the_prophet_adam_and_human_evolution

8/7/2019 the_prophet_adam_and_human_evolution

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/theprophetadamandhumanevolution 1/9

The Prophet Adam and Human Evolution

Author : Haitham Al-Haddad

Praise be to Allah, the supreme Creator, Fashioner of mankind, Sustainer of the universe.All is His divine will, and his command is executed immediately. May peace and blessingsbe upon Muhammad, who came from the noble Adam, created and fashioned from clay,

and preceded by none. The theory of human evolution, namely that man descended from apes, is widely acceptedamongst non-Muslims although there have been many non-Muslim scientists, atheistsincluded, who argue that it is flawed. As an opinion, it was wholly rejected by all Muslims asit goes against their basic knowledge that Allah created Adam with his own hands, fromclay, in the physical form of a human being, and then breathed life into it. Even so, therehave been a few Muslims over the years that have endorsed the theory attempting toinitiate a discussion on the topic, whilst there are non-Muslims who criticize us for being‘simple-minded’ and ‘scientifically inconsistent’. Due to such attacks, some Muslims felt inferior and thought that the problem could berectified by an acceptance of the evolution theory, or at least accepting it as a validalternative. However, the decisive verses of the Qur’an as well as the ahadith (Propheticnarrations) provide a problem for such an undertaking, and so we find that there aremistakes and random misinterpretations. Of course, those of truth will always oppose suchheresy, to which these Muslim evolutionists, if there ever was such a term!, respond that“we believe in the existence of Allah, the initial Creator, yet what is wrong in concludingthat the way in which God created all human beings, including the first human, Adam, wasby means of evolution, and namely, non-human parents who descended from apes?” Such

people insist that this latest version of the theory is compatible with revelation given thatthere is no unequivocal scriptural text to deny it! In order to deal with such unfounded claims, I would like to approach the issue in ascholastic and systematic manner so as to demonstrate how theological deviancy comesabout through incompetence in systematically and rationally deriving meaning from thescriptural texts. It is due to this incompetence (that we should all be aware of so we saveourselves) that some attempt to legitimize the theory of human evolution and othersunrecognized views that accompany it.

It is commonly believed that the Qur’an and the ahadith (Prophetic traditions) are the onlysources of Islamic authority, yet we find that one of the primary causes of an individual’stheological (and legal) deviancy is the attempt to fully understand the divine texts byhis/herself, with complete disregard for the profound understandings and well-substantiated



views of hundreds of thousands of Muslim scholars from around the world who havecontributed to the vast corpus of Islamic scholarship over the last 1400 years. The irony of such disregard is that Muslim proponents of the evolution process completely brush asideIslamic scholarly consensus yet are the first to advocate the (supposed) consensus of non-Muslim scientists! It is clear that priorities are misplaced, for in glorifying western scientists the proponents of human evolution neglect the intellectual aptitude of Muslim scholars, particularly, the earlyscholars who were extremely astute and would, with all dedication, intensely scrutinizeeach and every aspect of the Islamic religion prior to any form of endorsement orinclination towards a given view – in fact, it is only very recently that scientists haveadopted the same level of rigor. Given such a profound analysis, none of Islam’s scholars,let alone the greatest amongst them, ever articulated the view that Adam came intoexistence as a result of some evolutionary process. In fact, none of Islam’s early scholarsever even considered the possibility of Adam being created in stages of existence, or thathe experienced childhood at some time of his life.

In adopting a religious opinion which is counter to a scholarly consensus made up of thousands of Muslim scholars over a long period of time, the proponents of humanevolution expose their distorted outlook on Islamic knowledge and the Muslims scholars (asa collective) whom Allah has appointed as trustees of the faith. Such an attitude impliesthat Allah, may he be free from such an implication, has allowed the entire Muslim Ummah,over a period spanning more than a millennium, to deviate from the truth whilst the correctview is uncovered by (theological) laymen in recent times! Disregarding the binding legacy of scholastic consensus goes against plain old commonsense and a number of verses and Prophetic traditions that state that scholars, not as

individuals but as a collective, are the trustees of the faith. The explicit statements arenumerous, such as Allah’s statement, {And We sent not (as Our Messengers) before you (OMuhammad SAW) any but men, whom We inspired,} [An-Nahl 16:43],

{...مهيلإ يحون اللاجر اللإ كلبق نم انلسرأ امو}43 :لحنلا Transliteration: Wama arsalna min qablika illa rijalan noohee ilayhim {…so ask the people of the Reminder [Scriptures - the Taurat (Torah), the Injeel (Gospel)] if you do not know.} [Al-Anbiyaa’ 21:7].

{نوملعت الل متنك نإ ركذلا لهأ اولأساف...}7 :ءايبنألا

Transliteration: faisaloo ahla alththikri in kuntum la taAAlamoona And the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) saying, “The scholars are the inheritors of theProphets.” [Authenticated by Al-Albani].

صححه األلباني»...إن العلماء هم ورثة األنبياء...« To believe that Adam had monkey-like parents (despite the fact that overwhelming



evidences go against it) and to completely abandon the consensus of Muslims is indicativeof deep-rooted arrogance, a rejection of the clear evidences, or ignoring the correctmethodology in understanding the divine texts. For example, the first step of a soundmethodology would be to analyze whether the conclusion is consistent with the Arabiclanguage, since Arabic is the primary tool used in interpreting divine revelation, and so, anyinterpretation that fails to fall within the framework of the Arabic language is one that isredundant. For example, the Arabs did not consider the phrase kun fa yakun (be! And itis/was) to be an indefinite period of time, for indeed, the phrase illustrates the power andmight of God that His will is manifested immediately and decisively, without delay. Even thephrase “be! And it is/was” in English implies it (whatever it is) happens instantaneously,and to argue otherwise would be a distortion of the English language! Another key principle that must be established when dealing with scripture is theinter-contextualization of the entire divine text - in order to correctly interpret the Qur’anand ahadith we must approach them, not as solitary verses, but as one coherent andhomogeneous unit that affords a holistic interpretation, and not an interpretation based onpreconceived ideas that singles out isolated verses so as to misconstrue them. Indeed, to

approach the divine scriptures having already decided the matter is an insincere attempt tojustify one’s belief, and to approach them enquiring into what Allah has ordained, in anopen an unbiased way, is to demonstrate the sincere intention to receive guidance. Another irony is the fact that the evolutionists try to place a theory (evolution) over fact(the Qur’an and ahadith). Do we not ponder why it is still considered a theory despite thefact that the idea has been around, in some popular form, since Darwin and is promoted sofanatically by its protagonists? It is truly unfortunate to see those who ascribe to Islampromote the theory of human evolution, and then do so by relying on mutashabih(ambiguous) verses of the Qur’an, some of which are clear kinaya1 (metonyms), and leave

off muhkam (explicit) verses. This is precisely what Allah warns us against, saying, {So as for those in whose hearts there is a deviation (from the truth) they follow that whichis not entirely clear thereof, seeking Al-Fitnah (polytheism and trials, etc.), and seeking forits hidden meanings, but none knows its hidden meanings save Allah.} [Aal-‘Imran 3:7].

{...هليوأت ءاغتباو ةنتفلا ءاغتبا هنم هباشت ام نوعبتيف غيز مهبولق يف نيذلا امأف...}7 :نارمع لآ Transliteration: faamma allatheena fee quloobihim zayghun fayattabiAAoona ma tashabaha minhu ibtighaa alfitnati waibtighaa taweelihi wama yaAAlamu taweelahu illaAllahu

Evolution, in relating to man, is such an unfounded concept that to engage with it on parwith academic and intellectual standards is to afford it credence, it being deserving of nothing but aversion. I could perhaps list all of the scientific inaccuracies of claiming thatAdam came from apes, but as a Muslim it is more than sufficient to adopt theunderstanding of the scholars rather than derive a misconstrued meaning from a lone verseor hadith. This should be the case with any Muslim who believes that Allah has ordainedcertain measures to guard Islam against innovation, and hence, I shall, very limitedly,mention a small number of proofs which, for the benefit of the Muslim masses, simplyexpose the foolishness of this supposition.

The Qur’an clearly states that Adam was created by Allah, and with His own hands, {(Allah)said: "O Iblis (Satan)! What prevents you from prostrating yourself to one whom I havecreated with Both My Hands.} [Saad 38:75].



{...يديب تقلخ امل دجست نأ كعنم ام سيلبإ اي لاق}75 :ص

Transliteration: Qala ya ibleesu ma manaAAaka an tasjuda lima khalaqtu biyadayya

In addition, the famous Companion, Abdullah ibn Umar, said, “Allah created four things withHis hand: the Throne, the Pen, the Garden of Eden and Adam. To the rest of His creation Hesaid, ‘Be!’ and it was.” (2) [Al-Albani said its chain of transmission is authentic according tothe condition of Muslim]. This narration clearly shows that the Companions believed that these four things, Adamincluded, were created in a way different to other animals and creatures. The authenticatedahadith furnish us with further examples that leave no doubt whatsoever that this was anactual act performed by Allah. For example, the Messenger of Allah said that on the LastDay, mankind would go from Prophet to Prophet requesting intercession; they would go toAdam and say, “You are the father of mankind, Allah created you with His hands, had theangels prostrate to you, and taught you the names of all things.” [Authenticity agreed upon

by al-Bukhari and Muslim; a mutawaatir hadith].

»يجمع المؤمنون يوم القيامة ،فيقولون: لو استشفعنا إلى ربنا فيريحنا من مكاننا هذا ،فيأتون آدم فيقولون له: أنتمتفق عليه آدم أبو البشر ،خلقك الله بيده ،وأسجد لك المالئكة ،وعلمك أسماء كل شيء...«

If Adam was created from a ‘despised drop’ and like all other human beings, then what isthe point of singling him out as being created by Allah’s hands? {Verily, the likeness of 'Iesa (Jesus) before Allah is the likeness of Adam. He created himfrom dust, then (He) said to him: "Be!" - and he was.} [Aal-‘Imran 3:59].

{نوكيف نك هل لاق مث بارت نم هقلخ مدآ لثمك هـللا دنع ىسيع لثم نإ}59 :نارمع لآ

Transliteration: Inna mathala AAeesa AAinda Allahi kamathali adama khalaqahu min turabin thumma qala lahu kun fayakoonu This verse is often quoted in isolation from the reasons for which it was revealed, thus,

some evolutionists claim that the verse asserts that Jesus and Adam were born in the sameway – through the womb of a female. Such an interpretation is deceptive as a brief look intothe sabab al-nuzul (causes for revelation) quickly makes clear that the verse was revealedto repudiate the Christian argument that proof of Jesus’ divinity is his having no earthlyfather. The verse states that Adam had no parents whatsoever, being created instead fromearth, yet this did not make him divine; the comparison then was between the single parentof Jesus and the absence of parents in regards to Adam. The Qur’an informs us that Allah {And He taught Adam all the names (of everything),…}[Al-Baqarah 2:31].

البقرة: 31{وعلم آدم الألسماء كلها...}



Transliteration: WaAAallama adama alasmaa kullaha And so, we resolutely know that Allah engaged Adam directly. Allah also says, {O mankind!Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam)He created his wife [Hawwa (Eve)], and from them both He created many men andwomen…} [An-Nisaa’ 4:1]. {...ءاسنو اريثك اللاجر امهنم ثبو اهجوز اهنم قلخو ةدحاو سفن نم مكقلخ يذلا مكبر اوقتا سانلا اهيأ اي}:ءاسنلا

1

Transliteration: Ya ayyuha alnnasu ittaqoo rabbakumu allathee khalaqakum min nafsin wahidatin wakhalaqa minha zawjahawabaththa minhuma rijalan katheeran wanisaan

{It is He Who has created you from a single person (Adam), and (then) He has created fromhim his wife [Hawwa (Eve)], in order that he might enjoy the pleasure of living with her.}[Al-A’raaf 7:189].

{هو الذي خلقكم من نفس واحدة وجعل منها زوجها ليسكن إليها...} األعراف: 189

Transliteration: Huwa allathee khalaqakum min nafsin wahidatin wajaAAala minha zawjahaliyaskuna ilayha {O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations

and tribes, that you may know one another…} [Al-Hujurat 49:13]. وجعلناكم شعوبا وقبائل لتعارفوا...} ى ثنأو ركذ نم مكانقلخ انإ سانلا اهيأ اي}13 :تارجحلا

Transliteration: Ya ayyuha alnnasu inna khalaqnakum min thakarin waontha wajaAAalnakum shuAAooban waqabaila litaAAarafoo If we were to ignorantly suppose that Adam was born of evolved apes, we would then bepositing, according to the verses above, that the creation of Hawwa’ was ever so moresignificant than that of Adam as she was not born but actually fashioned, by God, fromAdam. Thus, in negating the instantaneous creation of Adam, the evolutionist is still lefthaving to affirm the instantaneous creation of Hawwa’! And it is this fact, from amongst themany, that exposes the nonsense spewed by evolutionists, for in striving to negate amiracle of God (the creation of Adam), they resort to having to affirm it elsewhere (thecreation of Hawwa’), that is, if they can resist the urge to deny the book of God outrightly. The story of the Sabbath-breakers is well known whereby Allah cursed the disobedient andturned them into monkeys and pigs (3). How then, can the honored sons of Adam (4)actuallycome from that which is considered a curse? Of course, in being honored, it is only logicalto conclude that either humans haven’t come from apes, or that we negate the maskh itself and claim that the Sabbath-breakers did not turn into apes and pigs. Even if we were tostate, for the sake of argument, that the transformation was metaphorical, the essentialpoint still remains that they were cursed by taking on qualities of monkeys and apes.Correspondingly, there are various contradictions that arise in relation to Adam and Hawwa’



when attempting to scripturally justify human evolution. There are various mutawatir textsthat confirm that Adam and Hawwa’ lived as spouses and that mankind came from the two,indeed the textual evidences regarding this point are particularly decisive. Furthermore, itseems quite an irrational interpretation that Allah mentions Hawwa’ as being brought intoexistence through Allah’s direct involvement, yet Adam; the first human being receives nosuch honour! It is extremely clear that the evolutionists and their deviant ideas refuse toacknowledge the entire textual discourse surrounding the creation of Adam, instead usingsolitary verses as a justification for evolutionist beliefs. Thus, in order to attempt some formof reconciliation between the two accounts, the evolutionist must adapt the Qur’an to fit thetheory, or the theory to fit the Qur’an, or transform both equally, and in every case, eachpossibility is as preposterous as the others, all serving as evil paths to heresy. In going beyond the Qur’an, we find that the ahadith are full with authentic narrationsconcerning the creation of Adam, and in keeping with deceitful intent we find that manyliberals and evolutionists completely ignore the existence of such ahadith. Indeed theyhave to, for the shari’ah of Allah is preserved through the Prophetic narrations and so theevolutionists will do anything to maintain their secular outlook on the Islamic faith. In fact,

the notion of evolution is deeply secular as it divorces the involvement of God in creationand attempts to posit Nietzsche’s opinion that if there is a god, then he merely initiatedcreation (which grew on its own) and that god is now non-existent or dead – we seekprotection from Allah from such profanity. We find that Anas ibn Malik relates from the Prophet, “When Allah fashioned Adam in Paradise, He left him as He willed. Iblis then wanderedaround him examining him. Upon seeing him as hollow from within, he recognized thatAdam had been created with a disposition that he would not have control over himself.”

[Muslim]. لما صور الله آدم في الجنة تركه ما شاء الله أن يتركه. فجعل إبليس يطيف به. ينظر ما هو. فلما رآه أجوف عرف»

رواه مسلم«أنه خلق خلقا ال يتمالك

I have not seen any scholar, past or present, who affords science the authority to determinehow Adam was created. In cases where scholars do refer to science (in a limited capacity),they tend to provide their conclusions and then either explicitly/implicitly mention that thismatter should be dealt with through science. In numerous verses the Qur’an commandsmankind to reflect on the various types of creation, the alternation of day and night, and

the celestial orbit of planets, but there is no indication whatsoever of an evolved Adam. Infact, the Qur’an describes the process of human creation in the womb but discounts theevolution of humans from monkey-like beings. If it is argued that the lack of evolutionarydescriptions in the Qur’an is due to evolution’s complex nature, then we retort with the factthat so too is the process of foetal development, yet revelation informs us of it and to itsfullest extent. There are countless texts that can be analyzed, but to do so would make this articlevoluminous. However, even light analysis of the Qur’an and Sunnah makes it exceedinglyevident that such heretical beliefs have no place within Islamic thought - the Companions

and early Muslims all understood the manner in which Adam was created by Allah and it ispreposterous to claim that Allah revealed scripture that was misunderstood by all of theaforementioned, yet the Most High did not rectify their misreading!



Is the creation of Adam a scientific or religious matter? In reality, there is no disparity between religious creed and science, and if there seems tobe so, it inevitably implies that there has been some form of misunderstanding, either interms of our religious or scientific knowledge. However, a decisive part of being Muslim is toacknowledge that the information related by way of the Qur’an and Sunnah entailscertainty, whereas any other knowledge that we acquire is prone to human error. Thus, if the scriptures posit anything related to science and the overwhelming majority of scholarsaffirm its meaning, then we have to believe in it accordingly as such knowledge isfact-based and not merely human perception. The Qur’an and Sunnah address variousdisciplines such as science, history, geography, anthropology, politics and others. Whateveris mentioned there should be adopted as an aspect of our faith, {And those who are firmlygrounded in knowledge say: "We believe in it; the whole of it (clear and unclear Verses) arefrom our Lord."} [Aal-‘Imran 3:7].

{... ملعلا يف نوخسارلاو {...انبر دنع نم لك هب انمآ نولوقي7 :نارمع لآ

Transliteration: waalrrasikhoona fee alAAilmi yaqooloona amanna bihi kullun min AAindirabbina

Failing to do so suggests either one’s negation of more than half of the Qur’an, or acceptinga text which is essentially devoid of meaning as it ends up meaning anything we desire it to,and this is how many of the obdurate fall into disbelief. For example, it has been repeatedlyargued that the Qur’an is not a book of history, and so, the heretics argue that we are notobligated to believe historical details which Allah has revealed. Of course, the Qur’an is nota book of many things, but that is not to suggest that various topics are touched upon.

Indeed, Allah says, {There is not a moving (living) creature on earth, nor a bird that flies with its two wings, butare communities like you. We have neglected nothing in the Book, then unto their Lord they(all) shall be gathered.} [Al-An’aam 6:38].

ىلإ مث ءيش نم باتكلا يف انطرف ام م كلاثمأ ممأ اللإ هيحانجب ريطي رئاط اللو ضرأللا يف ةباد نم امو}{نورشحي مهبر38 :ماعنألا

Transliteration: Wama min dabbatin fee alardi walatairin yateeru bijanahayhi illa omamunamthalukum ma farratna fee alkitabi min shayin thumma ila rabbihim yuhsharoona

The ruling concerning the belief in Adam’s primate descendants Restricting the discussion merely to a ruling may be counterproductive as anyone whomistakenly concludes that it is not kufr (disbelief) will assume such profanation is to betolerated, and so therefore, the main issue is not the ruling of such an immoral belief andwhether it is kufr, but instead the gravity of this belief and what it signifies - it is thenegation of what the ummah has endorsed as well as being in violation of countless proofsthat state otherwise. Endorsing the presumption that humans evolved necessitates



accepting reprehensible beliefs about the noble Prophet, Adam, may Allah’s peace andblessings be upon him, and that his parents were either apes or ape-like beings! It is toinsult the station of prophethood by claiming that Adam was taken care of by human-likebaboons. Were Adam’s parents able to speak or did they merely grunt? Were they obligedto worship Allah or not? What was the extent of Adam’s cognitive faculties? Do humanbeings now have more advanced faculties than he did – have they evolved since his timeon earth? How is it that the Qur’an disregards a significant aspect of Adam’s life althoughhe discusses, in detail, what was before it and what came after. If we believe that Allah is the Creator and can create anything, then what is wrong inaccepting that he created Adam directly from clay, fashioned him, and brought him to lifeinstantaneously? What is it that they negate? Why do we need to distort the meanings of countless Qur’anic verses in favor of a theory that continually changes? Must we negate thenumerous and authentic ahadith that clearly establish a non-evolutionist narrative? In conclusion, to use the theory of Darwin or any other theory that stems from it in order tojustify the wicked belief that Adam was born of non-human parents is, in essence, to deny

the existence of Allah as supreme creator who creates from nothing by mere command. Itis this method of creating (although there are other ways as well) that establishes Allah’srububiyyah (lordship), for in affirming unjustified theories of human evolution we makechance the creator, since anything that is created exists merely because chance decided so.But Allah says, {Or do they assign to Allah partners who created the like of His creation, sothat the creation (which they made and His creation) seemed alike to them." Say: "Allah isthe Creator of all things, He is the One, the Irresistible."} [Ar-Ra’d 13:16].

{... {راهقلا دحاولا وهو ءيش لك قلاخ هـللا لق مهيلع قلخلا هباشتف هقلخك اوقلخ ءاكرش هـلل اولعج مأ:دعرلا16

Transliteration: am jaAAaloo lillahi shurakaa khalaqoo kakhalqihi fatashabaha alkhalquAAalayhim quli Allahu khaliqu kulli shayin wahuwa alwahidu alqahharu I call upon those who believe and adhere to Islam to affirm the clear and decisive Qur’anicrevelations and lucid ahadith, all of which negate the notion of human evolution, let aloneAdam having non-human parents. I also call upon them to make the Islamic texts the

primary source of authority in all of their affairs, since (Allah) the One who revealsrevelation is most knowledgeable about the affairs of the universe. Let us not allow those of no faith to dictate our readings of scripture, our implementation of the Islamic faith, or ournotions of what is to be deemed as being most superior, both in terms of creed and actions. For those Muslims who endorse the theory of human evolution, contemplate the scripturewith a believing and unbiased heart whilst keeping in mind the Sunnah of Allah’s nobleMessenger. Strive against egotism and haughtiness and do not fear the criticisms of thedisbelievers. Allah says, {So flee to Allah (from His Torment to His Mercy Islamic Monotheism), verily, I (MuhammadSAW) am a plain warner to you from Him. (50) And set not up (or worship) any other ilahan(god) along with Allah [Glorified be He (Alone), Exalted above all that they associate aspartners with Him]. Verily, I (Muhammad SAW) am a plain warner to you from Him.}



[Az-Zaryiyat 51:50-51].

{نيبم ريذن هنم مكل ينإ رخآ اه ـ لإ هـللا عم اولعجت اللو ﴾ ٠٥﴿ نيبم ريذن هنم مكل ينإ هـللا ىلإ اورفف}الذاريات: 50-51

Transliteration: Fafirroo ila Allahi innee lakum minhu natheerun mubeenun (50) WalatajAAaloo maAAa Allahi ilahan akhara innee lakum minhu natheerun mubeenun Allah knows best. May peace and blessings be upon the Prophet, his family, his Companions, and all thosewho follow them in righteousness and the correct creed.

Source: www.islam21c.com Notes: [1] See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metonymy[2] Lalika’i, no. 729-730[3] [cf. 5:60, 7:166][4] [17:70]

en.wathakker.net

http://en.wathakker.net/admin/articles/www.islam21c.com

http://en.wathakker.net/

http://en.wathakker.net/

http://en.wathakker.net/admin/articles/www.islam21c.com

the_prophet_adam_and_human_evolution

Documents

Transcript of the_prophet_adam_and_human_evolution