ü The Teachings of Allah
Allah operates according to His own rules. The Qur'an refers to these as Allah's sunnah. They are said to be eternal and unchangeable.
The concept of "natural laws," or more specifically, the concept of causality, which is a requirement for the creation of natural laws, has been the subject of discussion within Islamic theology. The notion of causality was rejected by Ash'ari theologians like Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, who claimed that Allah either acts directly or by the angels. This was done to support God's omnipotence because, according to a strict interpretation of causation, he would be subject to the rules of nature and, as a result, would not represent the ultimate truth.
But a close reading of al-The Ghazali's Incoherence of Philosophers, for instance, reveals that he did not reject the appearance of causality to human observers. The inference that Allah is acting out of necessity rather than free will is denied, as is the necessity of causality. However, Al-Ghazali acknowledged that we might rely on causality not because it is required but rather because it seems to be the way things happen based on repetition. One can easily accept naturalistic explanations of what occurs in the universe, building on al-concept. Ghazali's these justifications represent a human effort to understand how nature functions. We must, however, maintain the humility to recognize both our personal limitations and the limitations of our science.
Due to Muslims' belief that Allah is the Creator of everything, this introduction is crucial. He is the uncaused cause; the being who brought about the creation of the universe, although he himself is self-sufficient. Allah operates according to his own rules. We can learn about how Allah made things and what his creational sunnah is by revelation and observation, or we may not learn anything at all due to the limits of our capacity for reason. The nature of revelation is covered in the following section.
Human evolution and Islamic perspective
Ø The Classification, Definitive and Speculative
Islam is founded on divine revelation, specifically the Qur'an and the reliable traditions of the Prophets. There is a layer of meaning in these textual sources that are so obvious and clear that no two people of sound intellect and excellent Arabic language comprehension can disagree on it. The everlasting and immovable essence of Islam can be found in this layer, which also serves as the cornerstone of the religion. However, the language of divine revelation is confusing by nature. As a result, in addition to the definitive layer of meaning, there are numerous speculative layers that can be interpreted in accordance with the definitive, logical laws and Arabic grammar.
We look at a concept in light of the Islamic sources in order to determine whether it is in line with Islam. Islam-inconsistent concepts are those that cannot be reconciled with any reasonable interpretation or that go against a fundamental tenet of the religion. Prior to doing this consistency check, it is important to accurately specify the hypothesis that will be examined.
Human evolution and Islamic perspective
Ø What Is Evolution?
According to the theory of evolution, changes occur in living things randomly, i.e. without consideration of what the living thing might need in the future. Natural selection affects these changes by elevating what is advantageous to the living organism and degrading or eliminating what is negative. One can wonder what we mean by chance. This would imply that people are the blind outcome of evolutionary processes if we assume things to be truly accidental. This conclusion is directly at odds with the absolute wisdom of God, who takes deliberate, sensible action.
According to what we learn from the Qur'an, Allah created life as a test for people who possess free will, or the capacity to make decisions. Iman (belief and conviction in and about Allah) and 'amal (having their iman reflected in a good path of behavior toward Allah, their fellow humans, and the environment) are prerequisites for human existence. Human genesis and continued life on Earth are not random, purposeless events, but rather an intentional divine endeavor.
However, change can be viewed as a methodology, or a way to describe systems that have been observed. After all, assuming that chance causes is ludicrous. Chance does not cause; it only describes. When we say that two people meet by chance, even in everyday definitions, we don't suggest that they are living recklessly. As long as we accept the known rule of gravity as a model for how the cosmos is kept together, it is possible to think of evolution as the divine method of producing life on Earth given this understanding of chance. However, for such a thought to be acceptable, two additional steps must be taken: first, the Qur'anic verses and prophetic traditions relating to the creation tale must be understood in the context of evolution; and second, the validity of evolution must be examined scientifically.
Human evolution and Islamic perspective
Ø The Qur'an and evolution
I am not qualified to assess whether there are reasonable interpretations of the Prophetic traditions and verses from the Qur'an that are consistent with evolution. Gathering all the verses and reliable Prophetic traditions that speak to the creation question is a prerequisite for completing this goal. Instead, I merely briefly discuss a few of the verses that are cited to support or refute the compatibility of evolution and Islamic teachings.
Before attempting to apply evolution to comprehend the sunnah of Allah in creation, it is important to thoroughly explore this scientific theory utilizing established scientific procedures and the inherent logic of scientific investigation.
In verse (38:75) of the Qur'an, the Prophet Adam is referred to as "whom I formed with my two hands?" Although this verse is occasionally used as evidence against evolution, it does not outright rule out the possibility that people emerged through an evolutionary process. The phrase "made with my two hands" might be interpreted metaphorically to mean that Allah is very concerned about this particular creation.
On the other hand, the Qur'an states in verse 2:30 that "I will create a Khalifah on Earth." The Lord stated to the angels. "How do you install someone who causes trouble and spills blood?" they questioned. While we glorify (Your Name) and celebrate your mercy? I know what you do not know, he declared. Some interpret this to suggest that when Allah said "khalifah," He was referring to a successor creation and that the angels were speaking of corrupt humans that were already present on earth. The angels may have known beforehand or may have foreseen that a finite being with free will would misuse or abuse his ability to choose. These are only a few of the numerous possibilities. The term "khalifah" in the verse can indicate a variety of things, including khalifah of Allah, khalifah of other beings, and khalifah with the ability to reproduce and generate khalifah. And according to some academics, it simultaneously means all of these things.
The issue is that the passages that Muslims frequently use as definitive justification for or against evolution are not so. The language of the Qur'an is full of connotations and meanings. All of the textual information must be obtained and impartially examined in order to effectively complete the interpretive process.
Human evolution and Islamic perspective
Ø Effectiveness of Evolution
Before attempting to apply evolution to comprehend the sunnah of Allah in creation, it is important to thoroughly explore this scientific theory utilizing established scientific procedures and the inherent logic of scientific investigation. The most fundamental query is whether or not evolutionism actually provides a sufficient explanation for the complexity of life. It is not possible to address all of the purported supporting evidence for the idea given the space limitations of this article. What is noteworthy, though, is that the theory has not offered a thorough explanation for the development of the complex organs, structures, and systems that can be found in all living things. This does not imply that there haven't been any unsuccessful attempts to achieve it, nor does it suggest that evolution is a hoax.
The cause of this issue can be understood in the following way. Assume that the creature requires two alterations in order to have a structure that is adapted to its surroundings. These two alterations could be two-point mutations or two alterations to two pre-existing structures that perform two distinct duties and bring them together to execute a new activity. Now, according to Neo-Darwinism, there is very little chance that the two necessary changes will occur at the same time. Serial occurrence, or making changes one after another, does not provide a solution. In the serial scenario, there is also an extra issue if one of the two changes occurs without the other, which is detrimental to the organism. The Neo-Darwinian theory of evolution relies on a succession of minute, sequential changes, with the assumption that each one is more likely to be advantageous to the organism or at the very least not destructive. If such is the case, fitness as a function of an organism's genetic makeup has a highly unique type of reliance that calls for a separate justification.
Human evolution and Islamic perspectiveHuman evolution and Islamic perspective
