Why Religion Should Go Easy on the Theory of Evolution


Theory of Evolution is the most controversial theory uptil now in the history of science. Most religions refuse to accept it and mock it because they think that this theory denies God (when in fact it doesn’t). The thing that religions deny the theory even before studying it is sad, because once you study it with an open mind you will see that it does not go against religion. Since it’s a scientific theory, everyone has a right whether to accept or reject it but to reject it in the name of religion is a stance based on false assumptions and misconceptions. The question whether evolution is true or not is unimportant, what’s important is that religious institutions and affiliates should not have an ignorant attitude towards modern science and knowledge. We should be open to all ideas and study them with an open mind while keeping a firm belief in what we believe. We should study and research the theory first and then pass a verdict on it.
 
As a Muslim, if something goes against Quranic teachings then we may be biased in studying it but as far as the theory of evolution is concerned, I personally do not think it goes against Quran.
 
Quran says Adam descended from heaven, pretty much we’ve all descended from heaven in a way. Adam spent his initial life in paradise, but a lot many tafasir (Quranic commentaries) maintain that this paradise was not the paradise which is promised to believers in the hereafter, but it was a Garden in this world, and Adam was expelled from it and sent to Mecca which was a desert and a barren land.
 
There is no phenomenon on Earth which happens ‘magically’, there is always a scientific explanation behind it, although it may appear as magic. Can we really think that Adam literally came down from sky as a fully formed person ? Can such a thing happen ? Even though God has all powers to do such a thing, but if we take a good look at how He does things, i.e. sunnat of Allah, we’ll know that that’s not God’s way of doing things. Allah has made this universe conquerable for man, and therefore, every phenomenon of this universe has a scientific explanation. There is not one single phenomenon on earth which happens magically. For example rain, it comes down from sky, and Quran also states that but we all know that sky is not its origin – there is a whole process for formation of rain and no religion denies it.

فَلَنْ تَجِدَ لِسُنَّتِ اللَّهِ تَبْدِيلًا ۖ وَلَنْ تَجِدَ لِسُنَّتِ اللَّهِ تَحْوِيلًا

For you shall not find any alteration in the course(sunnah) of Allah; and you shall not find any change in the course(sunnah) of Allah. [35:43]

Islam accepts that this world is the world of cause and effect and therefore every worldly effect has a series of worldly causes behind it’s presence.
 
So what caused the first human to come into existence ? A descent from sky ? That doesn’t seem right. Moreover it means that we should believe that the firsts of all creatures came into existence that way! If that was how God wanted it to be then He could have sent all humans down this way. Why did He create the whole process of reproduction, pregnancy and child-birth ? It is thus reasonable to think that such magical descents from sky are not Allah’s way of doing things, at least not in this world, because in this world, every worldly effect has a worldly cause.
 
When atheists cite the theory of evolution, they mean to present an idea that everything came into being by itself and there is no authoritan over this process. We Muslims think that if we accept this theory it would be akin to denying existence of a Creator, which is not true. Because even if we all share a common ancestor and if the earliest living organism came about due to temperature and environmental conditions prevalent on the early earth,  question remains that who made this possible in the first place ? Who is it that gave such properties to the atoms of different elements that they react to form something of value ? Who told the chemicals to mingle in a certain way ? Who prepared ground for all this to happen ? Everything in this world APPARENTLY happens all by itself in accordance with the pre-defined laws but who defined these laws ? No one but the Creator. Therefore, if evolution is a law, then Allah is the Creator of this law. If evolution is a process, then it is Allah who has designed it.
 
In Nahjul Balagha’s first sermon, while explaining the process of creation of the universe, it is stated:
Allah the Almighty destined things(i.e. matter and energy) to be dissolved into time. He so arranged and consolidated these factors that the intensity of their diverse and opposing properties was reduced. As soon as things came into existence they were alotted properties and place in nature. And soon after creation of things, order for expansion and extension was given and just as things were obeying this order each one of them was given a form and a body.
So the properties of matter, energy, time and space, their forms and structures are the foremost objects which are the cause of all the processes which occur in the universe and these properties have been assigned by God. Atoms and sub-atomic particles did not design themselves. They did not and could not create their own selves, thus subtracting the creator from the equation is foolish.
 
Nothing in this universe happens without apparent worldly causes and effects. If a child comes into this world then worldly mediums cause him to be born. If rain falls then worldly phenomena is responsible for it. If lightning occurs, there are worldly causes behind it. In actual we do not see the hand of God anywhere but we know that it is He who creates.
 
Similarly, the first single and multi-cellular organisms also had worldly precursors which were responsible for their creation. Then these further evolved, with an even complicated DNA structure each time… so from bacteria to other microscopic creatures things further evolved into visible creatures and so on… just the way limited elements can interact to form so many distinguished compounds and minerals.
 
Carbon, from dead plants and animals forms coal under certain conditions and the same carbon may also form diamonds if it is pure and becomes subject to immense heat and pressure. So if you say carbon becomes diamond after billions of years because of a number of forces acting upon it, people accept it. Although it is as surprising as it is to say that a simple DNA structure of bacteria might evolve into a proto-fish DNA after thousands of centuries… but people accept the former and reject the latter. sn-originHMaybe it is the case but the first organism had to come from somewhere. It may have literally descended from the sky, in a meteor, like many theories now propose. This way it would be correct to say that human life and all life ‘descended from sky’. However, once here, the simplest and earliest organism had to multiply and divide, and evolve, in order for life to blossom.
Just as the arrangement and number of particles in an atom distinguish one element from another, and with the addition and subtraction of one proton the whole substance is altered along with it’s properties. Living cells behave similarly. As long as the basic constituent of all animals remain similar, the possibility is there that they all are related to each other.
 
As far as the human evolution is concerned, the actual truth is known to Allah alone.
However, it is proposed in the theory that humans evolved from primates; we are aware that humans are classified as Primates because of our shared traits and among other primates our DNA structure is closest to the chimpanzee; it is a known fact that the difference between a human and chimp DNA is roughly 4-5%. This difference sounds statistically small but genetically it is a huge difference. This small difference causes great differences, just like in atoms. But despite this difference, it technically means that when God created Adam He only had to make 4% additional changes in the DNA format of the chimpanzee (who was His earlier creation). Therefore, even if in the process of creating the human being He started from scratch, He ultimately was molding a clay which resembled the ingredients and structural code of the chimpanzee a lot! (which is a weird thing when you think of it).
 
But does this all go against what we have been taught ? We’re taught that Prophet Adam was a perfect human being. If we say that we cannot call carbon a diamond unless it becomes one, then we cannot call chimp a human unless it becomes one, and when it becomes human it is perfect and thus Adam is the first and perfect human being.
 
We’re also told that he was kept in Paradise after birth but many tafasir of Quran tell us that this paradise was not the ‘jannah’ which is for the hereafter but it was a garden on Earth only.
 
Thirdly, we’re taught that God made him Himself from clay… but we must ponder that it is entirely possible that clay may be an analogy for the DNA; the basic chemicals which form the chemical bases in the DNA are all found abundantly in clay.
 
There are many other traditions and sayings which are based on idiomatic phrases and metaphors, so as such they have ambiguous meanings, and can be understood either way.
 
The basic thing is that Allah has made a worldly procedure for the creation of every living and non-living thing, this procedure can be found out and studied upon. Those who don’t agree with this point must present an example of any procedure which does not have a worldly explanation and happens divinely. The truth is that even miracles have scientific explanations but the wonder is only that when they occur people are unaware of that scientific technology and thus the miracle is a miracle.
 
In a lot of verses the Quran uses metaphoric terms, so unless we’re already enlightened with the facts we can’t know for sure. This is because Quran is a book of Signs rather than a book of Science… you can’t really learn science from Quran but if you have learnt science then you will definitely find signs in Quran approving and endorsing those scientific facts, and this is what proves the worth of Quran as a scientifically authentic and logical book.
 
For this reason there’s greater need that Muslims excel in science and all other advance subjects so they can acknowledge the true worth of the Quran and achieve the highest level of Yaqeen (Belief).
Atheists are wrong when on the basis of the theory of evolution they deny God, and Muslims are wrong when on the basis of religion they deny the theory of evolution. I’m not saying that this theory is the whole truth but all I’m saying is that we should take this theory just as all other theories out there because, honestly, I don’t see any difference between this theory and other numerous scientific theories and laws. When you sow a seed in the ground God turns it into a tree but science will tell you that it is the water, climate, quality of sand and properties of the seed which turn it into a tree. Now, shall we Muslims deny that this is the case ? That sand or water or climate have nothing to do with growth of a seed ? No, they are undoubtedly responsible and we all accept this fact. Just because Science highlights the cause behind an effect, it does not mean that there is no one who causes the cause to exist.
 
seedlingIt is Allah Who has given a seed the property to grow, Who has given soil and water the property to nourish, Who has endowed sunlight with energy. It is Allah Who has designed the atoms of all these things and the One Who has written the algorithm of how they interact; it is Allah Who granted all of them their respective properties on account of which they behave the way they do as Allah planned for them to be. Anything that happens in the universe happens the way Allah has planned it to be and evolution is just one of those things (if it is true).
 
It’s like I design a watch and provide it with a battery that will keep it working for a year. Scientists can come investigate the watch and tell you the cause of moving needles and the mechanics behind it; they’ll tell you its the battery that provides energy for the mechanics to work – so what ? Just because they can prove that the system apparently works on its own does not mean that no one meant it to be so.
 
The systems in the universe are apparently working on their own, they are, but this in no way eludes the possibility that somebody designed it. In fact it is a proof that someone did design it.

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