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Evolution and Islam: Difference between revisions
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Traditional and modern academic scholars understand the Quranic accounts of the creation of man, and of his sustenance growing from the earth, as special acts of creation, in line with the Judeo-Christian worldview prevalent in its late antique millieu (such as the very ancient belief that [[Creation_of_Humans_from_Clay|the first man was created from clay]]). In modern times, such interpretations of the Quran are widely regarded to be in conflict with the scientific theory of evolution. A common trend among modern Islamic scholars is to deny evolution as a scientific fact, at least with regard to the origins of mankind, even if evolution may be accepted as an explanation for the diversity of plants and other animals on Earth. A further, modernist approach, is to not only partially or fully embrace the theory of evolution as compatible with the Quran, but even to interpret its verses as alluding to the process. This article describes the verses and arguments that are sometimes employed for such purposes, as well as those cited by critics to challenge these interpretations. | |||
==Verse 21:30 - All Living Things Made From Water== | ==Verse 21:30 - All Living Things Made From Water== | ||
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Lastly, even though water is a necessity for land animals and plants to thrive, it would be a stretch of imagination to say that it played an important role in their evolution. | Lastly, even though water is a necessity for land animals and plants to thrive, it would be a stretch of imagination to say that it played an important role in their evolution. | ||
==Verse 4:1 - Creation from a Single | ==Verse 4:1 - Creation from a Single Soul== | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran|4|1}}|O | {{Quote|{{Quran|4|1}}|O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women. And fear Allah, through whom you ask one another, and the wombs. Indeed Allah is ever, over you, an Observer.}} | ||
Major translators write "single being", "soul" or "person". Other translators use "self" or "cell". Any claim of this verse referring to earliest unicellular lifeforms is contradictory to | Major translators write the Arabic phrase nafsin wāḥidatin as "single being", "soul" or "person". Other translators use "self" or "cell". Any claim of this verse referring to earliest unicellular lifeforms is contradictory both to the rest of the verse ("many men and women") as well as another verse, 7:189, in which this soul and its mate have sex, a pregnancy and invoke Allah about their child: | ||
{{Quote| | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran|7|189}}|It is He who created you from one soul and created from it its mate that he might dwell in security with her. And when he covers her, she carries a light burden and continues therein. And when it becomes heavy, they both invoke Allah, their Lord, "If You should give us a good [child], we will surely be among the grateful."}} | |||
If this verse is about the unicellular organism, then the claim of it having a mate must also be true. But the earliest organisms were prokaryotes whose reproduction is overwhelmingly asexual; they do not have any mates. Also this verse seems ignorant of the fact that millions of plants and animals (most of them now extinct) also did, and in fact, exist on earth for much longer timespans than humans. | If this verse is about the unicellular organism, then the claim of it having a mate must also be true. But the earliest organisms were prokaryotes whose reproduction is overwhelmingly asexual; they do not have any mates. Also this verse seems ignorant of the fact that millions of plants and animals (most of them now extinct) also did, and in fact, exist on earth for much longer timespans than humans. | ||
Regarding 7:189, all the classical exegetes state that this “single being” (نَّفْسٍ وَٰحِدَةٍ ) refers to Adam. Both classical Sunni and Shia Tafsirs confirm this. | |||
{{Quote|[https://quranx.com/Tafsir/Kathir/7.189| Tafsir of ibn Kathir on Qur'an 7:189]| | |||
All Mankind are the Offspring of Adam | |||
Allah states that He has created all mankind from Adam, peace be upon him, and from Adam, He created his wife, Hawwa' and from them, people started to spread.}} | |||
{{Quote|Tafsir of Tabari on Quran 7:189| | |||
قال أبو جعفر: يقول تعالى ذكره: ﴿هو الذي خلقكم من نفس واحدة﴾ ، يعني بالنفس الواحدة: آدم | |||
Abu Ja'afar said: "Allah the Most High mentioned it: "He who created you from one soul" meaning by means of one soul: Adam.}} | |||
{{Quote|Tafsir of Razi on Quran 7:189| | |||
المَسْألَةُ الأُولى: المَرْوِيُّ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبّاسٍ ﴿هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَكم مِن نَفْسٍ واحِدَةٍ﴾ وهي نَفْسُ آدَمَ | |||
The first issue: Almarwi from ibn 'Abaas: "He who created you from one soul" and this soul is the soul of Adam. }} | |||
{{Quote|Tafsir of Al-Qurtubi on Quran 7:189| قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: (هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ نَفْسٍ واحِدَةٍ) قَالَ جُمْهُورُ الْمُفَسِّرِينَ: الْمُرَادُ بِالنَّفْسِ الْوَاحِدَةِ آدَمُ. | |||
The saying of Allah the Most High: "he who created you from one soule"--the community of mufassirun has said: the intended meaning is by means of one soul, Adam. | |||
}} | |||
<br /> | |||
{{Quote|[https://quranx.com/Tafsir/Jalal/7.189; Tafsir of Al-Jalayn on Qur'an 7:189]| He, that is, God, it is Who created you from a single soul, namely, Adam, and made, created, from him his spouse, Eve, that he might take rest in her, and become intimate with her.}} | |||
See also: The Tafsirs of Qurtubi, Uthaymeen, Qummi (Shia), Tusi (Shia), Tabrisi (Shia) | |||
Additionally, there are even Mutawatir hadith narrations (mass transmitted reports) direct from Muhammad which alludes to the fact prophet Adam is theologically the first human in existence. One such narration can be found here: | |||
{{Quote|[https://dorar.net/h/ab95e2e0848993041f5993a94df7583a|| Al-Bidayah wan Nihayah by ibn Kathir]|أنا سيدُ ولدِ آدمَ يومَ القيامةِ ولا فخرَ | |||
“I will be the master (Sayyid) of the children of Adam on the Day of Resurrection”|}} | |||
Ibn Kathir classified this Hadith as Mutawatir in his book Al Bidayaah wan Niyaah. | |||
Another verse describes the literal descent of humanity from one man with reference to the sexual means by which it was achieved ("despised fluid" i.e. semen) after Allah had created that first man out of clay. | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran-range|32|7|8}}|Who made all things good which He created, and He began the creation of man from clay; Then He made his seed from a draught of despised fluid;}} | |||
The word translated “seed” in the Pickthall translation is nasl نسل, which means progeny (i.e. descendants).<ref>[http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume8/00000286.pdf Lane's Lexicon p. 3032 نسل]</ref> | |||
==Verse 32:7 - Creation from Clay== | ==Verse 32:7 - Creation from Clay== | ||
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Apologists stress on the word "began" in order to reject clay as a constituent of man, instead claiming that it refers to the earliest pools of water and soil where life began (and eventually humans evolved). But there is no major model of [[w:abiogenesis|abiogenesis]] which considers soil (or clay, to be more specific) essential for life. | Apologists stress on the word "began" in order to reject clay as a constituent of man, instead claiming that it refers to the earliest pools of water and soil where life began (and eventually humans evolved). But there is no major model of [[w:abiogenesis|abiogenesis]] which considers soil (or clay, to be more specific) essential for life. | ||
More importantly, the very next verse clarifies that this refers to the first man, since his descendents are created from conventional sexual reproduction (see the note on this verse in the previous section above): | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran|32|8}}|Then He made his seed from a draught of despised fluid;}} | |||
Even more explicitly, a few verses state that Adam was made from clay: | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran|38|71}}|[So mention] when your Lord said to the angels, "Indeed, I am going to create a human being from clay.}} | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran|17|71}}|And [mention] when We said to the angels, "Prostrate to Adam," and they prostrated, except for Iblees. He said, "Should I prostrate to one You created from clay?"}} | |||
==Verse 7:27 - All people are descended from Adam and Eve== | |||
The Quran is explicit that every person alive is descended from Adam and his spouse. | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran|7|27}}|O children of Adam, let not Satan tempt you as he removed '''your parents''' from Paradise, stripping them of their clothing to show them their private parts. Indeed, he sees you, he and his tribe, from where you do not see them. Indeed, We have made the devils allies to those who do not believe}} | |||
==Verse 71:13-14 - Creation in Stages== | ==Verse 71:13-14 - Creation in Stages== | ||
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==References== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
[[Category:Islam and Science]] | |||
[[Category:Biology]] | |||
[[Category:Sacred history]] | |||
[[Category:Apologetics]] | |||