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Second, Ṭabāṭabāʾī allows for scientific facts to form an essential component of nonliteral readings, however in this case he affirms that there is no pressing need to allegorically read into the story of Adam an evolutionary mechanism so long as that mechanism is not yet understood as absolute scientific truth. Third, Ṭabāṭabāʾī’s exegetical approach is likewise pragmatic.
Aug 31, 2018 · The Theory of Evolution and the Qur'an. In order to understand how the Qur'an relates to the theory of evolution, we need to understand the theory a bit more clearly. First, let’s dispel a popular myth: The theory of evolution is not ‘just a theory,’ it is a proven fact. It is like the theory of gravity in physics.
Apr 30, 2015 · And some say that, when Allah "creates" something, it happens in a circulation of events which follow each other. If the first one is true, then the evolution theory is not compatible to Islam. If the second one is true, then the evolution theory can be compatible (but we still cannot make sure if it is absolutely true) to Islam.
Nov 2, 2023 · 35 Osman Bakar, “The Nature and Extent of Criticism of Evolutionary Theory,” in Critique of Evolutionary Theory: A Collection of Essays, ed. Osman Bakar (Kuala Lumpur: The Islamic Academy of Science and Nurin Enterprise, 1984), 123–152; Seyyed Hossein Nasr, “On the Question of Biological Origins,” Islam and Science 4:2 (2006), 181–197.
- Introduction
- Fields of Study
- Discussion
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
Evolutionary biology states that all biological life forms are connected through a bio-historical lineage. In direct contrast to the traditional Islamic view, this entails that humans, and all other species in fact, were not directly or instantaneously created by God as informed by Islamic scripture. More specifically, evolutionary biology question...
2.1 Evolutionary Biology
Evolutionary biology provides a scientific explanation of the biodiversity that we see in the animal and plant world. It rests on three core principles: 1. Deep time 2. Common descent 3. Mechanisms: natural selection, and random mutations (Neo-Darwinian rendition) The first principle states that our timeline is much older than our earlier presumptions and/or speculations. It was not uncommon to believe that the world was 6,000 years old prior to the developments in geology in the eighteenth a...
2.2 Islamic Scripture
Elements related to the creation of Adam are mentioned throughout the Qurʾān. These do not follow any chronological order (the Qurʾān itself isn’t arranged in chronological order and does not map out history chronologically). To begin with, the Qurʾān makes general claims about humankind’s creation from base materials such as dust, earth, clay (of various kinds, e.g. dry or sticky), dark mud, and seminal fluid: There is also a ḥadīth which explicitly states that God took a handful of soil fro...
2.3 Non-literal Readings of the AEF Narrative
To reconcile Islam with evolution, some individuals go straight for a non-literal reading. Rana Dajani, a molecular biologist, is one advocate of this strategy. She rests her case on two principles. First, she clearly says that the Qurʾān is not a book of science. Instead, she writes, “it is a guide how to live our lives. Therefore, we don’t look into it for evidence for every scientific discovery” (Dajani 2016, 146). Second, she emphasises human limitations. Since interpretation is a human a...
Dajani’s and Iqbal’s approaches can be considered problematic for a variety of reasons. As a general rule, exegetes gave prime importance to the language of Classical Arabic. Most importantly, exegetes generally take things mentioned in the Qurʾān literally unless there are reasons to not do so (Malik 2021). To read something non-literally would re...
In this theological puzzle, I explored if non-literal readings of the AEF narrative are forms of hermeneutic scientism. I argued in the positive. Both Dajani and Iqbal have attempted to read the AEF narrative non-literally in their unique ways as a means to reconcile Islamic scripture with the theory of evolution. However, their simplistic engageme...
Al-Gharnāṭī, Abū Ḥayyān Athīr ad-Dīn. 2002a. “Tafsīr al-Baḥr al-Muḥīṭ.” Al-Tafāsīr. Accessed 8th of November. Available at: https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp? tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=19&tSoraNo=3&tAyahNo=59&tDisplay=yes&Page= 10&Size=1&LanguageId=1 Al-Gharnāṭī, Abū Ḥayyān Athīr ad-Dīn. 2002b. “Tafsīr al-Baḥr al-Muḥīṭ.” Al-Tafāsīr. Accessed on 8th of...
Islam are compatible. Shoaib Ahmed Malik’s book is an outstanding ... It is indispensable reading ... 3 Islamic scripture and evolution. 87 4 Muslim opinions on evolution. 106 5 Old texts, new ...
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On the other hand, the second approach fails to convince the more traditionally oriented scholars who insist on more traditional readings of the scripture. In this talk, I am going to take the middle ground and try to argue that the traditional readings of the Muslim scriptures are logically compatible with the theory of evolution.
