EVOLUTİONİST MUSLİM SCHOLARS

EVOLUTİON DİCTİONARY Nazzam: Tajdeed and istihale

İkhwan al-safa: al-hikmah al-sariyah and al-hikmah al-ilahiyyah

İbn Miskawayh: al-hikmah al-sariyah İbn Khaldun: İnsilakh(mutation) Usage word of takamul became widespread

after 13th century

Is that enough to qualify them as evolutionists because of partially overlapping or tangential thoughts with evolution theory?

Or do we ignore their partially overlapping or tangential thoughts with evolution theory?

Are there different schools and approaches?

WHO ARE EVOLUTİONİST MUSLİM SCHOLARS? Al - Jahiz (160-256A.H/776-869 A.D) Al-Mas'udi (d. 345/957) Ibn Miskawaih (325-442 /- 1032) Al-Biruni (362-448/973-1048) Ibn Tufayl (1100-1186 Al-Khazini (1115-1130 ) The Ikhwan al-Safa‘ Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207-1273 A.D.) Ibn-Khaldun (732-808/1332-1406) Muhammad Hamidullah Mohammad Iqbal Muhammad Abduh Muhammad Asad Ahmamd Hamdi Aksaki Emalılı Hamdi Yazır Mahmud Akkad …

WHAT ARE VİEWS OF EVOLUTİONİST MUSLİM AND APPROACHES? Spontaneous creation connected to divine laws of

natura/ Abiogenesis: Jabir b. Hayyan, İbn Ebi al- hadid,

Cosmological creative evolution: Nazzam Biological evolution : Jahız, Ibn Khaldun Jeolojic- chemical evolution: Biruni Psycho-sociological evolution: Ikhwan al-Safa‘ Naturalistic evolution: Ibn Tufayl, Ibn Nafis Hierarchical evolution : Ibn Miskeweyh Spiritual evolution: Jalal al-Din Rumi

SPONTANEOUS CREATİON CONNECTED TO DİVİNE LAWS OF NATURA/ ABİOGENESİS: JABİR B. HAYYAN

Main theory is spontaneous creation. He claims that the creation of the first livin beings are based on the four elements and some conditions like heathness and coldness, dryness and wetness. Allah, directly created these conditions and elements and then he demanded the living beings to exist. Some plants, animals and the first human being was created on their owns spontaneously. Human being can be produced artificially. He uses tawlid and tawallud for the word spontaneous. He uses tawâlud and takween for the word artificial. He influenced;

-Ikhwan as Safa: -Ibn Sina (Avicenna):The plants to existed by themselves -Majridi:Some insects existed by themselve -Ibn Tufeyn:

In Europe, similar approaches occured. For example Burdach’s theory of heterogenie.

Kitab al-tajmi

COSMOLOGİCAL CREATİVE EVOLUTİON:NAZZAM Kumun theory: The core being (the essence of the first existening

being) of the universe and species, to contain the original form of the existences (living and non-living) hidden (and bi’l quwwa). It implies the first creation. He bases his theory on the verse meaning; (min nafs al wahide).

Zuhur: The existence of plants, animals and other living and non-living creations to occur from the core being in time. This is the shift from the stage bi’l quwwa to bi’l fiil. There is an evolution from simple beings to complex beings. Every species occur from the core being without any dependance to other species.

Tajdid: The living beings to transform from one form to another form continiously. Species never die out. He believes in the stability of the species. For example, a plant can transform into another plant, but cannot transform into an animal.

Origin of human beings: Human did not evolve from animal species. The human species, which is capable to evolve, became varied depending on environmental and atmospherial and especially on hotness(human races, skin and hair colours,physical structures and characteristics).

BİOLOGİCAL EVOLUTİON : Jahız, Ibn Khaldun The first Muslim originator of the idea of evolution

was medieval 1st century Muslim Al-Jahiz. Bayrakdar explains that Al-Jahiz was a proponent

of the idea that God Almighty was the progenitor of all mutation and transformation

He also believed that environmental factors such as food, climate and shelter affected species psychologically and biologically.

According to Al-Jahiz, “inanimate creations”, or unicellular organisms, were elevated to plants, which then evolved to animals.

This indicates that Al-Jahiz believed that transformation of species and mutation was possible as a result of the biological struggle for existence and adaptation

AS TO KNOW THE MECHANISMS OF EVOLUTION, AL-JAHIZ DESCRIBED THREE MECHANISMS:

Struggle for Existence

Transformation fo species into each other

EnvironmentaI Factors

His theories are based on his observations. For example, he, himself observed the lifes and conditions of dogs, foxes, wolves, pigeons.

1-The previous simple specieses transform into the new(next) forms. He differs from his master Jabir on the point of stability. Spcieces can transform for new specieses. He says specieses can have quick transformations regarding to a verse meaning ‘be like dirty monkeys’. He says that a human from a region (Nabat) has a tail. He also says : Nabatian peoples faces look like monkey faces. These people can be affected by polluted air, dirty water and bad ground.

2-Evolution has some environmental factors; environment, climate and the adaptations of the species. Environmental factors are polluted, dirty water and foods. They either adapt themselves to these conditions or the destroy themselves.

3-Struggle for survive (Natural selection): The stronger and more capable one survives. For example, field mice eat small birds. Snakes eat these small birds. Hyenas eat these snakes. It goes on like this

STRUGGLE FOR EXİSTENCE "The rat gocs out for collccting his food, and it

searches andjscizes thcm. it eats some other inferior animaIs, like smaIl animals and smaIl birds. .. it hides its babies in disguised underground 'tunnels for protecting them and himself against the attaek of the snakcs and of the birds. Snakcs like eating rats very much. As fot the snakes, they defend themselves from the danger of the beavers and hyenas; which are more powerful than themselves. The hyena can frighten the fox, and the latter frightens all the animals which are inferior to it .... This is the law that some existences are the food for others ... All small animals eat smaller ones; and all big animals cannot eat bigger ones. Men with each other are likc animals. .. God makcs causc of some bodies life from some bodics' dcath and vice vcrsa ... "D.

TRANSFORMATİON OF SPECİES: "People said different things about the

existenee of almiskh (= original form of quadrupeds)l5. Some acceptcd its evolution and said that it gaye existence to dog, wolf, fox and their similars. The members of this family came from this form (al-miskh).

ENVİRONMENTAI FACTORS

"Without doubt, we have seen that some nabathecn navigators resembled the ape in some geographical environment, likely we have also seen some' people from Morocco and have found , then as like as aI-maskhI, except for a little difference... And it is possible that the polluted air and water, and dust made this change in the character of these Moroccans... if this effect goes on more and more in them, those changes in their bristles, cars, colours, and form (similar to the ape) increasc more ... "

İNFLUENCE’S JAHIZ UPON OTHER SCHOLARS: As sociologicaI phenomena : Ibn

Miskawayh and ıbn Khaldun

Ikhwan al-safa, llm Miskawayh, al-Biruni, ıbn Tufaly

al -Zakariyya' al-Qazwini (Aja'ib al-Makhluqat, MustawfI al-QazwInI (Nuzhat al-Qulub) and al-Damiri Hayat al-Hayawan

WHAT ARE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AL-JAHIZ’S THEORY AND DARWİN& LAMARCK theologic and more transcendental

God and that the other factors are secondary

immanent and materialistic.

different paradigms

IBN KHALDUN One should then take a look at the world of

creation. It started out from the minerals and progressed, in an ingenious, gradual manner, to plants and animals. The last stage of minerals is connected with the first stage of plants, such as herbs and seedless plants.

The last stage of plants, such as palms and vines, is connected with the first stage of animals, such as snails and shellfish.

The animal world then widens, its species become numerous, and, in a gradual process of creation, it finally leads to man, who is able to think and reflect. The higher stage of man is reached from the world of monkeys, in which both sagacity and perception are found..

JEOLOJİC- CHEMİCAL EVOLUTİON: BİRUNİ The origin of species: There is no transformation between

species. Every species is created independent from others with divine law. Sayid Huseyn al Nasir claims that Biruni accepted human race evolved from monkeys.

Natural selection: As Jahiz, species struggle within themselves or with other species to survive. He claims the stronger ones always come dominant over the weaker ones.

Artifical selection: Biruni is the first to mention. Darwin also had mentioned. The human to chose the better and appopriate ones and gain a development on them. For example, the gardner to prefer the better tomatoes and gain better result on them.

The general and geo-chemical evolution of the universe becomes appropriate and mines and diggings and living beings occur independently and spontaneously.

He believes in bio-genesis, in the transformation of some living beings from some other living beings. For example, the scorpions from the figs, the bees from ox meat, the vespula from horse meat.

PSYCHO-SOCİOLOGİCAL EVOLUTİON:IKHWAN AL-SAFA‘ They claim that there are shift stages between the universes of mines,

human beings, animals, plants. In detail, there is shift species between mines and plants; coral (mercan).

They believe in the stability within the species, like Ibn Miskawayh. They are the first ones to mention that human beings evolved as a social and psychological being. This theory depends on the dialectic analysis of human history. They claim that human evolutions are the reasons for religious revelations, causes of religions. This evolution can be seen in tongue, in art, and in professions. Factors of social evolution;

1-Divine factor: Every religion brings new concepts, norms and laws which were not existing in the previous ones. They claim that prophets and Imams are not only religious and political leaders but they are patterns in many aspects of life.

2-Aeral and geographic factors: Aeral objects and geo-atmospheric affects cause changes in the earth. As result, a culture can be transferred to the other, and the authority also.

3-auto-dressing:Human being has a love towards to the God within himself. And every of them want to reach the love. Removing the negative attributes from the soul is necessary to reach the love. (Prophets and Imams)

NATURALİSTİC EVOLUTİON:IBN TUFAYL, IBN NAFİS He wrote his book named ‘hayy ibn Yakzan’ considered the first

novel of Islam in that view Human being is formed by four main substanse soil,water,oxygen

and fire by leavening Hayy bin Yaqzan:He lays out the human origin and human

development in a naturalistic approach. Hayy bin Yaqzan represents Adam. And Adam gained presence in India, in a deep hole, from a ground which was mixed with water and air which was leavened in time time in an affect of sun lights. This is called Tin al Mutahammiran. This reflects(tajalla) in the Hayat name of Allah. And Allah gives a soul to it. So, the first human became into existence.

Ibn Nafs uses Kamil instead of Hayy and he uses a different place(in a green forest). There happens a flood in the island in a sunny summer day. A mud occurs and Allah creates the body of the human from the mud. And Allah creates the soul from the vapour of the mud. After 12 years, the being exits from the cave and meets the nature and observes it. So, he gains knowledge.

HİERARCHİCAL BEİNG EVOLUTİON IBN MISKAWAYH Late 1st century Persian Muslim philosopher Ibn Miskawayh described

the theory of evolution similarly to Al-Jahiz but in more detail. Asset hierarchical: Each range is subject to the evolution in its own.

Beings are in a hierarchical rang from the bottom to the top: minerals, plants, animals, people, angels

Every class has a hierarcy in itself. For instant, animals class ends with monkey. Every class’ evolution is in itself

In his book "Al-Fauz Al-Asghar" (The Smallest Achievement), he wrote that, “Every animal really originates from a non-animal, for the seminal fluid isn’t itself an animal. This fluid is made of blood and blood of food and food of plants and plants of elements and elements of the simple atoms and these latter of ' form' and 'matter'.”

Ibn Miskawayh attributed the processes of both creation and evolution to Allah the Creator

Spiritual evolution: Jalal al-Din Rumi ‘’Evolution passes through certain stages. The inanimate level is

transformed to the animals and then to the level of man. The evolution does not stop here. From man, it climbs to the stage of angels and finally reaches the stage of God.’’

Jalal al-Din Rumi’s view under the influence of Ikhvan al-Safa’s theory Spiritual evolution follows the biological evolution Hereafter is the inevitable end of the evolution A species transforms to next one by absorbing the previous one. For

instant, plant transform the minerals to the plant by water, animal transforms the plants to living being by eating. In this way, maturation (takamul) continues

"I died to the inorganic state and became endowed with growth and then I died to (vegetable) growth and attained to the animal. I died from animality and became Adam (man): Why, then, would I fear? When have I become less by dying? At the next remove I shall die to man, that I may soar and lift up my head amongst the angels; Once more I shall be sacrificed and die to the angel; I should become that which enters not into imagination. Then I shall become non-existence: non-existence saith to me, (in tones loud) as an organ, Verily unto Him shall we return".

WHAT ARE THE MAIN DIFFERENCES IN THE APPROACH BETWEEN PRE-MODERN AND POST-MODERN SCHOLARS?

Supporting by the Qur’an Not as a science Talking after theory

Science tells us how we were created.

Revelation tells us why we were created

IBRAHIM HAKKI Ibrahim Hakki in his famous work, Marifetname (Book of Gnosis) explains

the problematic as:

With the command of God heavens and stars moves, four elements mix with each other, and merge. Before this merging, matters come into existence. From these plants, from plants and matters merging, animals come into existence and when animals find their best form humans come into existence.

Ibrahim Hakki mentions the transition of molecules and atoms and their levels of existence in the human body. In fact, couple of paragraphs later, he explains it clearly:

That transitional body while entering into the realm of plants such disease can harm it; thereby it cannot become a plant. Or while becoming plant, before it maturates it spoils. It becomes crappy and no more, good as a food for the animals. Or maturates, but perishes before it is eaten, so years pass. Sometimes animals perish before they are eaten so it cannot become to the level of humans. However, sometimes it keeps and it is carried to the level of human.

DID DARWIN BORROW THE CONTENTS OF HIS THEORY?