Islam and Evolution

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Question:

How many years (approx..) have passed since Adam and his wife lived in this world? According to religion it shouldn't be more than a few thousand years ago. Ten thousand or at most 20 thousand. But geologists have found skulls and parts of other human beings of many millions years. So who's right? Is evolution a correct explanation of the origin of species? Islam and other religions tell us that all human beings were born out of one father and mother who were the first humans and where not created by reproduction. So there doesn't seem a way to believe in both evolution and religion.
How would you explain that?

Answer:

The question that you have asked really has nothing to do with the teachings of Islam. All that Islam says is that mankind had a beginning, and that a person named Adam was the first man who lived on the face of this earth. There is absolutely no reference in the Qur'an regarding 'when' this happened.Thus, if this is really the case, I don't know how can anyone say that the Qur'an contradicts the archaeological evidence regarding the time of the beginning of mankind.

As far as "how this beginning of mankind took place" is concerned, again this does not seem to be a question pertinent to Islam or the Qur'an. The Qur'an does state that man was created of dried out clay and it does give some hints as to how the process took place, but to be very honest all these hints in the Qur'an are somewhat vague and not necessarily adequate to explain the total process. The reason for this obscurity is quite simple: The Qur'an was not revealed to tell us how the human race started. Rather the message of the Qur'an is that man should prepare himself for the Day when he shall be made to face the Lord of this world and shall be held answerable for all the deeds that he would have done in this life.

Any and all references to the beginning of mankind and other scientific or historic references are in some way or the other related to the above stated basic message of the Qur'an.

One may ask, why did God not guide mankind regarding such issues as when and how did mankind begin, in His revealed book. The answer is quite simple:
God revealed His book, not to teach mankind regarding all issues, which may or may not be relevant with his success in the ultimate life in the hereafter. The only issues covered in the Qur'an are basically those, which are in some way pertinent in understanding the basic purpose of life and the method of success in the hereafter.

God gave mankind the faculty of reason and intellect. Anything that man is capable of determining himself is not covered in the Qur'an, as that, obviously, was unnecessary. The Qur'an only guides man in spheres in which he is either incapable of determining right from wrong (and which are also pertinent to his success in the hereafter) or those in which, even though he (man) might be able to determine right from wrong on his own, yet he is prone to be caught up in his personal bias and prejudices and thus prone to go astray in making decisions regarding those issues.

Obviously, the issue regarding the 'when' and the 'how' of the beginning of mankind is not necessary to be known for success in the hereafter and nor is it an issue where mankind is prone to be caught up in their personal bias and prejudices. Thus, it is not covered in the Qur'an.

Moiz Amjad

25th January 1998

Taken with thanks from www.understanding-islam.org

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