The Errors of Those Who Use Qur'anic Verses To Prove Evolution

The fundamental guides for all Muslims who believe in Allah and Islam are the Qur'an and the Sunnah (teachings) of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The Qur'an contains many verses about the creation of life and the universe. None of these verses gives even the slightest indication of creation through evolution. In other words, the Qur'an does not support the ideas that species evolved from one another or that there is an evolutionary link between them. On the contrary, the Qur'an reveals that Allah created life and the universe miraculously by commanding them to "Be!" When we recall that scientific discoveries also invalidate evolution, we once again see how the Qur'an always runs parallel to science. Of course, if Allah had so willed, He could have created anything by means of evolution. Yet there is no sign of His doing so in the Qur'an, and not one verse supports the evolutionists' claim that species developed by stages. If creation had taken place in such a way, we would have been able to see its details within the Qur'an. Even though everything is so clear, some Muslims who support Darwinism misinterpret certain verses by ascribing to them meanings that do not agree with the clear and obvious meanings that those verses actually have. In order to defend evolution and provide some Qur'anic evidence for it, the meanings of some verses are distorted, guesswork is relied upon, and prejudiced interpretations are made. About the people in this dangerous situation, Allah says the following: Among them is a group who distort the Book with their tongues so that you think it is from the Book when it is not from the Book. They say, "It is from Allah," but it is not from Allah. They tell a lie against Allah, and they know it. (Qur'an, 3:78) Those who know the Qur'an and yet twist its verses' original meaning and deliberately misinterpret them are said to commit falsehoods against Allah. No Muslim would willingly do such a thing, for he or she would be too afraid of the consequences. Thus, all comments based upon guesswork and speculation, especially when made by people who know the Qur'an and what it says on such important matters, are morally unacceptable. Of course it would be mistaken to make such a generalization about everyone who claims that evolution is compatible with religion, because some of them do not think about what such a claim means and others do not realize the underlying dangers. Even so, people must not mislead others on what the Qur'an says by speaking on Allah's behalf and seeking to prove evolution by using its verses. Those who do so must reconsider the seriousness of what they are doing and avoid making any such interpretations or comments, for Allah will hold them accountable for their words. Not only do such people deceive themselves, but they also deceive those who read their words - a heavy responsibility indeed. At the root of the question is this: Muslims who believe in evolution accept it as a scientific fact and thus approach the Qur'an with the idea that it must confirm evolution. Thus they load every word that might have an evolutionary interpretation with meanings that it cannot possibly bear. When the Qur'an is regarded as a whole, or when the verse in question is read in conjunction with those before and after it, one can seen that the explanations offered are forced and invalid. In this chapter, we shall consider those verses that Muslims who accept evolution present as evidence for evolution. We shall then respond to their claims, again from the Qur'an, and compare them with the interpretations made by prominent Islamic scholars. However, we should be aware of the following basic fact: The Qur'an must be read and interpreted in the form that Allah revealed it, with a completely sincere heart and without being influenced by any non-Islamic idea or philosophy. Approaching the Qur'an in this manner will reveal that it contains no information about creation by evolution. On the contrary, it will be seen that Allah created living things and everything else with the single command "Be!" If half-ape half-human creatures really existed before Prophet Adam, Allah would have explained that in a clear and easily understandable manner. The fact that the Qur'an is quite clear and very understandable shows that the claim of evolutionary creation is untrue. Evolutionist scientists draw their strength from forgeries, distortions, and works of fantasy, and not, as some Muslims think, from scientific evidence. Reconstructions are an example of these distortions.Evolutionists shape features that leave no trace in the fossil record (e.g., the appearance of nose and lips, hair style, the shape of the eyebrows, and body hair) in order to support evolution. They portray these imaginary creatures as walking with their families, hunting, or engaged in some other aspect of daily life. Yet none of these creatures is supported by the existence of even one fossil. 1. THE ERROR THAT MAN WAS CREATED BY EVOLUTIONARY STAGES What is the matter with you that you do not hope for honor from Allah, when He created you by successive stages? (Qur'an, 71:13-14) Those who support evolutionary creation interpret the words successive stages as meaning "going through evolutionary stages." However, interpreting the Arabic word atwaran as evolutionary stages, which is no more than a personal opinion, is not unanimously accepted by all Islamic scholars. Atwar (situation, condition) is the plural of tawru, and appears in that form in no other Qur'anic verse. The Islamic world's interpretations of this verse demonstrate that fact. In his interpretation, Muhammed Hamdi Yazir of Elmali translated the verse as: "He has created you stage by stage through several conditions." In his commentary, he described these stages as "steps of evolution." However, this description has nothing to do with evolution, which proposes that man's roots lie in other living species. In fact, immediately afterwards he says what these stages are: According to the explanation given by Ebus Suud43 first come the elements, then nutriments, then mixtures, then sperm, then a piece of flesh, then flesh and bone, and this is finally shaped with a completely different creation. "Blessed be Allah, the Best of Creators!" (Qur'an, 23:14) Is not Allah, the Almighty Creator, worthy of praise and respect? Can He not raise you still further with another form and creation? Or can He not also destroy you and cast you down into sorrowful torment? Why do you not think of these things? As the above statements show, this verse describes how a person reaches his or her mother's womb as a sperm, develops as an embryo and then as a piece of flesh, and then develops into flesh and bone before emerging into the world as a human being. In Imam al-Tabari's commentary, Surah Nuh: 14 is translated as "In fact, he created you by stages," and interpreted this as meaning, "You were first in the form of a sperm, then He created you as a blood clot, then a small piece of flesh."44 Omar Nasuhi Bilmen translates the verse as "In fact, He created you through various degrees," and goes on to interpret it as follows: He (created) you through various degrees. You were first of all a seed, then a drop of blood. You became a piece of flesh and possessed bones, then you were born as a human being. Are not all these assorted and exemplary occurrences and changes shining proofs of the existence, power, and greatness of a Lord of Creation? Why do you not think of your own creation?45 As we see here, Muslim Qur'anic scholars agree that the interpretation of Surah Nuh: 14 refers to the process involved in the development of the human being from the joining of a sperm and an egg. That the verse is to be interpreted in this way is clear from the principle of"interpreting Qur'anic verses in the light of other Qur'anic verses," because in other verses Allah explains the stages of creation as being those inside the mother's womb. That is why atwaran has to be translated in this way. It is not justified to use the word as support for the theory of evolution, which tries to tie the origins of man to another living species. 2. THE ERROR THAT THE QUR'AN CONTAINS SIGNS OF THE EVOLUTIONARY PROCESS There surely came over man a period of time when he was a thing not worth mentioning. (Qur'an, 76:1) The same people also use this verse as evidence for evolution. In translations based on personal interpretation, the expression "when he was a thing not worth mentioning" is expressed as a statement of "previous states before man became man." However, this claim is just as far from the truth as the first one. The Arabic part of the underlined section runs as follows: lam yakun : he was not shay'an : a thing madhkuran : mentioned Trying to use this expression as evidence for evolution is really forcing the words. In fact, Qur'anic scholars do not interpret this verse as indicating an evolutionary process. For example, Hamdi Yazir of Elmali makes the following comments: In the beginning were elements and minerals, then vegetable and animal nutrients-"a kind of clay" (Qur'an, 23:12) were created out of them in stages. Then, something emerged very slowly and by stages from the sperm that was filtered from them. But that was not something called a human being. Just as mankind is not eternal, nor is his substance; that emerged later. Man came into being long after the beginning of time and the creation of the universe.46 Omer Nasuhi Bilmen explains the verse in this way: These verses announce that Allah created man to see and hear out of a drop of water when he was not, and that He has set a test for him.… Mankind did not exist in the beginning, but was created later as a figured body out of a drop of water, soil, and clay. That person was not known at that time, his name and why he had been created were a mystery to the inhabitants of Earth and sky. He then began to be reminded that he has a soul.47 Imam al-Tabari explains the verse as meaning: "Such a long period of time passed since the time of Adam that at that time he was not even a thing that had any worth and superiority. He was nothing but sticky and modified clay."48 For this reason, to see the expression of time in this verse as an evolutionary period is purely subjective. 3. THE ERROR THAT CREATION OUT OF WATER INDICATES EVOLUTIONARY CREATION We created man from a mingled drop to test him, and We gave him (the gifts) of hearing and sight. (Qur'an, 76:2) Those who defend evolutionary creation try to show that the statements in many verses that man was created out of water are evidence that all living things emerged from water. However, such verses are always interpreted by Qur'anic scholars and commentators as referring to creation from the joining of a sperm and an egg. For instance, Muhammed Hamdi Yazir of Elmali comments on the above verse as follows: … he was created from a nutfah in the form of water. The nutfah is pure water. It also means seminal fluid. Nutfah and seminal fluid traditionally have the same meaning. But at the end of Surat al-Qiyamah it says "a nutfah in the ejected semen" (Qur'an, 75:37), thus stating that the nutfah is part of the semen. As it is reported in Sahih al-Muslim, "Children do not come from the entire fluid." And the hadith, speaking of every little part of the whole, does not say, "Every part of a fluid," but rather speaks of one part of "the whole fluid," and that a child does not come from the entire fluid, but from just one part of it. The nutfah is just one pure part of the semen.49 Ibn al-Tabari interprets it as meaning, "We have created the descendants of Adam out of the mixing of male and female fertilizing fluids."50 Omer Nasuhi Bilmen explains it in this manner: … (We created man from a mingled drop.) We have formed him out of the male and female fluids that mix together. Yes… Human beings were, for a period of time, a nutfah, in other words, crystal clear, pure water, and then for a certain period of time, an 'alaq, in other words, a clot of blood, and then a mudgha, in other words, a lump of flesh. Later, bones are formed and wrapped around with flesh, and come to life…51 As we have seen from these explanations, there is no connection between man's creation from "a mingled drop" and the theory of evolution's claim that man emerged by stages from a single cell that developed by chance in water. As all great Qur'anic scholars have stated, this verse draws our attention to the fact of creation inside the mother's womb. When we examine another verse where the stages of human creation are discussed, the fundamental error in these comments is clearly revealed: Mankind! If you are in any doubt about the Rising, know that We created you from dust, then from a drop of sperm, then from a clot of blood, then from a lump of flesh, formed yet unformed, so We may make things clear to you. We make whatever We will to stay in the womb until a specified time, and then We bring you out as children so that you can reach your full maturity. Some of you die and some of you revert to the lowest form of life so that, after having knowledge, they then know nothing at all. And you see the ground dead and barren; then when We send down water onto it it quivers and swells and sprouts with luxuriant plants of every kind. (Qur'an, 22:5) In this verse, the stages of the creation of a human being are described. Dust, i.e., substances both organic and inorganic, which are found in their elementary forms on and in the earth, is the raw material that includes the basic minerals and elements in the human body. The second stage is the coming together of these materials in the seminal fluid, which is described in the Qur'an as a mingled drop. This drop contains the sperm that possesses the genetic information and structure necessary to fertilize the egg inside the mother's womb. In short, the raw material for a human being is (dust of) the earth, the essence of which is collected in a drop of seminal fluid in a manner that will bring about a human being. Following the water stage, a human being's developmental stages inside the mother's womb are described in the Qur'an. The theory of evolution, on the other hand, assumes the existence of millions of hypothetical stages (the first cell, single-celled creatures, multi-celled creatures, invertebrates, vertebrates, reptiles, mammals, primates, and countless similar stages) between the origination of life in water to a human being's formation. In the sequence presented by the verse, however, it is clear that there is no such logic or description, for a human being takes on the form of an 'alaq after he or she is in the form of a drop of water. For this reason, it is clear that the verse is not describing the different evolutionary stages undergone by a human being, but rather the stages of creation from before and inside the mother's womb right up to old age. Other verses stating that human beings and other living things were created from water also contain no meaning that could be used to support evolution. The following verses are among those that contain such statements: Do those who disbelieve not see that the heavens and Earth were sewn together and then We unstitched them, and that We made from water every living thing? So will they not believe? (Qur'an, 21:30) Allah created every animal from water. Some of them go on their bellies, some of them on two legs, and some on four. Allah creates whatever He wills. Allah has power over all things. (Qur'an, 24:45) The verses below clearly state that the "drop of water" is semen: He created the two sexes - male and female - out of a sperm-drop when it spurted forth (min nutfatin idha tumna); that He is responsible for the second existence. (Qur'an, 53:45-47) min: from nutfatin: nutfah, sperm-drop idha: when... tumna: be spurted forth Was he not a drop of ejaculated sperm? (nutfatan min maniyin yumna) (Qur'an, 75:37) nutfatan: nutfah, a drop of water min: from maniyin: sperm yumna: being ejaculated Man has only to look at that from which he was created. He was created from a spurting fluid (Khuliqa min ma'in dafiqin), emerging from between the backbone and the breastbone. (Qur'an, 86:5-7) khuliqa: was created min: from ma'in: water dafiqin: suddenly erupting, spurting, being caused to flow Some Qur'anic commentators think that "the creation of living things from water" contains a meaning that parallels the theory of evolution. However, this view is seriously flawed. The verses reveal that water is the raw material for living things by saying that all living things were created from it. In fact, modern biology has revealed that water is the most fundamental component of all living bodies, for the human body is approximately 70 percent water. Water permits movement inside the cell, between cells, and between tissues. Without it, there would be no life. 4. THE ERROR THAT CREATION FIRST FROM DUST AND THEN FROM WATER INDICATES EVOLUTIONARY CREATION ... Do you then disbelieve in Him Who created you from dust, then from a drop of sperm, and then formed you as a man? (Qur'an, 18:37) Imam al-Tabari comments on this verse as follows: ... Would you deny Allah, Who created your father Adam from dust, then created you from a man and a woman's fluids, then wrapped you in human form? Allah, Who gave you these things and made you what you are, brought you into being to make you another living thing after you die and return to soil.52 Omer Nasuhi Bilmen's commentary on the same verse states: Do you deny the Almighty Allah Who created the Prophet Adam, the origin of your race and the cause of your creation, (from dust), Who then created you and (formed you as a man after creating you) from a nutfah and a drop of sperm, Who brought you into being as a complete human being as a result of different stages of life? Because denying the afterlife means denying the Almighty Allah, Who gives you the news that it will happen and Who has the power to make it happen.53 As these commentators indicate, using such verses as evidence for evolutionary creation is no more than pure subjectivism, for they in no way bear the meanings that the evolutionists attribute to them. The expression creation from dust describes the creation of Prophet Adam, and creation from water refers to the development of a human being, starting with the sperm. It is indicated in the verse below that Allah created a human being directly from dried clay. This verse, which describes Prophet Adam's creation, does not speak of a stage: When your Lord said to the angels: "I am creating a human being out of dried clay formed from fetid black mud. When I have formed him and breathed My Spirit into him, fall down in prostration in front of him!" (Qur'an, 15:28-29) If the Qur'anic account of creation's stages is read carefully, bearing in mind the consecutive processes, it will be realized immediately that such an evolutionary view is incorrect. The Qur'an contains many verses indicating that Prophet Adam, peace be upon him, was not created through an evolutionary stage. One of them reads: The likeness of 'Isa in Allah's sight is the same as Adam. He created him from earth and then He said to him, "Be!" and he was. (Qur'an, 3:59) The above verse states that Allah created Prophets Adam and 'Isa, peace be upon them, in the same way. As we stressed earlier, Prophet Adam was created with no parents, from the earth, at Allah's command "Be!" Prophet Jesus also was created without father, by Allah's Will expressed through the command "Be!" By means of this command, Maryam, peace be upon her, became pregnant with Jesus: (Maryam) veiled herself from them. Then We sent Our Spirit to her, and it took on for her the form of a handsome, well-built man. She said: "I seek refuge from you with the All-Merciful, if you do your duty." He said: "I am only your Lord's messenger, so that He can give you a pure boy." She asked: "How can I have a boy when no man has touched me and I am not an unchaste woman?" He replied: "It will be so! Your Lord says: 'That is easy for Me. It is so that We can make him a Sign for mankind and a mercy from Us.' It is a matter already decreed." (Qur'an, 19:17-21) In the other verses that refer to creation from water and earth, it is not man's evolutionary stages that are being described, but the stages of human creation before the womb, during it, and after birth. Mankind! If you are in any doubt about the Rising, know that We created you from dust, then from a drop of sperm, then from a clot of blood, then from a lump of flesh, formed yet unformed, so We may make things clear to you. We make whatever We will to stay in the womb until a specified time and then We bring you out as children so that you can reach your full maturity. Some of you die and some of you revert to the lowest form of life so that, after having knowledge, they then know nothing at all. And you see the ground dead and barren; then when We send down water onto it it quivers and swells and sprouts with luxuriant plants of every kind. (Qur'an, 22:5) He created you from earth, then from a drop of sperm, then from a clot of blood, then He brings you out as infants, then so you may achieve full strength, then so you may become old men - though some of you may die before that time - so that you may reach a predetermined age and so that hopefully you will use your intellect. (Qur'an, 40:67) Out of a sperm-drop when it spurted forth (Qur'an, 53:46) 5. THE ERROR THAT THE FIRST MAN WAS CREATED OVER TIME Your Lord said to the angels, "I am going to create a human being out of clay." (Qur'an, 38:71) Another error in evolutionary creation stems from the faulty interpretation of the above verse. Evolutionists claim that the underlined phrase above indicates a slow creation over time. However, the original Arabic makes it clear that this is a purely subjective view and entirely contradictory: "inni khaliqun basharan min tinin" means "I am He Who created a human being out of clay." The verse says nothing like "I am creating." In fact, the verse continues, "When I have formed him and breathed My Spirit into him, fall down in prostration to him!" It is clear from this that the verb create here takes place in a single instant. Indeed, no Qur'anic scholar translates it as "I am creating." For instance, a Turkish Muslim scholar, Suleyman Ates's commentary reads: 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) Your Lord told the angels "I am going to create a human being out of clay." Allah told the angels He was going to create a human being out of putrid clay. After giving the clay human form and breathing His Own Spirit into him, he told the angels to prostrate before him. They all did so. Only Satan did not prostrate himself to man's ancestor, saying that he who was created from fire was better than a human being created from clay. Imam al-Tabari translates the same verse as, "I am going to create a human being out of clay," and provides this commentary: … The Lord once told the angels, "I am going to create a human being out of clay. When I create him, order his form, and breathe My Spirit into him, you will prostrate before him."54 Those who defend evolutionary creation also cite the following verse to support the thesis that human beings were created through a process: He Who has created all things in the best possible way. He commenced the creation of man from clay. (Qur'an, 32:7) According to such peoples' interpretations, the underlined expression refers to a process, in this case an evolutionary process. Yet it does not actually refer to such a thing at all. As we have stressed throughout this book, a great many verses describe in detail Allah's creation from nothing, and none of them can be interpreted to mean an evolutionary process. The following verses stress that Allah is in a constant state of creation. He Who originates creation and then regenerates it and provides for you from out of heaven and earth. Is there another god besides Allah? Say: "Bring your proof if you are being truthful." (Qur'an, 27:64) Have they not seen how Allah brings creation out of nothing, then reproduces it? That is easy for Allah. (Qur'an, 29:19) Allah originates creation, then will regenerate it, and then you will be returned to Him. (Qur'an, 30:11) Allah's constant creation of every detail in the universe does not imply evolution. Like the other such interpretations, this one is very forced. Moreover, when the Qur'an is taken as a whole, such an assertion is found to have no true basis. Omer Nasuhi Bilmen interprets the verse to mean "… He created the Prophet Adam from earth,"55 and Imam al-Tabari as "He commenced the creation of Adam from clay."56 Evolutionist Muslims cite the verses below, especially the underlined part, to support their case: O man! What has deluded you in respect of your Noble Lord? He Who created you and formed you and proportioned you and assembled you in whatever way He willed. (Qur'an, 82:6-8) Yet it would be forcing the verse's meaning to say that it refers to an evolutionary process. In fact, Hamdi Yazir of Elmali interprets the verse as follows: "The Lord created you. It is clear that creation here means bringing into being prior to ordering the body and the organs, giving measure and form and bringing the parts together. We are also told that existence, the essence of every blessing, is the most important Divine Favor and Kindness. He then ordered your body and organs. It is stated that "He created you from dust, then from a drop of sperm, then formed you as a man" (Qur'an, 18:37) and, as in many other verses, that man was brought to the stage at which he could have the soul breathed into him in stages; He ordered your body, organs, and powers, and gave you harmony and moderation. There are two interpretations here, one originating from 'adl and the other from ta'dil. Since they both mean "balancing" and "normalizing," several interpretations have been made stating that the "creation in order" has been made perfect. According to the account by Muqatil, the expression in Surat at-Qiyama: 4 that "We are well able to reshape his fingers," means that the body is well-proportioned and orderly, as the matching and details of the twin organs (e.g., the eyes, ears, hands, and feet) is known from anatomy.57 According to Abu Ali Farisi, the expression "He proportioned you" actually means "He shaped you in the most beautiful form, and with this proportion gave you the capacity to perceive reason, ideas and might, and gave you dominion over plants and other living things. He brought you forth in a state of maturity far exceeding that of the other beings in the world." This is compatible with the meanings of "When I have formed him and breathed My Spirit into him" (Qur'an, 15:29) and "favored them greatly over many We have created" (Qur'an, 17:70). All of these are a blessing and kindness from Allah.58 Omer Nasuhi Bilmen interprets the verse in these terms: Yes. Your Lord (Who created you) gave you form from nothingness (then shaped you), gave you sound and perfect organs (and proportioned you). He proportioned your organs, with a pleasing beauty and natural disposition.59 Imam al-Tabari states that Surat al-Infitar: 7 refers to man being created within an order: Oh Man, the Lord Who created you made that creation ordered and produced you in a healthy, ordered and correct form. (In other words he created a complete human being with ordered height, sound dimensions and in the best possible form and appearance.) Allah produced you with the beauty or ugliness He saw fit.60 As can be seen from the above accounts, the statements are very clear; they point to Allah's sound, ordered, and complete creation of the first man. Similar statements are in fact to be found in many other verses. For instance, Surat as-Sajda: 7-9 says: He Who has created all things in the best possible way. He commenced the creation of man from clay; then produced his seed from an extract of base fluid; then (He) formed him and breathed His Spirit into him and gave you hearing, sight and hearts. What little thanks you show! (Qur'an, 32: 7-9) The word "creation" was first used in these verses, which then went on to say that He created eyes, ears, and hearts. Thus, we are being told that all of these stages happened at the same time; in other words, that the first man's eyes, ears, and hearts were created together, and that he was created in one moment. It is a grave error to interpret these verses as referring to human evolution. In fact, the great Islamic scholars all agree about this verse's interpretation. For instance, Imam al-Tabari says: … He then brought forth man as a complete being in an ordered form, then breathed his soul into him, and thus made him a speaking creature … He gave the ears with which you hear, the eyes with which you see, and the hearts with which you distinguish between right and wrong, and you must give thanks for these gifts …61 Omer Nasuhi Bilmen's interpretation reads: "The Lord ordered man who started to take form, completed his body while it was still in his mother's womb, and formed it in the appropriate manner (and then breathed His Spirit into it). In other words, He gave him life and inspired the vital force in his soul … The Lord gave you such beneficial powers (hearing) that thanks to these you hear the words spoken to you, and created your eyes and hearts with which you see what is around you and distinguish between what is beneficial and what is not. Each of these is a great divine blessing."62 6. THE ERROR THAT PROPHET ADAM WAS NOT THE FIRST MAN Another claim put forward regarding evolutionary creation is that Prophet Adam, peace be upon him, may not have been the first man and may not even have been a human being. (We absolve Prophet Adam, peace be upon him). The following verse is presented as evidence for this: When your Lord said to the angels, "I will create a vicegerent on Earth," they said, "Why put on it one who will cause corruption on it and shed blood when we glorify You with praise and proclaim Your purity?" He said, "I know what you do not know." (Qur'an, 2:30) Those who support this claim say that the Arabic verb ja'ala in the expression "I will create a vicegerent" means "to appoint." In other words, they suggest that Prophet Adam was not the first man, but that he was "appointed" as a vicegerent among many people. However, in the Qur'an, this verb has the following meanings: To create, invent, translate, make, place and render Some examples of Qur'anic verses where ja'ala is used are: He created you from a single self, then produced (ja'ala) its mate from it, and sent down livestock to you - eight kinds in pairs… (Qur'an, 39:6) Say: "He brought you into being and gave (ja'ala) you hearing, sight and hearts. What little thanks you show! (Qur'an, 67:23) (Do you not see how He) placed the moon as a light in them and made (ja'la) the sun a blazing lamp? (Qur'an, 71:16) Allah has spread (ja'la) the ground out as a carpet for you (Qur'an, 71:19) As can be seen from the above verses, ja'ala has various meanings. Furthermore, several verses state that Prophet Adam, peace be upon him, was created from dust. These verses make it clear that Prophet Adam, peace be upon him, was not just one man among many, but that he possessed a special and different creation. The Qur'an reveals another important fact about Prophet Adam: his removal from the Garden of Eden. It says in the verses: Children of Adam! Do not let Satan tempt you into trouble, as He expelled your parents from the Garden, stripping them of their covering, and disclosing to them their private parts. He and his tribe see you from where you do not see them. We have made the demons friends of those who do not believe. (Qur'an, 7:27) We said: "Adam, live in the Garden, you and your wife, and eat freely from it wherever you will. But do not approach this tree and so become wrongdoers." But Satan made them slip up by means of it, expelling them from where they were. We said: "Go down from here as enemies to each other! You will have residence on Earth and enjoyment for a time." (Qur'an, 2:35-36) The verses' statements are perfectly clear. Allah created Prophet Adam, peace be upon him, from dust. Prophet Adam is a special creation that emerged first from his existence in heaven and then from his removal from it. Yet evolutionist Muslims ignore this evident truth and maintain that "heaven" here refers not to the Heaven in the hereafter but to a beautiful area on Earth, despite the fact that the Qur'an specifies many features of the heaven in which Prophet Adam was created. For example, that Heaven contains both angels and the devil, and the angels speak with Allah. It is a mistake to produce forced interpretations and seek evidence of evolution when the verses are so clear on this matter. Many verses state that all people are descended from Prophet Adam, peace be upon him. As the Qur'an tells us: When your Lord took out all their descendants from the loins of the children of Adam and made them testify against themselves "Am I not your Lord?" they said: "We testify that indeed You are!" Lest you say on the Day of Rising: "We knew nothing of this." Or lest you say: "Our forefathers associated others with Allah before our time, and we are merely descendants coming after them. So are You going to destroy us for what those purveyors of falsehood did?" (Qur'an, 7:172-173) Prophet Adam, peace be upon him, was the first man and Allah's first messenger. The verses are so clear on this matter that there is no need for any commentary. All that people have to do is read the Qur'an with a sincere heart and listen to their conscience. Allah will reveal the truth to those who read the verses with that intent. 7. THE ERROR THAT THE "FOREFATHERS" MENTIONED IN THE QUR'AN REFER TO EVOLUTIONARY ANCESTORS Another matter that Muslim evolutionists try to portray as evidence for their claims is the expression our forefathers, which appears in several verses. According to their erroneous interpretation, this expression refers directly to man's primitive ancestors. Their rationale for this is that the word forefathers appears in the plural in the Qur'an. Two of the verses in question read: He (Musa) said, "Your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers, the previous peoples." (Qur'an, 26:26) There is no god but Him - He gives life and causes to die - your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers, the previous peoples. (Qur'an, 44:8) However, this is a forced claim because the use of the word in the plural form is familiar and definitely cannot be used as a basis for an evolutionist interpretation. This expression occurs in many other verses, among them Surat al-Baqara: 133. Here, "forefathers" does not refer to any evolutionary process, but to preceding generations. In the same way, the term "forefathers, the previous peoples" in the past refers to past generations. The expression carries no evolutionary meaning: Or were you present when death came to Ya'qub and he said to his sons, "What will you worship when I have gone?" They said, "We will worship your God, the God of your forefathers, Ibrahim, Isma'il and Ishaq - one God. We are Muslims submitted to Him." (Qur'an, 2:133) 8. THE ERROR ABOUT THE FORM OF HUMAN CREATION Allah caused you to grow from the earth, and then will return you to it and bring you out again. (Qur'an, 71:17-18) Evolutionist Muslims view this verse as a vital foundation upon which they can base their views. The expression "Allah caused you to grow from the earth" is presented as evidence for inorganic evolution. As is clearly indicated in the verse's interpretation, however, it expresses the creation of the first human being from earth. Hamdi Yazir of Elmali offers the same interpretation: There are two aspects to the verse. The first is that saying He created you from earth means that He created your father from earth, and began the process of creating your race by creating him from earth. The other is that he created all of you from earth, because Allah creates us from nourishment, from plants, from earth.63 Omer Nasuhi Bilmen offers this interpretation of Surah Nuh 17-18: O people! Consider this. Allah made you like a plant from earth. In other words, "He has created Adam, your forefather, from earth, or your essential substance (zygote) came into existence from plants and several food stuffs growing in the earth. People then grow and live. (Then) O people, He will return you to it. In other words: When you die, you will return to the earth and become part of the soil. (And) Then He will take you out of the graves and drive you all to the Judgment Day. These are facts.64 Imam al-Tabari's commentary states that: "Allah created you from dust of the earth. He made you from nothing.… He will later return you to your original states, to the earth. You will return to how you were before you were created. He can bring you back from the earth alive when He chooses."65 As we have seen from these interpretations by Qur'anic scholars, this verse cannot serve as a basis for evolutionary creation. What is more, the claim of inorganic evolution has no scientific basis. The idea that lifeless substances could come together to form life is an unscientific one that has not been confirmed by any experiment or observation. Quite the contrary: French biologist Louis Pasteur (1822-95) showed that life can only come from life. This shows that life was definitely consciously created. In other words, Allah created all living things. (For more detail about the scientific proof and evolutionist deceptions on this subject please refer to The Evolution Deceit by Harun Yahya, Taha Publishers, London, 1999, and Darwinism Refuted by Harun Yahya, Goodword Publishers, New Delhi, 2003) 9. THE ERROR THAT THE QUR'AN POINTS TO NATURAL SELECTION One of evolution's most fundamental claims is that natural selection is an evolutionary force. As we saw in earlier chapters, natural selection is an evolutionist deception that maintains that the strong survive while the weak are eliminated over time. However, modern science shows that natural selection has no evolutionary force and cannot cause species to develop or new ones to appear. However, these scientific facts, which Darwinists choose to ignore because of their materialist concerns, also are ignored by Muslim evolutionists. Some Muslim circles support this dogmatic Darwinist view and even try to provide extremely forced Qur'anic evidence for it. For example: Your Lord creates and chooses whatever He wills. The choice is not theirs. Glory be to Allah! He is exalted above anything they associate with Him! (Qur'an, 28:68) This verse reveals those to whom Allah will show the true path and those prophets He will announce as messengers. It is a great mistake to say that the verse points toward evolutionary natural selection. Qur'anic scholars unanimously agree on this interpretation. For instance, Imam al-Tabari offers the following commentary: Your Lord creates what He wills out of His servants, and selects those He chooses to follow the true path.They have no right of choice in the matter. They have no right to choose to do as they wish…66 The great scholar Omer Nasuhi Bilmen offers this interpretation: In those holy verses, Allah declares His creative Power, that He favors and chooses whom He wishes, His Wisdom and Might, His Unity, His meriting praise and splendor, His Divine Command, and that all His servants will be summoned to His spiritual Presence. In other words, no one can prevent the Almighty's favoring and choosing in any way. Whatever His servants choose is not effective on their own. With all due respect, Allah is not obliged to create what they favor and prefer. Allah does not send His prophets upon the preference and opinion of the people to whom He has sent His prophets, but only upon His divine Preference. Only He knows how and by which means goodness and prosperity will manifest. He has no partners, nothing may exist against His eternal Will, and no one's will may be against His exalted Determining and Selecting.67 Hamdi Yazir of Elmali interprets the verse as follows: Your Lord creates and selects what He chooses. In other words, He creates what He wills and chooses those He wills from whom He has created. He imposes upon them such duties as prophethood and intercession. They have no choice in the matter. Apart from those Allah chooses, they have no right to select other partners or intercessors.68 A second verse that evolutionist Muslims offer is: Praise be to Allah, the Bringer into Being of the heavens and Earth, He who made the angels messengers, with wings - two, three, or four. He adds to creation in any way He wills. Allah has power over all things. (Qur'an, 35:1) Such Muslims suggest the verse is evidence for evolutionary development. However, they have to twist the verse's true meaning in order to derive such a meaning. It also conflicts with reason and logic, for the verse talks about the creation of the angels. Imam al-Tabari interprets the verse as follows: "He can increase the number of an angel's wings to the extent that He wills. He can carry out the same process in all living things. Creation and command are in His hands."69 Omer Nasuhi Bilmen agrees, "He is so powerful that He decides on angels' wings and powers."70 10. THE ERROR OF SHOWING THE QUR'AN AS EVIDENCE FOR MUTATION Just as with natural selection, evolutionist Muslims misinterpret and force Qur'anic verses when it comes to mutation. However, to think that a natural mechanism that has nothing but destructive effects could be evidence for evolution is a terrible error. No evolutionary effect of mutation has ever been observed. (For more detail on the scientific evidence about this subject, please see Darwinism Refuted by Harun Yahya, Goodword Publishers, New Delhi, 2003, Evolution Deceit by Harun Yahya, Taha Publishers, London, 1999) The important thing here is the evidence that evolutionist Muslims who believe that mutation is a mechanism of evolution try to offer from the Qur'an. They completely twist some verses away from their actual meaning. The verses in question read: If We willed, We could transform them where they stand so they would neither be able to go out nor return. (Qur'an, 36:67) You are well aware of those of you who broke the Sabbath. We said to them, "Be apes, despised, cast out." (Qur'an, 2:65) When they were insolent about what they had been forbidden to do, We said to them, "Be apes, despised, cast out!" (Qur'an, 7:166) Say: "Shall I tell you of a reward with Allah far worse than that: that of those whom Allah has cursed and with whom He is angry - turning some of them into monkeys and into pigs - and who worshipped false gods? Such people are in a worse situation and further from the right way." (Qur'an, 5:60) So He (Musa) threw down his staff and there it was, unmistakably a snake. (Qur'an, 7:107) Unless someone believes that it is necessary to twist and force the truth to find some Qur'anic evidence for evolution, it is impossible to see the verses as any kind of evidence for mutation. The first four verses speak of the miraculous way in which Allah changes living things' bodies. The subject of the fifth verse is not even living, which makes it impossible to suggest it undergoes mutation. Evolutionist Muslims' portrayal of these verses as evidence for evolution shows just how corrupt, forced, and un-Islamic the idea of evolutionary creation truly is. 11. THE ERROR THAT THERE IS A FAMILIAL CONNECTION BETWEEN MAN AND APE IN THE QUR'AN One verse that is often wrongly interpreted during debates on evolution, and which is interpreted by some individuals as indicating that theory, is the verse regarding Allah's turning a group of Jews into monkeys: You are well aware of those of you who broke the Sabbath. We said to them, "Be apes, despised, cast out." We made it an exemplary punishment for those there then, and those coming afterwards, and a warning to the heedful. (Qur'an, 2:65-66) This cannot be construed in a manner parallel to the theory of evolution, for: 1) The punishment mentioned might be in a spiritual sense. In other words, it is possible that the Jews in question were compared to monkeys in the sense of character and not in their actual physical appearance. 2) If the punishment in question did happen physically, that would be a miracle outside the laws of nature. We are talking about a sudden, supernatural miracle by the will of Allah here, a conscious creation. Evolution proposes that different species turned into each other over millions of years, by chance and in stages. For this reason, this Qur'anic account has nothing to do with the scenario put forward by those who support evolution. In fact, the following verse reads: "We made it an exemplary punishment for those who were living at that time and those who will come later, and a warning to the heedful." This verse indicates that the people in question were turned into apes as a warning to those who will come later. 3) This punishment happened only once and to a limited number of people, whereas the theory of evolution puts forward the illogical and unscientific scenario that apes are related to all people. 4) The verse says that human beings were turned into apes; evolution says that it happened the other way around. 5) Qur'an, 5:60 relates that a deviant community incurred Allah's wrath and was turned into apes and pigs. It reads: Say: "Shall I tell you of something with Allah far worse than that: that of those whom Allah has cursed and with whom He is angry - turning some of them into monkeys and into pigs - and who worshipped false deities? Such people are in a worse situation and further from the right way." (Qur'an, 5:60) In this situation, the web of flawed logic that we have been considering throughout this book produces the unrealistic conclusion that the verse contains not only an evolutionary link between human beings and apes, but also between human beings and pigs! Not even the evolutionists claim that there is such a link between humans and pigs. As we have seen so far, the claim that some verses point toward evolution is an error that contradicts not only the Qur'an but also the theses of the theory of evolution itself.