And We sent not before you but men to whom We
inspired, so ask the people of the Reminder if you do not know" [1], and the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying, "the scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets.”
To believe that Adam had monkey-like parents (despite the fact that
overwhelming evidences go against it) and to completely abandon the
consensus of Muslims is indicative of deep-rooted arrogance, a rejection
of the clear evidences, or ignoring the correct methodology in
understanding the divine texts. For example, the first step of a sound
methodology would be to analyse whether the conclusion is consistent
with the Arabic language, since Arabic is the primary tool used in
interpreting divine revelation, and so, any interpretation that fails to
fall within the framework of the Arabic language is one that is
redundant. For example, the Arabs did not consider the phrase kun fa
yakun (be! And it is/was) to be an indefinite period of time, for
indeed, the phrase illustrates the power and might of God that His will
is manifested immediately and decisively, without delay. Even the phrase
"be! And it is/was” in English implies it (whatever it is) happens
instantaneously, and to argue otherwise would be a distortion of the
English language!
Another key principle that must be established when dealing with
scripture is the inter-contextualisation of the entire divine text - in
order to correctly interpret the Qur'an and ahadith we must approach
them, not as solitary verses, but as one coherent and homogeneous unit
that affords a holistic interpretation, and not an interpretation based
on preconceived ideas that singles out isolated verses so as to
misconstrue them. Indeed, to approach the divine scriptures having
already decided the matter is an insincere attempt to justify one's
belief, and to approach them enquiring into what Allah has ordained, in
an open an unbiased way, is to demonstrate the sincere intention to
receive guidance.
Another irony is the fact that the evolutionists try to place a
theory (evolution) over fact (the Qur'an and ahadith). Do we not ponder
why it is still considered a theory despite the fact that the idea has
been around, in some popular form, since Darwin and is promoted so
fanatically by its protagonists? It is truly unfortunate to see those
who ascribe to Islam promote the theory of human evolution, and then do
so by relying on mutashabih (ambiguous) verses of the Qur'an, some of
which are clear kinaya [2] (metonyms), and leave off muhkam (explicit) verses. This is precisely what Allah warns us against, saying,
"Those with deviation in their hearts follow what is undefined in it, desiring conflict, seeking its (false) interpretation." [3]
Evolution, in relating to man, is such an unfounded concept that to
engage with it on par with academic and intellectual standards is to
afford it credence, it being deserving of nothing but aversion. I could
perhaps list all of the scientific inaccuracies of claiming that Adam
came from apes, but as a Muslim it is more than sufficient to adopt the
understanding of the scholars rather than derive a misconstrued meaning
from a lone verse or hadith. This should be the case with any Muslim who
believes that Allah has ordained certain measures to guard Islam
against innovation, and hence, I shall, very limitedly, mention a small
number of proofs which, for the benefit of the Muslim masses, simply
expose the foolishness of this supposition.
The Qur'an clearly states that Adam was created by Allah, and with His own hands, "He said, 'Iblis, what prevented you prostrating to what I created with My own two hands?" [4]
In addition, the famous Companion, Abdullah ibn Umar, said, "Allah
created four things with His hand: the Throne, the Pen, the Garden of
Eden and Adam. To the rest of His creation He said, 'Be!' and it was."
[5] This narration clearly shows that the Companions believed that these
four things, Adam included, were created in a way different to other
animals and creatures. The authenticated ahadith furnish us with further
examples that leave no doubt whatsoever that this was an actual act
performed by Allah. For example, the Messenger of Allah said that on the
Last Day, mankind would go from Prophet to Prophet requesting
intercession; they would go to Adam and say, "You are the father of
mankind, Allah created you with His hands, had the angels prostrate to
you, and taught you the names of all things." [6] If Adam
was created from a 'despised drop' and like all other human beings, then
what is the point of singling him out as being created by Allah's
hands?
"The likeness of Jesus, to Allah, is the same as Adam. He created him from earth and then He said to him, 'Be!' and he was." [7]
This verse is often quoted in isolation from the reasons for which it
was revealed, thus, some evolutionists claim that the verse asserts
that Jesus and Adam were born in the same way – through the womb of a
female. Such an interpretation is deceptive as a brief look into the
sabab al-nuzul (causes for revelation) quickly makes clear that the
verse was revealed to repudiate the Christian argument that proof of
Jesus' divinity is his having no earthly father. The verse states that
Adam had no parents whatsoever, being created instead from earth, yet
this did not make him divine; the comparison then was between the single
parent of Jesus and the absence of parents in regards to Adam.
The Qur'an informs us that Allah "taught Adam the names of all things" [8] and so, we resolutely know that Allah engaged Adam directly. Allah also says,
"O mankind! Be mindful of your Lord who created you from a single
soul and created its mate from it and then disseminated many men and
women from the two of them." [9]
"It is He who created you from a single soul and made from him his spouse so that he might find repose in her." [10]
"O mankind! We created you from a male and female, and made you
into peoples and tribes so that you might come to know each other." [11]
If we were to ignorantly suppose that Adam was born of evolved apes,
we would then be positing, according to the verses above, that the
creation of Hawwa' was ever so more significant than that of Adam as she
was not born but actually fashioned, by God, from Adam. Thus, in
negating the instantaneous creation of Adam, the evolutionist is still
left having to affirm the instantaneous creation of Hawwa'! And it is
this fact, from amongst the many, that exposes the nonsense spewed by
evolutionists, for in striving to negate a miracle of God (the creation
of Adam), they resort to having to affirm it elsewhere (the creation of
Hawwa'), that is, if they can resist the urge to deny the book of God
outrightly.
The story of the Sabbath-breakers is well known whereby Allah cursed the disobedient and turned them into monkeys and pigs. [12] How then, can the honoured sons of Adam [13]
actually come from that which is considered a curse? Of course, in
being honoured, it is only logical to conclude that either humans
haven't come from apes, or that we negate the maskh itself and claim
that the Sabbath-breakers did not turn into apes and pigs. Even if we
were to state, for the sake of argument, that the transformation was
metaphorical, the essential point still remains that they were cursed by
taking on qualities of monkeys and apes. Correspondingly, there are
various contradictions that arise in relation to Adam and Hawwa' when
attempting to scripturally justify human evolution. There are various
mutawatir texts that confirm that Adam and Hawwa' lived as spouses and
that mankind came from the two, indeed the textual evidences regarding
this point are particularly decisive. Furthermore, it seems quite an
irrational interpretation that Allah mentions Hawwa' as being brought
into existence through Allah's direct involvement, yet Adam, the first
human being receives no such honour! It is extremely clear that the
evolutionists and their deviant ideas refuse to acknowledge the entire
textual discourse surrounding the creation of Adam, instead using
solitary verses as a justification for evolutionist beliefs. Thus, in
order to attempt some form of reconciliation between the two accounts,
the evolutionist must adapt the Qur'an to fit the theory, or the theory
to fit the Qur'an, or transform both equally, and in every case, each
possibility is as preposterous as the others, all serving as evil paths
to heresy.
In going beyond the Qur'an, we find that the ahadith are full with
authentic narrations concerning the creation of Adam, and in keeping
with deceitful intent we find that many liberals and evolutionists
completely ignore the existence of such ahadith. Indeed they have to,
for the shari'ah of Allah is preserved through the Prophetic narrations
and so the evolutionists will do anything to maintain their secular
outlook on the Islamic faith. In fact, the notion of evolution is deeply
secular as it divorces the involvement of God in creation and attempts
to posit Nietzsche's opinion that if there is a god, then he merely
initiated creation (which grew on its own) and that god is now
non-existent or dead – we seek protection from Allah from such
profanity.
We find that Anas ibn Malik relates from the Prophet,
"When Allah fashioned Adam in Paradise, He left him as He willed.
Iblis then wandered around him examining him. Upon seeing him as hollow
from within, he recognised that Adam had been created with a
disposition that he would not have control over himself." [14]
I have not seen any scholar, past or present, who affords science the
authority to determine how Adam was created. In cases where scholars do
refer to science (in a limited capacity), they tend to provide their
conclusions and then either explicitly/implicitly mention that this
matter should be dealt with through science. In numerous verses the
Qur'an commands mankind to reflect on the various types of creation, the
alternation of day and night, and the celestial orbit of planets, but
there is no indication whatsoever of an evolved Adam. In fact, the
Qur'an describes the process of human creation in the womb but discounts
the evolution of humans from monkey-like beings. If it is argued that
the lack of evolutionary descriptions in the Qur'an is due to
evolution's complex nature, then we retort with the fact that so too is
the process of foetal development, yet revelation informs us of it and
to its fullest extent.
There are countless texts that can be analysed, but to do so would
make this article voluminous. However, even light analysis of the Qur'an
and Sunnah makes it exceedingly evident that such heretical beliefs
have no place within Islamic thought - the Companions and early Muslims
all understood the manner in which Adam was created by Allah and it is
preposterous to claim that Allah revealed scripture that was
misunderstood by all of the aforementioned, yet the Most High did not
rectify their misreading!
Is the creation of Adam a scientific or religious matter?
In reality, there is no disparity between religious creed and
science, and if there seems to be so, it inevitably implies that there
has been some form of misunderstanding, either in terms of our religious
or scientific knowledge. However, a decisive part of being Muslim is to
acknowledge that the information related by way of the Qur'an and
Sunnah entails certainty, whereas any other knowledge that we acquire is
prone to human error. Thus, if the scriptures posit anything related to
science and the overwhelming majority of scholars affirm its meaning,
then we have to believe in it accordingly as such knowledge is
fact-based and not merely human perception. The Qur'an and Sunnah
address various disciplines such as science, history, geography,
anthropology, politics and others. Whatever is mentioned there should be
adopted as an aspect of our faith, "they say: we believe in it, all of
it is from our Lord." [15] Failing to do so suggests either
one's negation of more than half of the Qur'an, or accepting a text
which is essentially devoid of meaning as it ends up meaning anything we
desire it to, and this is how many of the obdurate fall into disbelief.
For example, it has been repeatedly argued that the Qur'an is not a
book of history, and so, the heretics argue that we are not obligated to
believe historical details which Allah has revealed. Of course, the
Qur'an is not a book of many things, but that is not to suggest that
various topics are touched upon. Indeed, Allah says,
"There is not a moving (living) creature on earth, nor a bird
that flies with its two wings, but are communities like you. We have
neglected nothing in the Book, and then to their Lord they (all) shall
be gathered." [16]
The ruling concerning the belief in Adam's primate descendents.
Restricting the discussion merely to a ruling may be
counterproductive as anyone who mistakenly concludes that it is not kufr
(disbelief) will assume such profanation is to be tolerated, and so
therefore, the main issue is not the ruling of such an immoral belief
and whether it is kufr, but instead the gravity of this belief and what
it signifies - it is the negation of what the ummah has endorsed as well
as being in violation of countless proofs that state otherwise.
Endorsing the presumption that humans evolved necessitates accepting
reprehensible beliefs about the noble Prophet, Adam, may Allah's peace
and blessings be upon him, and that his parents were either apes or
ape-like beings! It is to insult the station of prophethood by claiming
that Adam was taken care of by human-like baboons. Were Adam's parents
able to speak or did they merely grunt? Were they obliged to worship
Allah or not? What was the extent of Adam's cognitive faculties? Do
human beings now have more advanced faculties than he did – have they
evolved since his time on earth? How is it that the Qur'an disregards a
significant aspect of Adam's life although he discusses, in detail, what
was before it and what came after.
If we believe that Allah is the Creator and can create anything, then
what is wrong in accepting that he created Adam directly from clay,
fashioned him, and brought him to life instantaneously? What is it that
they negate? Why do we need to distort the meanings of countless
Qur'anic verses in favour of a theory that continually changes? Must we
negate the numerous and authentic ahadith that clearly establish a
non-evolutionist narrative?
In conclusion, to use the theory of Darwin or any other theory that
stems from it in order to justify the wicked belief that Adam was born
of non-human parents is, in essence, to deny the existence of Allah as
supreme creator who creates from nothing by mere command. It is this
method of creating (although there are other ways as well) that
establishes Allah's rububiyyah (lordship), for in affirming unjustified
theories of human evolution we make chance the creator, since anything
that is created exists merely because chance decided so. But Allah says,
"Or do they assign to Allah partners who created the like of His
creation, so that (both) creations seemed alike to them?' Say: 'Allah is
the Creator of all things; He is the One, the Irresistible.'" [17]
I call upon those who believe and adhere to Islam to affirm the clear
and decisive Qur'anic revelations and lucid ahadith, all of which
negate the notion of human evolution, let alone Adam having non-human
parents. I also call upon them to make the Islamic texts the primary
source of authority in all of their affairs, since (Allah) the One who
reveals revelation is most knowledgeable about the affairs of the
universe. Let us not allow those of no faith to dictate our readings of
scripture, our implementation of the Islamic faith, or our notions of
what is to be deemed as being most superior, both in terms of creed and
actions.
For those Muslims who endorse the theory of human evolution,
contemplate the scripture with a believing and unbiased heart whilst
keeping in mind the Sunnah of Allah's noble Messenger. Strive against
egotism and haughtiness and do not fear the criticisms of the
disbelievers. Allah says,
"Therefore flee unto Allah; I am a plain warner to you from Him.
And set not any other god along with Allah; I am a plain warner to you
from Him." [18]
Allah knows best.
May peace and blessings be upon the Prophet, his family, his Companions,
and all those who follow them in righteousness and the correct creed.
Notes:
[1] 16:43; 21:7
[2] See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metonymy
[3] 3:7
[4] 38:75
[5] Lalika'i, no. 729-730
[6] Authenticity agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim; a mutawaatir hadith.
[7] 3:59
[8] 2:31
[9] 4:1
[10] 7:189
[11] 49:13
[12] cf. 5:60, 7:166
[13] 17:70
[14] Muslim
[15] 7:3
[16] 6:38
[17] 13:16
[18] 51:50-51
And
give good news (O Muhammad) to those who believe and do good deeds, that they
will have gardens (Paradise) in which rivers flow.... 
(Quran, 2:25)
told us that the lowest in rank among the dwellers of Paradise will have ten
times the like of this world,1
and he or she will have whatever he or she desires and ten times like it.2
Also, the Prophet Muhammad 
