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A verse in the Muslim Holy Quran written some 1400 years ago appears to predate famous evolutionary scientist, Charles Darwin’s “discovery” of the evolutionary theory.
The verse in the chapter “The Light,” “An Nur” states what is translated to mean,
Quran 24:45: Allah has created every [living] creature from water. And of them are those that move on their bellies, and of them are those that walk on two legs, and of them are those that walk on four. Allah creates what He wills. Indeed, Allah is over all things competent.
While Muslims are not known to promote the evolutionary concept to life, the verse itself appears to directly suggest such an origin to life.
The Muslim Quran when referring to the creation of life typically uses the phrase, “originates creation,” which does not suggest instantaneity, while not excluding it.
The example below in the Quran Chapter of the Spider, promotes the Prophet of Islam to suggest scientific study of creation as a testimony of God’s existence. (God is called Allah (s) in Islam).
Quran 29:20 Say (O Muhammad): Travel in the land and see how He originated creation, then Allah bringeth forth the later creation. Lo! Allah is Able to do all things.
The word used is “originated creation,” as above mentioned which combined with the prior verse, Quran 24:45 appears to not only describe the origination or evolution of creation, but promote and predict scientific study of it as would be the hallmark of the current scientific era.
Verse 29:20 also suggests origination of creation in stages, that should be observed form the scientific study, the phrase, “then bringeth forth later creation,” implies.
Again,
Quran 30:27: God originates creation; Then reproduces it; and For Him it is most easy.
The scientific theory of the day is that life evolved from the seas. Particularly describing creatures moving on to land and this advancement based on the crawlers (reptiles who walk on their bellies), to the animals that walk on their fours and on the twos like man. This is startlingly identical to the Quranic detail in 24:45.
See Life from water: NewSceintist: “How life evolved: 10 steps to the first cells“-evolution of the first protocell and cell, “From Water To Land,” – Berkley; “Details Of Evolutionary Transition From Fish To Land Animals Revealed” -ScienceDaily.
These observations are not only shocking but leading, describing not only harmonious concepts but daring and promoting the study and precise finding of them today by scientists.
Big Bang Theory Dubbed?
The Muslim Quran has been recognised to have described the events of the current scientific big bang theory in precise terms.
The big bang theory states (MSNBC),
“…that the universe began billions of years ago as a tiny dot that exploded into today’s huge system of stars and planets..”
And the Quran states, specifically addressing unbelievers as though to test them:
“Do the unbelievers not see that the heavens and earth were fused as one unit of creation , before We clove them asunder…” (Quran 21:30)
The identical words were color-coded by the website, AgainstScience.com owned by a NewsRescue author, Dr. Peregrino Brimah.
The identicality of the two descriptions cannot be denied. The author suggests Charles Darwin may have been a student of the Muslim Quran.
Universe Expansion Also Detailed
But it does not stop there. The big bang theory while finally embracing the position of creation of the universe as documented in monotheistic faiths, explains that as the universe started from the Singularity point, it is also constantly expanding. But this sophisticated concept is as impossible to believe, also explicitly described in the Quran.
Quran states:
It is We who have built the universe with (Our creative) power, and, verily, it is We who are steadily expanding it. (The Winnowing ways/Scaterers, 51:47)
What more evidence and clues to our origins and purpose does the Muslim Quran and other Holy books contain. Are these books being given their proper regard and taken advantage of to lower the cost of scientific study by suggesting answers to be explored?
2. Creation Of Man
The creation of man is clearly more unique. The Muslim Quran does not describe creation/cloning of Eve from a rib of Adam. It describes the creation of man with unusual descriptions that suggest an evolution or origination from clay. It also suggests that other hominids or men have been created in the past and wiped out and replaced with entirely new creations due to disobedience. The Quran also describes successive perfection of creation and a certain lag time period where Allah(s) left man alone, according to some, to evolve.
(Quran 17:14) While He has created you in stages?
(Quran 71:17) And Allah hath caused you to grow as a growth from the earth
In the verse below, we know that God’s creation of life from clay (which is a combination of water and earth soil) happened first a long time ago. God then stayed away from his creation letting it evolve to interfere when He determined that it was time to interfere.
(Quran 6.2) He is Who has created you from clay, then he spent a term of time (away from you), and (it is) a specific term he determined. Yet, you doubt (his ability)!
The long time in which humanity didn’t exist:
(Quran 76:1) Has there come on man a long period of time when he was a thing unremembered?
The next verse describes that organisms grew from the earth (originated from Earth) progressively
(Quran 71:17) And Allah has caused you to grow from the earth a [progressive] growth.
The part below from Answering Skeptics continues this line of Islamic understanding:
(Quran 64:3) He designed you then made your design better.
(Quran 40:64) He formed you then made your forms better.
^Human form went through a process of betterment. If this verse wanted to say that humans have a perfect design, it would have not been worded this way, thus, this verse is showing that humans were designed as something and our design (or form) was improved and perfected to Allah’s liking.
(Quran 30:27) God originates creation; Then reproduces it; and For him it is most easy.
^Creation gets originated and then reproduced
(Quran 11:61) It is He Who has produced you from the earth and settled you therein..
^We were produced from the Earth, not as modern creationists say God literally molded us with his hands in heaven.
(Quran 82:6-9) O mankind, what has deceived you concerning your Lord, the Generous, Who created you, then proportioned you, and then balanced you; in whatever form He willed has He assembled you.
^This verse is referring to the whole of mankind. It separates creation, proportioning and balancing into 3 separate categories implying a difference of steps and time in each. Then the verse tells us that we (mankind) have been assembled through the process of creation, proportioning and balancing into a form that which Allah expected.
(Quran 96:1-2) Recite in the name of your Lord who created, Created man from a clinging substance (Alaq or embryo).
^This verse says that mankind was created from a clinging substance/alaq. ‘Alaq’ is the embryo. This refers to all of mankind. Creationists say that mankind’s formation did not involve an embryo–it was simply God getting some making a human being instantaneously without embryological development. Unfortunately, this verse affirms that all of mankind were formed in an embryo-no exceptions.
(Quran 16:4) He created man from a sperm-drop; then at once, he is a clear adversary.
^Again, this verse states that all of mankind were created from a sperm-drop. If humans were created from a sperm-drop that means that the sperm-drop came from generations of non-humans. In other words by saying that all humans were created from a sperm drop, the Quran is refuting the creationist statements that the first humans were without ancestors.
(Quran 35:11) And Allah did create you from dust; then from a reproductive fluid; then He made you in pairs
^Here the Quran makes a very important point. This verse is stating the process of creation. We were first created from dust (a basic compound) then we were created from a reproductive fluid (This is signifying the creation of sexual reproduction), after sexual reproduction: we were created in pairs-male and female. This also shows that the first humans were created from a reproductive fluid and not instantly as creationists believe. The process of formation involved simple compounds and then sexual reproduction formed which ten allowed humans to be in pairs-male and female. This is exactly how it occurred in the evolutionary timeline. The first cell came from the Earth, then through several generations, sexual reproduction evolved which gave rise to more variation and genetic recombination which allowed for higher-level organisms like mammals to evolve.
(Quran 3:33-34) “Indeed, Allah chose Adam and Noah and the family of Abraham and the family of ‘Imran over the worlds. DESCENDANTS, some of them from others. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing”
^This verse calls Adam (mankind), Noah, Family of Abraham, and Imran descendants. Allah chose Adam (mankind), over who? Other human-like people. And then the Quran says that Adam (humans), Noah, Abraham and Imran are descendants of others. If humans were descendants of other beings, then that supports the scientific view of evolution and rejects the creationist view of creation.
(Quran 76:28) We created them and strengthened their forms. And when we please. We will substitute the likes of them by a change.
^Here, Allah has given us stronger forms. He created us and made us better. And when he pleases, he will substitute us by a creation with a change! How did God strengthen human’s make? Could it be through evolution? If this verse should be interpreted otherwise, then why does it not simply state, ‘It is We who have created them in a strong make,’ instead of implying two separate steps and a time lapse? The same argument pertains to one translation of the following verse: ‘He…designed you and (time lapse) perfected your design…’ (64:3)
(Quran 2:30) And when your Lord said to the angels, “Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority.” They said, “Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we declare Your praise and sanctify You?” Allah said, “Indeed, I know that which you do not know.”
^Allah will make a successive authority on Earth. Doesn’t that hint that humans were evolved to be a successful rule on earth? Not only that, the Angels were questioning Allah. How did the Angels know that we cause corruption and shed blood? They saw previous human/hominid generations before Adam cause corruption and shedding blood, so they were questioning Allah as to why he is creating an animal that is corrupt when we (Angels) are perfect? Allah tells them that it is all a part of the plan and he knows humanity will succeed.
(Quran 2:35) And We said, “O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in Paradise and eat therefrom in [ease and] abundance from wherever you will. But do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers.”
Here Adam and his mate refers to early mankind. They are dwelling in Jannah but displace later because of their Zulm (unequality). Then they are compared to their ancestors that did wrong. “Or you will be among the wrongdoers (al-zalimin)”. This clearly implies there was someone before them dwelling. Therefore, Adam and his companion were NOT suddenly created.
(Quran 10:13-14) And we had already destroyed generations before you when they wronged, and their messengers had come to them with clear proofs, but they were not to believe. Thus do we recompense the criminal people. Then we made you successors in the Earth after them so that We may observe how you will do.
^this verse complements Quran 2:30 in saying that humans were made on the Earth successors. This verse is making it clear that humans were successors to previous generations. If humans came after previous generations, then those generations would have to be non-human as they don’t fit into the description of being humans (humans came from them–therefore they cannot be humans). This goes against the creationist account that the first humans didn’t have ancestors. The following verse makes it clear that our ancestors were non-human:
(Quran 6.133) If He wills, he can do away with you and give succession after you to WHATEVER He wills, just as He produced you from the descendants of another people (qawmin).
Allah can get rid of Us and make another creature succeed just as he produced US from another people!
(Many translators have translated the Arabic word for “whatever” as “whomever”. They, unfortunately, added their own understanding to a verse. The Quran specifically uses the word “Whatever” or “What” (“ma” in Arabic ما). This Arabic word “ma” does refer to humans; this word is strictly reserved for non-humans (the Arabic word that does refer to humans is “men من”, meaning “who” or “whoever” but it was not used here).
If this verse is not of evolution, why does it say humans are from the descendants of ‘other’ qawmin, why not ‘same’ qawmin? Qawmin is a term/taxa like ‘genus’, ‘species’ etc. This verse is thus talking in a generic sense.
(Quran 4:133) If it were His will, He could destroy you, o mankind, and create another race; for He hath power this to do.
(Quran 35:16) If He wills, He can do away with you and bring forth a new creation.
(Quran 14:19) If God wills he can remove you and put in your place a new creation.
(Quran 47:38) And if you turn away, He will replace you with another people; they will not be the likes of you.
^Again, we see a reference to Allah destroying Mankind and creating another people. If you notice from the context the verse before 35:16 shows that its talking about mankind. Now with verse 6:133 in mind and the other verses, what do you propose is the mechanism Allah would use? Further Quran 47:38 explicitly says that the other people the Quran is talking about in 6:133 will not be like us and that we descended from another people NOT like us! Take a look at this related verse:
(Quran 43:60) And if we will, We could make angels from amongst you (minkum), succeeding each other on the earth.
^Again, a reference to Allah destroying Mankind through letting something else (angels) come amongst us and succeed each other on the Earth just as we (humans) came from another creature and succeeded after them. Angels are spiritual beings that could be embodied in physical form on the Earth.
(Quran 32:7) Allah is He who has made everything He created BETTER, and He began the creation of the human (being) out of clay–> He made everything he created better. Evolution seems to explain the mechanism of perfecting God’s creation. (Clay is a product of wet earth-Exactly what you are made of: Water and Earth.
What’s even more fascinating about this verses is that Allah say he made all of his creation better from the original and he began the creation of a human. This verse is hinting at a connection. A connection that human beings were made through a process of evolving better than the original creation.
(Quran 32:8) Then He made his posterity out of the extract of a liquid disdained.
^This verse comes right after the previous one. So AFTER human beings BEGAN forming,, our posterity comes from an extract of semen. This is hinting at sexual reproduction forming.
(Quran 32:9) Then He proportioned him and breathed into him from His [created] soul and made for you hearing and vision and hearts; little are you grateful.
^AFTER Allah made sexual reproduction, he proportioned us and given us vision/hearing/consciousness.
Allah BEGINS the process of creation, lets sexual reproduction happen, and then we get proportioned and achieve higher consciousness. Aren’t these verses clear in their support of gradual creation of humans?
The preceding verse seems to be a highlight of the major evolutionary steps and it uses a sequential conjunction to illustrate its purpose. Creation began from a basic earth like substance (clay), then after the initiation of creation, sexual reproduction develops and then after that higher intelligence forms. This verse specifically says that our posterity was made from an extract of a liquid disdained, this implies that after the initiation of creation of man from the Earth, the ability to sexually reproduce formed. After sexual reproduction formed, higher intelligence develops. Evolutionary, we can say that life formed from the Earth (or what became to be the earth). Their mode of reproduction was asexual. Then sexual reproduction occurred which allowed for more variation and more complexity in organisms. Through sexual reproduction, more variation occurred which allowed extremely complex multicellular organisms capable of thought, like humans to develop. This Quranic verse appears to highlight such a phenomenon by stating that creation started out of the Earth, then sexual reproduction developed, then humans formed.
The following verse informs us that humans were created from a single cell:
(Quran 4:1)…created you [all] from a singular ‘nafs’ and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many [human] men and women.
The question arises: What is a ‘nafs’? ‘Nafs’ is a living being as the following verse informs us:
(Quran 21:35) Every living being (nafsin) shall have a taste of death
Thus we must conclude that we were created from a singular living being in which its pair was created from it. This singular cell and its pair then made many human men and women. 21:35 “Every living being (nafsin) shall have a taste of death.” Whatever dies have Nafs. So it means any living being including single cell being. Therefore, in verse 4:1 “Who has developed you from one Nafs (living being), and from it its mate and sent forth from both many male and female.”, one Nafs was not Adam, it talks about the “same origin” of all nafses (beings), the rudimentary simple single cell and the relation between the Nafses. And its mate means genderly mate of any species and also other companions of same species. Since the origin of all living being is same, they certainly were not separately created. There is NO verse that tells that the living being were developed separately.
The following verse indicates that Allah literally calls himself “the evolver”:
(Quran 59:24) He is Allah , the Creator, the Inventor, The Evolver (al bari); to Him belong the best names. Whatever is in the heavens and earth is exalting Him. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
From the root b-r-‘ which has the following classical Arabic connotations:
to create, to form out of nothing, to manifest
to create using pre-existing matter, evolve
to be individual, free and clear of another thing
to be free and clear of fault or blemish
Bâri’ denotes the way the One works with substances, often creating from existing matter, making and evolving that which is free and clear of any other thing, free and clear of imperfections. (Source)
Indeed, in the Quran, Allah calls himself the evolver. The one who shapes, who fashions creation–the one who perfects his creation
All praise is to Allah, the one who has created life and fashioned life.
History-Islamic Theory of Evolution: Darwin Learned Evolution From Islamic Scholars
(please refer to full article @ http://www.19.org/books/islamic-theory-of-evolution-shanavas/)
Though a great majority of people, regardless of their religion, consider Darwin as the originator of the idea of evolution, Shanavas reminds us that Darwin (1809-1882) and his grandfather Erasmus Darwin were influenced by the work of Muslim scientists who lived centuries before them. For instance, Dr. Shanavas quotes from John William Draper (1812-1883), first president of American Chemical Society, a contemporary of Darwin, and a former president of New York University summarizes the deliberately induced academic amnesia in the West. Draper acknowledges the fact that Muslims described the theory of evolution in their schools centuries before the West did:
“I have to deplore the systematic manner in which the literature of Europe has contrived to put out of sight our scientific obligations to the Muhammadans. Surely they cannot be much longer hidden. Injustice founded on religious rancor and national conceit cannot be perpetuated forever.”(Draper, John William. The Intellectual Development of Europe, p. 42.)
“[Christian] theological authorities were therefore constrained to look with disfavor on any attempt to carry back the origin of the earth to an epoch indefinitely remote, and on the Muhammadan theory of evolution which declared that human beings developed over a long period of time from lower forms of life to the present condition.” “Sometimes, not without surprise, we meet the ideas with which we flatter ourselves with having originated our own times. Thus our modern doctrine of evolution and development were taught their [Muslim] schools. In fact they carried them much farther than we are disposed to do, extending them even inorganic and minerals.” (The History of the Conflict between Religion and Science, John William Draper, pp. 118, 187-188.)
Ironically, this Western amnesia regarding the scientific contribution of muslims coincided with the decline in Muslim world. By abandoning rational thinking and scientific methodology which is according to Quran is the necessary condition for being a muslim, they followed dogmas and story tellers.
Will Durant, an American historian, reminds his readers that medical books authored by Ali Ibni Sina (980-1037) and Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi (844-926) were both used as textbooks in European universities for centuries, and that in 1395 Razi’s book Kitab al-Hawi was among the nine textbooks used by the University of Paris. The same book informs the reader that Avicenna’s Qanun fil Tibb, a science encyclopedia, was a main textbook at Montpelier and Louvain universities until the mid-17th century. We should mention two important Muslim scientists who had immense impact on scientific enterprise in Europe: Abu Bakr ibn Tufayl, known in the West as Abubacer (1107-1185) and philosopher Abu al-Walid Muhammad ibn Rushd who became famous in the West by the name Averroes (1126-1298).
Muslim scientists and philosophers of the medieval period had no qualms in accepting evolution as a divine system for creation. For instance, the prominent Muslim polymath, philosopher and sociologist Ibni Khaldun (1332-1406), after a paragraph about the origin of human species, reminds the reader with a verse describing the deterministic nature of God’s system: “You will never find a change in God’s system.” In his famous book Muqaddimah, Ibni Khaldun proposes a theory of evolution starting from minerals. Minerals, according to Ibn Khaldun, evolve and become seeded and seedless plants. Plants evolve and reach to their zenith with palm trees and vines. The evolution continues with snails and shelled sea animals. The diversification in animal kingdom reaches the zenith of creation by gradual evolution into human beings with consciousness and thinking skills. According to Ibn Khaldun, monkeys are the link between animals and the first stage of humanity. Ibn Khaldun presents the theory of evolution by using scientific language, arguing that the essence of creation (in modern terminology: genetic code) passes through various changes (mutations) generating one species after another.
In addition to these, Muhammad al-Haytham (965-1039), who is known in the West by the name Alhazen, defends human evolution starting from minerals, plants, and animals in Kitabal Manazer, his book on optical science. Prominent leaders of Sufism such as Ibn Arabi (1165-1240) and Jaluluddin Rumi (1207-1273) also had no problem in accepting the idea of creation through evolution, an idea which was commonly held among Muslims. The Muslim Geologist al-Biruni (973-1048) in his book Kitab al-Jamahir also asserts that humans are created after long periods of evolution from simple organisms through natural selection.
Unfortunately, violent suppression of free speech and enforcement of anti-Quranic apostasy law by Muslim rulers and their hand-picked Sunni and Shiite scholars plunged the Muslim world into a dark age. Great Muslim scientists and philosophers such as Ibn Khaldun, Ibn Sina, and Ibn Rushd were later condemned as heretics and apostates. At present, Muslims appear to have lost their ability to grasp the fact that they live in a dark age. A crusade similar to the one waged by the Catholic Church against the heliocentric model promoted by Copernicus and Galileo is now being waged against the theory of evolution identified by the western scientist Darwin. Ironically, Sunni and Shiite apologists have established an alliance against science with wrong-wing Evangelical Christians.
A frontrunner of the Sunni crusade against the theory of evolution is a Turkish cult leader who puts his brand-name on dozens of fancy books written, edited, concocted, or plagiarized by his followers who, according to various Turkish newspapers, were snatched from their rich families by cult members while they were in high school or college. I have exposed the modus operandi of this character in an article, as he cleverly picked Jews and Evolution as his two main subjects in his ambition to declare himself as a Muslim demagogue. Appealing and provoking the religious and anticlastic emotions of Muslim population, the cult published books and articles on Jews and Masons, spewing misinformation and racist hatred. The cult also published books denouncing evolution. This mahdi wanna-be became a notoriously loud voice of a reactionary segment of the Muslim population. He owes his success to many factors, which include his cult’s vast financial resources, his self-importance, the zeal of his followers who are brainwashed into believing that they are the chosen few who will assist the Mahdi, and the ignorance endemic among his target audience.
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The following is taken from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ugu3cZN-3jU, with minor additions and further explanations.
Clearing Misconceptions:
–Eve from Adam’s rib?: This is a myth from other religions. Quran 4:1 mentions nothing of a Rib. Most of the ideas that contradict evolution among Muslims are from the myths of other religions which were imported to Islam and attributed falsely to the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Adam (humans) were preferred or chosen over other people of his time as Allah stated clearly in Quran 3:33-34, just like Allah chose any prophet after him also Quran stated in these verses that all were “offspring”. That means that humans were also offspring to a previous generations.
–Creation of Adam in Heaven: There is no such thing in the Quran, Adam was reworded to stay in Heaven AFTER he won the contest against the angels (the naming of creatures) as Quran stated clearly in 2:35 and 7:19. When Adam (humans) disobeyed Allah and ate from the tree we were sent back to Earth.
–Why Adam disobeyed Allah? Because Allah didn’t promise Adam to be immortal in Heaven, Adam was growing older and Satan promised him that if he ate from the immortality tree then he will not grow older. Quran 20:120 and Quran 7:20
–Creation of Adam from dust: We are all created from dust, just like our father Adam. Quran 18:37, Quran 30:20, Quran 35:11,Quran 40:67.
–Humans were created suddenly: Just This verse is enough to refute such claim and there are many others (Quran 7:11) And We created you (humans, in plural form), THEN fashioned you (made you in the image you are, also addressing humans in plural form), then said to the angels: Prostrate to Adam! Simple as that, we were created in one formed and we were fashioned! That doesn’t sound like a sudden creation.
Similarity of Humans And Jesus: (Quran 3:59) talks about the similitude between Adam and Jesus. Anti-evolution muslims assert that this means that they were both created miraculously and instantly. Well, Jesus was not. Jesus developed as an Embryo, so Adam would have too. Jesus was born without a father but he had a mother–> Adam may have too, perhaps the mother bearing Adam was non-human like and God caused a mutation to make Adam. That is of course how mutations occur, they occur before the fetus is formed. Further into verse 3:59, when Allah said ‘be’ and it is, is most likely referring to genetic processes like a mutation. How could have Jesus been created without a father scientifically? Perhaps Allah has added genetic processes to the egg before it became a fetus to make Jesus, the same occurred to Adam. Also take note that: The biggest similarity between Jesus and Adam (pbut) though is that they were both prophets when they were born, So compared to the other prophets, like Muhammad (pbuh) who was told he was a prophet later in life, Jesus and Adam have the most similarity.
It is possible to fertilize an egg without sperm: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/1431489.stm there are many other articles about this online and it is a work in progress. Allah is most definitely able to make Jesus and Adam without a father
Allah is NOT a wizard, He does NOT pull new stars and new galaxies from a magic hat and certainly He doesn’t do that for new species. Allah created and planned this universe on scientific laws; evolution is just one of them. Evolution means way more ingenious creator than a wizard who had to come to Earth and pull species one after another because he couldn’t plan that from the beginning and you know very well that Allah is the best planner, evolution was part of the plan from the beginning of creation of this universe.
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Frequently Asked Questions:
1.) According to the Quran, Adam is a single person being. But, according to evolutionary science: Populations evolve, not individuals. So doesn’t the idea of having a singular human ancestor contrary to modern evolutionary understanding?
– The fact that we may have descended from a singular being is not at all far fetched in evolutionary science. Genetic study has been able to trace our ancestry back to ONE singular individual. They call it the Mitochondrial eve and the Y-Chromosome Adam. These are NOT the Adam and Eve. This is just an example of how we can trace our ancestry back to singular people. If the mitochondrial eve and the Y-Chromosome Adam had a singular common ancestor (which they must logically have), THEN the parents of that ancestor would be THE Quranic Adam and Eve. The pair in which we have ALL descended from. Adam is not the first human as there is no indication of that in the Quran, secondly, Adam is not more than a singular person in which we all descended from. That doesn’t mean that our whole genome came from him. It just means that we descended from him. Even if we have some neanderthal ancestry put in our genome after Adam ,for example, we still have descended from this singular person (in other words, it doesn’t matter if there were additions to our genome, we still descended from that one singular person).
The fact that we were able to trace the human Y-Chromosome and Mitochondrial DNA to a singular human person should be an indication to you that it is possible we have all descended from one singular person.
2.) Why didn’t the Quran just say we share a common ancestor with apes? (One must recognize the context of the Quran as well as the purpose of life argument before making such an assertion)
- Taking the Quranic context: Imagine the Quran literally just came out and said we actually share an ancestor with apes! Imagine the attacks Muhammad would have gotten. Imagine Muhammad (pbuh) said that to the people back then! People would have called him ‘unscientific’ or ‘idiotic’ or ‘deluded’. So the Quran has to only hint at evolution. If the Quran made ‘absurd’ claims, then people of 7th century belief would never accept it. Muhammad was getting laughed at in Mecca, Imagine he made even more absurd claims to them, like we came from ape-like humans or the Earth is round? Even the most open-minded people would call him an idiot. Islam would never spread. Allah is all knowing and all-intelligent, he knows the most efficient thing to do is to have the Quran accept 7th century belief without contradicting reality. The Quran must support modern belief as well as 7th century belief. And neither side should contradict each other. This tells you that the author of the Quran is very knowledgeable about 7th century belief and modern belief and very intelligent. The Quran avoids certain words so it doesn’t negatively affect 7th century belief AND modern belief. IT was written for all times and places. That is why the Quran seems to hint at things and never explicitly describe them. When Darwin presented the theory of evolution, did everyone accept it? Were there deniers? Heck, there are deniers today. Darwin presented evidence. Imagine Muhammad just said we came from monkeys and did not present evidence. Do you think anyone would have accepted him? So there has to be an element of concealing certain information in those verses– Please visit “Why is the Quran Vague” for more info.
- -Considering the purpose of life argument:
Imagine the Quran was a strong miracle that was 100% compelling and there was no vagueness in it and it was direct. Imagine the Quran listed scientific phenomena so clearly that in the future everyone knows its divine. Does that make sense for God to do that given the fact that our purpose in life is to worship him without 100% proof? If he gave us really strong proof of his existence, then our purpose in life is violated. We all believe in God and life is no longer a test–because everyone saw the undeniable proof. So in summary: Allah gave sufficient evidence for those whose hearts are open, unbiased to show his existence, but that evidence is sufficiently vague so it doesn’t compel those whose hearts are closed. Please visit “Why is the Quran Vague” for more info.
3.) A common issue people have with the Quranic verses on evolution is that they assert that we nit pick verses to find evidence for it supporting evolution. They further assert that this is a fallacy. I never understood this logic. Yes, searching the Quran to see its evidence for scientific facts does not invalidate that the Quran has scientific facts. They are using circular logic. They say that the Quran doesn’t have scientific facts because it is not from God; And then they say the Quran is not from God because it doesn’t have scientific facts. Instead of this line of reasoning, I propose a line of reasoning that lets you look at the verses themselves to derive their divine nature. That is the only way to the truth 🙂 . Besides, verses that support evolution in the Quran are very clear. Quran 6:133 for example–clearly tells us that another creation could succeed us just as we had been produced from a previous people. Its very clear that that verse is talking about succession and descending from a different type of people–and that is in support of the idea that humans evolved from another creature and succeeded!
4.) Clay? How is that scientific? If you would like to take the literal view, clay is a substance of wet-Earth. You are exactly that. The molecules of earth coupled with water make you up. If you want to take the metaphorical view, clay symbolizes a basic compound derived from the Earth. The Quran in many places says that we were created from clay and at the same time says that we were created from dust. This points to the fact that the Quran uses 2 different things to give the same meaning-Clay and Dust. This means that the Quran may want you to take the clay account metaphorically. There have been recent articles that show that we may have a clay origin: Take a look at these and relate the following links to (Quran 23:12):
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131105132027.htm
http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/science_blog/110401.html
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5.)This notion of descent with modification as God’s intention, as his master Design, conflicts with the belief of randomness that characterizes evolution, but supports the notion of evolution and God existing side by side. However this article’s intention is not to superimpose Quranic interpretation onto Darwin’s theory of evolution, but to provide a case for the Quran supporting the idea that humanity was created through a successive process that involves perfecting and not an instant creation.
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