Evolution according to Islam (Earth, tradition, soul, translation, creation)

[tariqkhwaja]

Assalamualaikum everyone.

I am new here. I am a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

I would like to state, using the Qura'an, what I believe about evolution.

In fact the very word "Rab" in Arabic refers to a bieng that continuosly raises others from lower orders to higher. So "Rab" that very roughly is translated to Lord in English refers to a being that continously evolves His creation. But for now let me concede this as not enough evidence.

A more apparent evidence lies in the very first verse of Surah Nisa', the 4th chapter of the Holy Quran and is as follows:
"... [God] created you from a first soul, and from her created her spouse, and established from them many men and women ..." (translation by author)

The point being that the Quran very emphatically states that the first life on Earth was a soul (the word 'Nafs' translates to soul that every living organism posesses).

And then it makes the statement from her we created her spouse. This is extremely important because by referring to the initial soul as a "her" the Qura'an becomes the ONLY book in the vast array of religious books that states the first organism was not a male but a female.

The use of the word "Zaoj" (meaning spouse) is also very significant. Instead of saying "her spouse" the word "husband" could have worked. But infact, in asexual reproduction a "daughter" cell is created that is not exactly a male (they are referred to as mother and daughter cells when of course in asexual reproduction they do not really have a sex). Thus calling it a partner refers to both the stage where mother produced daughter cells (asexual) as well as the eventual stage where the mother produced a male counterpart in the process of evolution that had sex with a female cell (maybe the mother, maybe another) (sexual).

I can further expand on this but I think this is sufficient for now.

[Jaiket]

Originally Posted by tariqkhwaja

Assalamualaikum everyone.

I am new here. I am a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

Welcome, Tariq.

Originally Posted by tariqkhwaja

I would like to state, using the Qura'an, what I believe about evolution.

In fact the very word "Rab" in Arabic refers to a bieng that continuosly raises others from lower orders to higher. So "Rab" that very roughly is translated to Lord in English refers to a being that continously evolves His creation.

Most biologists are quite eager to stress that evolution is not a matter of progress from lower to higher.

Originally Posted by tariqkhwaja

A more apparent evidence lies in the very first verse of Surah Nisa', the 4th chapter of the Holy Quran and is as follows:
"... [God] created you from a first soul, and from her created her spouse, and established from them many men and women ..." (translation by author)

The point being that the Quran very emphatically states that the first life on Earth was a soul (the word 'Nafs' translates to soul that every living organism posesses).

And then it makes the statement from her we created her spouse. This is extremely important because by referring to the initial soul as a "her" the Qura'an becomes the ONLY book in the vast array of religious books that states the first organism was not a male but a female.

The use of the word "Zaoj" (meaning spouse) is also very significant. Instead of saying "her spouse" the word "husband" could have worked. But infact, in asexual reproduction a "daughter" cell is created that is not exactly a male (they are referred to as mother and daughter cells when of course in asexual reproduction they do not really have a sex). Thus calling it a partner refers to both the stage where mother produced daughter cells (asexual) as well as the eventual stage where the mother produced a male counterpart in the process of evolution that had sex with a female cell (maybe the mother, maybe another) (sexual).

I can further expand on this but I think this is sufficient for now.

That's quite interesting. Thank you for sharing. I hope you enjoy RF.

[tariqkhwaja]

It is interesting to not, also, that while the word 'Nafs' (to denote soul) is used in the beginning of the verse the words 'Rejaal' (men) and 'Nisa' (women) are used later on in the verse.

"... and established from them many men and women ..." (translation by author)
which answers the question of some Muslims who claim the word 'Nafs' (soul) refers to Adam.

The point being that Islam is in complete harmony with science and the Quran most beautifully sums up in half a verse the whole theory of evolution.

[Seyorni]

Originally Posted by tariqkhwaja

It is interesting to not, also, that while the word 'Nafs' (to denote soul) is used in the beginning of the verse the words 'Rejaal' (men) and 'Nisa' (women) are used later on in the verse.

"... and established from them many men and women ..." (translation by author)
which answers the question of some Muslims who claim the word 'Nafs' (soul) refers to Adam.

The point being that Islam is in complete harmony with science and the Quran most beautifully sums up in half a verse the whole theory of evolution.

Huh!? How is that?

I don't recall any historic discussion of descent with modification or morphologic adaptation to environmental change in Islam. In fact, I've seen a number of posts here by muslims protesting evolution.

[tariqkhwaja]

You are right about the fact that mainstream Islam hates evolution much like most other major religions of the world. But once again I must emphasize that Muslims (including myself) do not represent Islam. To study what a religion believes one must go to the source of that religion which, for Islam, is the Quran.

[YmirGF]

Originally Posted by tariqkhwaja

You are right about the fact that mainstream Islam hates evolution much like most other major religions of the world. But once again I must emphasize that Muslims (including myself) do not represent Islam. To study what a religion believes one must go to the source of that religion which, for Islam, is the Quran.

Very interesting Tariqkwaja, however, if your ideas are not echoed by recognized Islamic scholars then your efforts are of little consequence. I would caution reading more into the "Noble" Qur'an than is there to begin with.

[zenzero]

Friend Tariqkhawja,
Must congratulate oyou on being daring, on having taken a quantum jump from tradition.
Surely you are in the right direction. Quran needs modern interpretations for its contemporaries.
It is TRUE that all those who have realised themselves have the same experience and cannot differ and none would have been against the other's WAY.
It does not matter whether the old mullas do not support you but your own convictions are most imporatnt in your own realisation of TRUTH.
Best wishes and thank you for enlightening us with hideen truths of the holy quran.
Love & rgds

[tariqkhwaja]

But I wish to make clear the fact that I do not believe natural selection alone could be enough to ensure evolution went along its destined path. That evolution was blind is incorrect and I believe it was guided by Divine interference to ensure it stayed on its set course. There was far more chance involved than we give credit. There are several evidences for this ... I will give one.

Survival of the fittest at one point in time might not mean the same fittest survives at another time. So, for example, a period of drought takes over the Earth. And of all the living species only ones with the ability to survive the drought make it to the end. Yet at another time a period of great thunderstorms, flood, and landslides occur. And the species who survived the drought, it turns out, cannot survive the floods. Thus evolution is put several several steps back because species has become extinct.

This further pushes the probability of our existence to a mathematically impossible number. Creationists often allude to low probabilities to conclude evolution did not occur. That is a logical fallacy.

But for an event to be nearly improbable ... and yet for it to happen is a strong case for evolution by design.

[camanintx]

Originally Posted by tariqkhwaja

This further pushes the probability of our existence to a mathematically impossible number. Creationists often allude to low probabilities to conclude evolution did not occur. That is a logical fallacy.

But for an event to be nearly improbable ... and yet for it to happen is a strong case for evolution by design.

If it is a logical fallacy for creationists to allude to probabilities then why are you doing the same for design?