In its October 2-8 edition, the Turkish magazine
Tempo published an article titled “Islam Accepts Darwin” as its
cover story. That same article was also published in daily Hurriyet and on various
Internet sites. Sabah columnist Emre Akoz cited the file as a reference
in an article called “Islam Makes Peace with Darwin,” dated October
2.
The report in Tempo magazine was based
on interviews with three academics from the Ankara University Theology Faculty.
The teachers in question were of the view that the theory of evolution is compatible
with Islam.
However, that view is mistaken. There can be no
question of Darwinism “being compatible”
with Islam, because Darwinism violates the fundamental tenet of Islam, the fact
that God created and fashioned the universe and all living things. Darwinism
is a theory which was established to make people deny that truth. It is essentially
a theory which targets religion. In the same way that there can be no reconciliation
between Islam and Marxism, which makes the invalid claim that “religion
is the opium of the people,” so there can be no reconciliation between
Islam and Darwinism, which holds that “life is the product of chance.”
Besides, there is no need to attempt such a reconciliation,
because Darwinism has no scientific foundation. Contrary to what is thought,
it is not “a scientific fact” but a falsehood maintained despite
the scientific facts.
In this article we reveal how and why “Muslim
evolutionists” who seek a reconciliation between Islam and Darwinism are
mistaken. Our aim in doing so is certainly not to disparage Muslim evolutionists.
Our aim is to be a means whereby they come to adopt a more correct perspective
by explaining why their approach to the theory of evolution is mistaken, to
be of intellectual assistance to them in that regard, and by explaining why
it is that evolutionists keep the subject on the agenda.
Those who wish to acquire more information on this
subject can find it in Harun Yahya’s book Why
Darwinism is Incompatible with the Qur’an, in which it is set out
in great detail why it is that “Muslim evolutionists” are so gravely
mistaken.
Where “Muslim Evolutionists” Are Mistaken
Those people known as “Muslim evolutionists”
— or Theistic evolutionists in general — have fallen into the error
of imagining, as a result of materialist suggestion and propaganda, that the
theory of evolution is a scientific fact, and seek a “middle road”
between the theory and faith in God. These people accept the Darwinist scenario
concerning the origin of life word for word, yet try to establish a “reconciliation”
between the theory of evolution and Islam by maintaining that this scenario
is under the control of God.
This perspective is gravely mistaken, however.
That is because the theory of evolution is an atheistic concept with a secret
ideological agenda, put forward in order to reinforce and firmly establish atheism,
and fiercely backed by materialist circles. It has been constructed on materialist
philosophy and offers a materialist interpretation of world phenomena.
Materialist philosophy has been in existence since
ancient Greek times, and claims that matter is the sole absolute reality. Materialists
maintain that the universe was shaped by itself as a result of coincidences,
and that life emerged by evolving from inanimate matter, again as the result
of blind chance.
For that reason the first theory of evolution was
proposed by ancient Greek materialist philosophers. Greek or Roman thinkers
such as Epicurus, Democritus and Lucretius laid the foundations of the atheistic
theory of evolution to which Darwin would add the details hundreds of years
later. Born in ancient Greece, this myth re-emerged onto the agenda with the
primitive scientific understanding of the 19th century, and since the theory
of evolution provided an alleged support for materialism – whether it
was scientific or not – it was immediately accepted by materialists.
Opposed to the theory of evolution there is the
fact of creation. The truth of creation, which can be understood by means of
reason and observation (in other words by the scientific method) alone has been
taught since the dawn of history by monotheistic religions. All the three monotheistic
faiths have revealed that God created the entire universe by commanding it to
“Be!” and that the flawless functioning of that universe is evidence
of God’s superior creative artistry. This truth is also revealed in many
verses of the Qur’an. In the verse “[God is]
the Originator of the heavens and Earth. When He decides on something, He just
says to it, ‘Be!’ and it is.” (Qur’an, 2:117)
God reveals that He miraculously created the whole universe from nothing. In
Surat al-An’am it is revealed:
It is He Who created the heavens and the
Earth with truth. The day He says ‘Be!’ it is. His speech is Truth.
The Kingdom will be His on the Day the Trumpet is blown, the Knower of the
Unseen and the Visible. He is the All-Wise, the All-Aware. (Qur’an,
6:73)
This divergence of views between materialism and
belief in God is the fundamental difference between religion and atheism. There
can be no question of a Muslim seeking intellectual “reconciliation”
on this subject. There can be no reconciliation with a theory put forward in
order to deny God and His creation.
Materialists Support “Religious Evolutionism”
for Tactical Reasons
Indeed, evolutionists know that such a "reconciliation"
will be damaging to religion, and are thus trying to force certain Muslims to
take that step. In order to gain the support of believers and to weaken their
intellectual struggle against the theory of evolution, evolutionists are trying
a different method, that of covertly supporting the idea of “evolutionary
creation.” Although they themselves do not believe in God, but make a
divinity out of chance and are totally opposed to the truth of creation, they
remain silent in the face of the idea that God created living things by means
of evolution, and generally even encourage the idea, since they think that this
will accelerate the acceptance of their theories.
Yet this is only a tactical move. The aim is to
eliminate the objections of the devout and to impose the theory of evolution
on all of society. Following the dissemination of the theory of evolution in
this way, the vague interpretation of “religious evolutionism” will
be done away with, to be replaced by the materialism which represents the essence
of the theory of evolution. Muslims must take great care not to be taken in
by this tactic and not to be a tool of this cunning strategy.
The Acceptance of Darwinism Does Not Show That
It Is True
One of the errors made by Muslim evolutionists
is to believe that the theory of evolution is a scientific and proven fact.
This can be seen in the Tempo magazine article, and it is noteworthy that one
of the respected theologians who support the theory of evolution says, “The
theory of evolution is today a valid theory.”
The truth is, however, that the theory of evolution
has today lost all its foundations in the face of modern scientific findings.
Research both at the molecular level or in the fields of biology or palaeontology
has totally invalidated the claims that living things came into being as the
result of an evolutionary process.
It is a grave error to ignore these facts and to
think in line not with the scientific evidence but with “the trends in
the scientific world.”
One of those identifying this erroneous analysis
was former Bogaziçi University professor of philosophy the late Arda
Denkel, who stated that evolutionists in Turkey were unable to give a scientific
response to creationism, that they only say, “This theory is widely accepted
in the scientific world,” but that this is meaningless:
Does the fact that many respected individuals
and bodies have accepted evolution prove that the theory is correct? Or is
the truth of the theory to be decided in court? Does the fact that respected
and powerful people believe something to be the truth actually make it so?
I would like to recall one historical event. Did not Galileo Galilei speak
and defend the truth in the face of all the respected individuals of his time,
of lawyers, and especially of scientists? Receiving the support of respected
and dominant circles is something which neither creates truth nor has any
direct connection with what is scientific. (Cumhuriyet Bilim Teknik Supplement,
February 27, 1999, p. 15)
As noted by Prof. Denkel, the wide acceptance of
a theory is no proof that it is true. The history of science is full of facts
which were first embraced by the minority, the truth of which was only later
generally accepted.
Another aspect of the matter is that the theory
of evolution is not “a theory accepted by the scientific world.”
The number of scientists who reject the theory of evolution has grown apace
over the last 20-30 years. Most of these have freed themselves from Darwinist
dogma by seeing the intelligent design in the universe and living things. Countless
studies by these scientists have revealed the invalidity of evolution.
The Myth That Darwin Believed in God
Another error made by Muslim evolutionists is that
Darwin believed in God.The fact is though that despite being faithful to Christian
belief in his early years, Darwin lost his faith in parallel to his development
of the theory of evolution. He is also known to have increasingly turned towards
atheism. Biographies of Darwin frequently state that the only reason why he
did not openly voice his atheism was in order not to upset his devoutly Christian
wife, Emma. The atheism which Darwinism failed to openly express in his books
can clearly be seen in his letters. In one letter he said:
“… disbelief crept over me at a very slow rate, but was at last
complete…” (Gertrude Himmerfarb, Darwin and the Darwinian
Revolution, p. 381)
In another letter, written in 1878, Darwin openly
confessed his atheism:
… This conclusion
(theism) was strong in my mind about the time, as far as I can remember, when
I wrote the "Origin of Species"; and it is since that time that
it has very gradually, with many fluctuations, become weaker… (Francis
Darwin, The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin, D. Appleton and Co., 1896,
Chapter 1.VIII., Religion)
Leaving the question of Darwin’s personal
beliefs aside, the attempt to reconcile Darwinism as a theory with belief in
God is also empty. Cornell University biologist and historian William Provine, himself an evolutionist,
says:
As the creationists claim, belief in modern
evolution makes atheists of people. One can have a religious view that is
compatible with evolution only if the religious view is indistinguishable
from atheism. (William Provine, No Free Will, Chicago: University of Chicago,
1999, p. 123)
Erroneous Interpretations of Qur’anic Verses
At the root of the way in which some Muslims esteem
the theory of evolution lies the fact that they ignore God’s power to
create and destroy whatsoever He wishes at the moment He wishes. Such evolutionist
Muslims are thinking under the influence of “naturalist” dogma which
assumes that the laws of nature are immutable and unchanging and that no phenomenon
can take place outside those laws. This, however, is a serious error. That is
because the concepts we refer to as “the laws of nature” stem from
God’s creation and maintenance of matter within a specific order. These
are not properties which stem from matter itself. For that reason, in the same
way that God has set these laws out, He can alter them when He wishes, and performs
actions outside them.
We human beings call these actions “miracles.”
For instance, the way that the Companions of the Cave remained alive for more
than 300 years is a miracle outside the laws of nature. The people whom God
killed and later resurrected as revealed in the verses of the Qur’an are
also miracles. Every event takes place by the creation of God, but those which
appear to be in conformity with specific laws are “normal” for us,
while the others are “miracles.”
The element which needs to be understood here is
that God is not bound by the laws which He has created. If God so wishes he
can do something totally contrary to the laws of nature. This is easy for God.
The True Meaning of Creation from Water
When we look at the verses in the Qur’an
concerning the creation of living things and man, we can clearly see that this
happens not within the laws of nature but in a miraculous manner. God reveals
His creation of living things thus:
God created every animal from water. Some
of them go on their bellies, some of them on two legs, and some on four. God
creates whatever He wills. God has power over all things. (Qur’an, 24:45)
The verse is pointing to the basic groups which
live on land (reptiles, birds and mammals) and it is revealed that God created
these from water. Close inspection shows that these were not created “from
one another,” as envisaged by the theory of evolution, but “from
water.” In other words, they were created separately by God shaping a
common material.
The fact that this common material is water is
evident. Water is the most fundamental component of organisms. Mammal bodies
consist of come 70% water. It is thanks to the water in its body that every
living thing establishes communications inside the cell, among cells and among
tissues. There can be no life without water.
The interesting thing is that some Muslims seek
to attach a meaning to the above verse which is compatible with the theory of
evolution. Yet the “creation from water” in question has nothing
to do with the theory of evolution. The theory makes no such claim as “every
living thing emerged from water and evolved” for such a relationship to
be established. On the contrary, the theory maintains that living things evolved
from one another, a claim which totally contradicts the fact revealed in the
Qur’an that every living group was created from water (created separately).
The Period Before Man
This verse is another which Muslim evolutionists
propose as evidence:
Has man ever known a point of time when he
was not something remembered? (Qur’an, 76:1)
It is necessary to force the meaning of this expression
to portray it as evidence of “evolutionary creation.” Indeed, this
verse is not interpreted as an evolutionary process by Islamic scholars. For
example, Omer Nasuhi Bilmen offers the following interpretation:
These verses reveal that the Lord created human
beings capable of hearing and seeing from a drop of water before they were
ever known or existed and that He subjects them to a test … Man never
existed at the beginning, but a while later he was incarnated from a drop
of water, from earth and mud, and made a body. That human being was not then
known, and neither the people of the sky nor those of the earth knew his name
and why he had been created. Later on, the consciousness of the soul began
to be inspired in him.” (Omer Nasuhi Bilmen, The Turkish Text of the
Qur’an and a Commentary Thereon, Vol. 8, p. 3915)
Imam Taberi interprets the verse thus:
Such a period of time passed before the man (Adem)
that he had no fame or superiority. He was merely sticky and unfixed mud.”
(Imam Taberi, Taberi’s Commentary, Vol. 6, p. 2684)
For that reason, to describe the expression of
time in the verse as an “evolutionary process” is a subjective interpretation
which has no basis in the Qur’an.
God Miraculously Created Man from Clay
In the Qur’an God reveals that the creation
of man took place in a miraculous manner. The first human being was created
by God shaping clay into the form of the human body, and afterwards breathing
a soul into it:
Your Lord said to the angels, ‘I am
going to create a human being out of clay. When I have formed him and breathed
My Spirit into him, fall down in prostration to him!’ (Qur’an,
38:71-72)
We created man from the purest kind of clay.
(Qur’an, 23:12)
On close inspection it is revealed in the verse
that, unlike the claims of Muslim evolutionists, man was not created from a
primate or any other living thing, but from mud, an inanimate substance. There
is no “natural process of evolution” here. What there is, however,
is God’s direct, miraculous creation. Indeed, the expression “I
created with my two hands’ used by God in the following verse, shows that
man was directly created by the might of God:
He [God] said, ‘Diabolis, what prevented
you prostrating to what I created with My own Hands? Were you overcome by
arrogance or are you one of the exalted?’ (Qur’an, 38:75)
In short, there is no “evolutionary”
account of the creation of man and living things in the Qur’an. On the
contrary, it is revealed that God miraculously created man and all living things
from such inanimate substances as water and earth.
The Evolutionism in Islamic History Is an Influence from Greek Philosophy
Although there is no evolutionary account in the
Qur’an, there have been people in the history of Islam who, under the
influence of Greek philosophy, have adopted materialist and evolutionist elements
in that philosophy and sought to make them compatible with the Qur’an.
Those who made such evolutionist interpretations were particularly the Ikhwan
as-Safa' society active around Basra.. This community, affiliated to the Ismaili
sect, resembles Freemasonry in some respects, and it is interesting that modern-day
Masons praise the society. For instance, Selami Isindag, a well known Turkish
Masonic grand master and opponent of religion, writes:
In the Islamic world there was a counterpart of
Masonry called the Ikhwan as-Safa' [The Brethren of Purity]. This society was
founded in Basra in the time of the Abbasids and published an encyclopedia composed
of 54 large volumes. 17 of these dealt with natural science and it contained
scientific explanations that closely resembled those of Darwin. These found
their way even to Spain and had an influence on Western thought. (Dr. Selami
Isindag, “Kurulusundan Bugune Masonluk ve Bizler” (Freemasonry and
Us: From Its Establishment Until Today), Masonluktan Esinlenmeler (Inspirations
from Freemasonry), Istanbul 1977)
The evolutionist ideas carried to the Islamic world
from ancient Greece by means of the Ikhwan as-Safa' in turn influenced certain
Muslim thinkers of the time. As well as those who supported the theory of evolution
in the Muslim world at that time there were also thinkers who believed in materialism,
denied the existence of the hereafter and were unable to agree that God possesses
infinite knowledge of events, in short, thinkers who were caught up by perverted
beliefs. Rather than taking such false ideas as models, present-day Muslims
should avoid them.
In fact, the great Islamic scholar Imam Ghazali
totally invalidated this ancient Greek philosophy which had entered the Islamic
world. In his work Al-Munqidh min al-Dalal (Deliverance From Error), Ghazali
directly criticised the evolutionist Ikhwan as-Safa' society. He declared that
this was a false philosophy directly influenced by ancient Greek thinking. In
his work Fedaih-ul-Batinniyye, he demonstrated the perversity of the teachings
of the Ismaili sect, to which the Ikhwan as-Safa' belonged.
Not Being Deceived by Materialist Propaganda
As we stated at the beginning, the attempt to reconcile
Islam with Darwinism is a tactic used by materialists to impose Darwinism on
society. Muslims must be aware of this.
When evolutionists say, “Let us not confuse
religion and science, belief is one thing, the fact of evolution another,”
their aim is to undermine Muslims’ intellectual struggle. The real message
is this: “There is a real world, and this can be understood through science,
and science shows us that there is no such thing as creation, although those
who wish can believe in what they want in their own personal views.”
This is a great deception. It is an evident truth, the literal truth, that God
created the universe and living things. Every detail in the universe is proof
of God’s creation. It is evolution, bereft of any evidence, which is the
superstition and which can be regarded as peoples’ “personal beliefs.”
Muslims must be aware of this deceptive suggestion which places the truth under
the dominion of materialist philosophy and seeks to portray the fact of creation
as a “personal belief.”
This indoctrination can easily be overcome. It
is sufficient to think rationally, with common sense, to free oneself from the
dogma that science and materialism are one and the same thing, and to study
the true results of science. Everyone who does this will see that the origin
of life on Earth is intelligent design, in other words, creation.
It must not be forgotten that it is impossible
for a Muslim who has a detailed knowledge of the theory of evolution to remain
ambivalent in the face of the evolutionists’ claims. In addition, thinking
deeply about God’s creation and His art which encompasses the whole universe,
clinging tightly to the Qur’an and understanding the facts revealed in
the Qur’an is the simplest way of freeing oneself from this negative influence.
