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| Al-Kahf 18:51 |
1. Man
A
Muslim must know the following facts about man and his reality. Then he must be certain of them within
himself and upon them establish his faith in Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
a. Man is the
best and noblest of Allah’s creations.
b. Man is
created, as a species, from the element of earth. Procreation–as a source–begins with the first
man, Adam, may peace and prayers be upon him.
c. Man is
created, from the first genesis, in the most perfect outward form and the best
stature. He did not evolve as a species at any point in his history nor did he
gradually move from one genus to another.
Let us now consider, in all clarity, these
three facts separately.
A. Man is the
best and most noble of Allah’s creations.
This fact is established by two proofs, the
first of which has been transmitted to us with truthful certainty while the
second is rational proof.
As for the truthful transmission, it is His statement, Mighty and
Majestic: “Verily we have honoured the Children of Adam and conveyed them on
land and sea and have provided them with good things and favoured them greatly
over many we have created” [al-Isrāʾ 17:70]. There is also His statement,
Mighty and Majestic: “We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate yourselves before
Adam’, and they prostrated, with the exception of Iblīs. He refused and was
arrogant and was one of the disbelievers.” [al-Baqarah 2:34]
The proof in both of these verses is clear in
proving what is sought, and there is no ambiguity in knowing that man is the
best of creation with the exception of the angels. These two verses and many
others clearly state this, but there has been some study and research into the
generalization of this ruling, even with regards to the angels as well.
The reason for this incertitude and ambiguity
is Allah the Exalted’s statement at the end of the first verse that we
mentioned: “...and favoured them greatly over many we have created.” It shows–for whoever takes the evidence of
speech[1]–that
there are some other creations that man is not superior to; and there is no
doubt that this should be referring to the angels, based on what is affirmed in
the Qurʾān and the authentic Sunnah clarifying their precedence and their
immense rank.
As for those who do not stick to what the
speech evidences and find what the text articulates to be sufficient, they have
stated that the use of the word “many” (kathīr) is actually a substitute
for the word “all” (kull). There is no indication that the opposite of
“many” is “a few” and thus the verse, generally speaking, endorses the
superiority of man over the rest of creation.
Those who state the absolute superiority of
the angels over man include ʿAbdullah Ibn ʿAbbās, may Allah be pleased with
him, and it is the opinion of al-Zujāj according to what al-Wāḥidī has narrated[2] and they
used for a proof what we just mentioned from the end of the verse as well as
His statement, Mighty and Majestic, about the angels: “but they are honoured
slaves. They do not precede Him in speech and they act on His command.” [al-Anbiyāʾ
21:26-27] There is also The Exalted’s statement: “...who do not disobey
Allah in respect of any order he gives them and do what they are commanded to
do.” [al-Taḥrīm 66:6] and the ḥadīth in al-Bukhārī, may Allah be pleased
with him: {Whoever remembers Me in a gathering, I remember him in a gathering
that is better than His.} Al-Qurṭubī said that this text proves the superiority
of the angels.[3]
The position of the majority of Ahl us-Sunnah
wa Al-Jamāʿah is that the elite of mankind, from the prophets and the
righteous, are superior to the elite of the angels. They are the ones whom
Allah has specifically chosen to mention in His Noble Book. The masses of
mankind, and they are the pious from amongst the Muslims, are better than the
masses of the angels. Their evidence for this includes Allah the Exalted’s
statement: “But those who believe and do good deeds are the best of created
beings.” [al-Bayyinah 98:7] “Created beings” (al-bariyyah) comprises
the angels. They also use the ḥadīth that has been narrated by Abū Dāwūd and
others in which the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon
him, said, {Indeed the angels lay down their wings out of pleasure for the
seeker of knowledge.} Likewise, they also used as proof the fact that Allah has
given man the essentials of legal responsibility from which he becomes
deserving of reward and recompense for the obligatory acts that Allah has
commanded him to do. It should also be noted that Allah has placed in man
various passions and desires and if he fights them and overcomes them he
deserves a reward that the angels do not deserve, and this is because their
created constitution does not contain any of these passions or desires.[4]
Al-Qurṭubī said, ‘There is no way of
decisively proving that the prophets are better than the angels, or a way to
decisively prove that the angels are better than them, because the required way
is what has been transmitted from Allah the Exalted and His Messenger (i.e.
that which has been mass-transmitted and is irrefutable) or the consensus of
the Muslim nation,[5]
and there is nothing there.’
As for the rational proof, it includes the following
points:
The first point is that the human soul is
distinguished from all other souls and other existent beings by that amazing
and astonishing power, and that power is indeed the intellectual power to
comprehend the realities of things and thus it is the key to subjecting many of
the universe’s phenomena to man and bringing them under his control.
The peculiarities of this intellectual power
include the fact that it is the power that manifests within itself the light of
knowing Allah the Exalted and with it the light of Allah’s magnificence is made
radiant. The one who possesses this power is prepared to be a worshipful slave
of his sublime Creator, manifest is His Majesty. As a result man becomes the
first manifestation of Allah’s divinity, Mighty and Majestic.
If this is the case then it is clearly
necessary for the human soul to be the most noble of souls that exist in the
universe (if we make an exception for the angels due to exceptional
considerations concerning them).
The second point is the proofs of the
veracity of Allah the Exalted’s statement: “And He has made everything in
the heavens and everything on earth subservient to you. It is all from Him.” [al-Jāthiyah
45:13] that we see by way of experience and observation, as you can see
that everything from the movements of the celestial bodies to the ordered system
of the universe and the various functions of all created things: they are all
commensurate with man’s needs and serving him. Thus, in relation to this
existence that surrounds him man is like the axis of a circle, in that he draws
towards himself various other creations that strive in perpetual and constant
revolution in order to weave together for him the best essentials of life and
to cater to his various requirements and needs.
One of the necessities of this, as you can
see, is that this being, who has this position with regards to all other
created beings and they have their position with regards to him, becomes the
best of them and most noble of them
without exception.
The third point is the attributes that Allah
the Exalted has placed inside man, which, on the whole, are remnants from the
attributes of Lordship, such as knowledge, power, arrogance,[6] the
desire for authority and domination, and so forth.
When you think deeply, you know that man only
believes in Allah, Glorious and Majestic, and fills his heart by exalting Him
and revering Him by means of these attributes that have been placed within him,
because with his partial, limited knowledge he has an idea of Allah’s vast,
unlimited knowledge. With his partial, limited power, he can have an idea of
Allah’s power, which holds sway over everything. With the little property that
he has, he can have an idea of Allah’s vast dominion, which includes everything
that is and everything that ever was. If Allah had not placed within him these
samples from His attributes, man would not be prepared to realise the sublimity
of Allah the Exalted and the glory of His authority.
If man, in reality, is a repository for
shades or remnants of the attributes of the Lord of Might, Glorious and
Majestic, then it is preferable for him to be the most noble and honourable of
created beings.
In summary, man’s preference over all other
created beings (with the exception of the angels), is a decisive and
established fact which is proven by mass-transmitted, authentic narrations as
well as sound, rational proof. Thus, it is obligatory for a Muslim to believe
it.
As for his preference over the angels, this
is something that is possible. The proofs are inconclusive and this is why
there has been a difference of opinion. Perhaps the safest thing to do would be
for us to refer the truth of the matter to Allah’s knowledge, Glorious and
Majestic is He.
***
B. Man is
created (in terms of being a species) from earth and multiplied (in terms of a
source) from the first man, Adam, peace be upon him.
Know that the proof for this fact is
restricted to relying on mass-transmitted, authentic narrations. They are not
from matters that are connected to sensations such that they can be subject to
empirical or observed proof. Rather, they originate from a transmission that is
connected to ancient history, so there is no hope in verifying it beyond
verifying the transmission itself.
As for man being created (in terms of being a
species) from the element of earth, this has been proven by several clear verses
in Allah’s Book, Glorious and Majestic is He.
These include His statement, Mighty and
Majestic is He: “From it We created you and to it and we shall return you.
Then We shall extract you from it once again.” [Ṭaha 20:55] and His statement,
Mighty and Majestic is He: “Indeed we created man from ṣalṣāl which
comes from ḥamaʾ masnūn.” [Al-Ḥijr 15:26] and His statement, Exalted
is He: “He created man out of dry clay from pottery.” [al-Raḥmān 55:14]
Ṣalṣāl is dry clay and it clatters, i.e. it makes a
sound as if it is pottery, i.e. burned clay. The ḥamaʾ is black, altered
clay and masnūn means that it is formed in the form of a man.
Thus, ṣalṣāl is what kind of earth it
is, and hamaʾ masnūn is what kind of ṣalṣāl it is, similar to you
saying: ‘I took this from a man from the Arabs from the Levant.’[7]
As for him being multiplied from Adam, peace
and blessings be upon him, and him being the first man, there are also several,
clear verses that prove this in Allah the Exalted’s Book. You can read these verses
in the story of Adam’s creation, which is repeated several times in The Clear
Book.
Know that at this point it does not concern
us to look into how Adam came down from Paradise, and to verify the place on
earth that he landed in, or how the progeny of Adam and Eve multiplied
afterwards. None of that has anything to with the creed, which is based on
established and decisive stipulations.
Rather,
discussing these things would merely be for the sake of curiosity as none of
these matters are decisively proven in the Book or the Sunnah. This is why, in
our worship of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, we are not required to believe in
anything specific regarding them.
Beware
of paying attention to what some of the Sufis say, those who claim that Adam,
peace be upon him, the story of whose creation is mentioned in the Qurʾān, was preceded by many other ‘Adams’. They then
go into detail about the matter and everything they say is based on pure
fantasy.
These
claims are based on nothing but conjecture. They are not supported by any proof
that has come to us by way of authentic, decisive transmission, or any certain
evidence that has come to us by way of scientific examination. It is part of
etiquette with the Book of Allah the Exalted and the Sunnah of His Messenger
that we assign knowledge of what Allah, Mighty and Majestic has not clarified,
nor His Messenger, to the knowledge of Allah alone, unless it is subject to the
means of research, experience and witnessing, for indeed Allah’s speech has
invited us to research the truth and seek certainty therein.
- Man is created, ever since his first formation, in the most perfect outward form and in the most beautiful stature.
The
discussion about the first formation of man is another thing that is not
subject to empirical proofs or that which is observed and tangible. On the
whole, it is a historical discussion in which one cannot use thought or
investigation beyond the two proofs of anticipation and retrieval, and they are
two delusive proofs, as we have previously clarified. It is impossible for a
decisive creed to be based on something from their results.
If
Allah, Mighty and Majestic, had not spoken to us about anything decisive in
this regard we would not have clung to any ruling and believed in it
decisively.
However,
when it comes to that which is authentic and mass-transmitted, in which there
is no room for any doubt or conjecture whatsoever, we have His statement,
Exalted is He: “Indeed we have created man in the best of stature.” [al-Tīn
95:4] The fact that al is added to al-insān (man) means that it
includes all of mankind; every individual human being.
An
example of this is His statement, Exalted is He: “O Man! What has deluded
you in respect of your Noble Lord? He Who created you and formed you and
proportioned you…” i.e. made you symmetrical, straight and standing upright
in the most beautiful of shapes and forms.
One
of the things that confirms what the Qurʾān has established is what has been narrated
in the two Ṣaḥīḥ collections from Abū Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with
him, who said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s blessings and peace be
upon him, said, {Allah created Adam in his form}, i.e. since his creation he
has had this essential form, which he continues to have and which he is known
by, i.e. he did not emerge by transferring from one form to another. The
pronoun ‘his’ in ‘his form’ goes back to Adam.
There
is another opinion which says that the pronoun goes back to the essence of
Allah the Exalted, and what is meant by form is the attribute, i.e. He created
him to have knowledge, will, wisdom, hearing, seeing and so forth, and these
are attributes of Allah the Exalted. (See page 137[8] of this
book).
Whether
the attribute goes back to Adam, as is the majority opinion and is what is
understood outwardly from the ḥadīth, or whether it goes back to the essence of
Allah the Exalted, the ḥadīth confirms the decisive proofs found in the Qurʾān,
which show that Allah honoured Adam from the very beginning of his creation.
And,
if that is the case, we must know that man has never transitioned, throughout
his entire history, from one species to another in any evolutionary fashion, as
it is said that he developed from one genus to another, or gradually evolved
from the outward form of one species to have the outward form of another
species.
This
ruling is the decisive conclusion to the three matters that we have mentioned
about man, which are:
He is the best and noblest of Allah’s creations.
He is created from earth and he multiplied
from the first man, Adam, peace be upon him.
He is created, ever since his first
formation, in the most perfect outward form and in the most beautiful stature.
The Development of the Theory of
Evolution When Faced With this Fact
As
you can see, this decisive fact that every Muslim must believe in completely
contradicts what is called the theory of evolution, which adopted another
historical assumption about man, which is that he comes from a series of links
in a chain of differing species, gradually developing from the simple to the
complex, from the primitive to the advanced, in both form and thought. What is
the Muslim’s position regarding this contradiction and difference of opinion?
The
answer is that his position should be the position that is adopted by any
intelligent person when faced with a contradiction between a scientific fact
and a theoretical matter. Therefore, there is no doubt that the scientific fact
is that which should be destined to remain, and it is inevitable that the
theory will be abrogated as long as it contradicts this fact. The theory cannot
go together with the fact.
Now
we must clarify (again) how the opinion we have mentioned regarding man’s
reality is an established, scientific fact while the opinion that man developed
and evolved from other species is nothing more than a theory, or rather an
assumption, and it is not supported by any scientific proof whatsoever.
First
of all, we should know that this matter is not attached to anything tangible or
anything that can be observed. Thus, there is no point in looking for evidence
in support of it from tangible, visible experience. This is because the
research is not connected to man as he currently is, such that the topic could
be subjected to the microscope of experience and observation. Rather, it is
connected to discovering an aspect of history therein that has passed and
disappeared. All that can possibly be of assistance with regards to research,
such as looking into aspects of similarity between humans and other animals and
so forth, are from the ways of retrieval and from the ways of supposition and
anticipation, and there is a massive difference between these means and the proof
of experience and observation.
Furthermore,
this issue is not subjected to the law of correlation or sound analogy based on
the foundations of thorough investigation. Thus it is, as we have said, an
attempt to discover a history that is distant and deep in the past and there is
no connection between us and it, i.e. decisive scientific proof.
If
the matter had come to an end at this point we would have kept to the side of
doubt or merely conjecture, without subjecting our intellects to any hypothesis
or theory that may be wrong or right.
But
the matter did not come to an end at this point, because definitive,
mass-transmitted information (khabr) has disclosed it, and we have
already demonstrated and shown what this is.
You
have learned that the source of the transmitted information is clear; the
speech of the Qurʾān, and you have learned from what has preceded that the
Qurʾān is not the speech of Muḥammad, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon
him, but rather the speech of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, containing decisive
proofs that have already been explained. Before that, you learned the decisive
proof for Allah’s existence, Mighty and Majestic.
Therefore,
we must be certain that what the information of the Qurʾān comprises is the
truth because it is Allah’s speech, Mighty and Majestic. He Himself explains
how He created man.
Therefore,
it has been established that Islam’s discussion regarding man’s origin is
decisive, scientific fact.
As
for Darwin’s discussion, it is nothing more than a theory and a supposition, by
his own admission and the consensus of all the other scientists, regardless of
whether they have supported him or gone against him.
His
theory about the origin of species is nothing other than one link in a chain of
continuous, varying theories. All of them suppose that life on the face of this
earth developed in a mechanical fashion and then they differ from one another
in various ways in order to explain this development and analyse it.
Let
us consider the most important of these theories and let us reflect on how each
one of them emerged and then how each of them grew within the scope of
evidences that each one of them relies on. After that we will look at how each
theory ended in failure, because they were misguided and weak, under the force
of refutations and criticisms which rushed towards them from all sides.
Lamarckism
Perhaps
the oldest of these theories and the most important of them is what the
literary scholar Lamarck put forward, i.e. the lack of affirming the species as
they are but rather going back to the varying conditions that changed according
to each one of them, such as their region, nourishment, kind of life, the
nature of their climate, and so forth. Thus, if one of these conditions varies
it affects how habits vary, and if habits vary–continuously–it affects how
functions and task vary, and if they vary it affects–over time–how the shapes
of bodies and organs vary.
Lamarck
supported this theory of his with a number of living examples that he became
very interested in. Vertebrates that feed without chewing conceal their teeth
and they become hidden within the cheeks. Fish and anteaters are examples of
this. The mole that lives in darkness
enjoys two very small eyes that can barely function.
Despite
this analysis that was put forward by Lamarck, such as explaining the mechanism
of evolution that he supposed, in the beginning he only had a little bit of
success. Then it began to spread in the minds of people and they began to
consider it, after some time, to be the best explanation for the phenomenon of
evolution. The theory stuck with the name of its proponent, and they started
calling it ‘Lamarckism’.
However,
once the theory was put under the microscope of research and criticism, and
empirical proof and examination, its lights were put out and it turned on its
heels and was stripped of the power that it had over people’s minds.
Critique of Lamarckism
Let
us now consider some of the criticisms that were directed towards it:
The
first: according to Lamarck, the progress of evolution is directed towards
benefitting creatures and guaranteeing that they continue to carry out their
function and task, as well as preserving harmony, to the greatest extent
possible, between the creature and the circumstances of nature, however they
may differ and develop. We have noticed this from the examples that he relied
on.
However,
observed reality does not affirm the continuation of this progress, as indeed many
species of creatures have become extinct and disappeared under the force of
what is called natural factors. According to the suppositions of Lamarck, these
creatures are supposed to evolve in accordance with varying natural states as
well as unexpected circumstances and atmospheres and environments that they may
experience, such that the creatures can survive as a species, at least.
Secondly,
the most that Lamarck noticed, regarding the aspects of evolution that he
fundamentally relied on for his research and as a standard for his supposition,
was carried out within a singular chain looking at the factor of inheritance,
i.e. before the creatures encountered these circumstances or environment or
states that made the creatures resort to some kind of evolution or formation in
order to be in harmony with them.
Thus,
the skin of a child, from birth, is thicker at the soles of the feet than any
other part of the body.
Camels
have calluses that occur in the joints of the wrists and elbows such that they suit
the surfaces that bear the weight when the camel kneels down, and these
calluses are present in the child of the she-camel from birth.
Bone
extensions are found in the thighbone of the human embryo, just as they are
found in a fully developed adolescent, i.e. in accordance with the pressures
that the bones experience when a person walks.
It
is not possible for us in these situations to justify the matter by looking at
how the creatures were affected beforehand by circumstances and states,[9]
especially considering the fact that the science of genetics has made it clear
that the fundamental structure of a living being is not due to external factors
but rather it is an essential foundation according to the association of
chromosomes and inherited traits in each individual species. Claiming that the
matter is other than this inherited fashion throughout remote, ancient times is
nothing but a claim that contradicts on-going, observed reality.[10]
Thirdly,
irrespective of the criticism that has been aimed at this supposition, it deals
with another issue that is far more restricted than the subject of our
comprehensive research, which deals with analysing the supposition that says
that the evolution of creatures is complete from species to species and is not limited
to changing shapes, colours and organs within creatures. Rather, it happens to
the entire formation of the creature, starting from its natural inclinations
and thought processes all the way through to its structure, hair, talons and
nails within conditions between which and this transformation from one species
to another no conformity and harmony can be seen.
The
analysis that Lamarck’s theory goes back to, with regards to the phenomenon of
partial forms and organs that are affected over time according to the
environment, circumstances and the atmosphere, only covers a very tiny part of
the fundamental research topic, which still requires analysis and elucidation
to answer several questions that have imposed themselves on this field.
Darwinism
In
1871,[11] Darwin
published his famous book called On the Origin of Species by Means of
Natural Selection in which he tried to take evolution back to a merely
mechanical explanation, such that is was as independent as possible of any
teleological reasons, but despite that he adopted the principle of ‘survival of
the fittest’ as the cause for evolution.
Darwin
derived his theory from the book An Essay on the Principle of Population
by the economist known as Malthus, who claimed that the population increases exponentially
while the proportion of food does not increase, except arithmetically.[12] This
leads to competition and struggle between individuals for food that is
dwindling and insufficient.[13]
Thus,
he thinks that there are attributes that might not be of outward importance and
that there is disparity between individual beings regarding how far they can be
described as possessing them. They have an actual effect in preserving the one
who has them and preparing him for a superior level. When these individual beings
enter into a conflict with nature for the sake of staying alive a natural
selection process takes place that leads to the survival of the fittest
individuals and those most suited to survive, because they are distinguished by
these attributes or they are distinguished by having achieved the highest ranks
of these attributes.
Darwin
attests to the eligibility of this selection process based on these formidable
factors, which destroy many offspring of living creatures over time. Thus, he
turns our attention, for example, to the female elephant giving birth six times
in her life. If we were to use this as a basis then the offspring of every
single male and female elephant at the end of seven hundred and fifty years
would result in approximately nine million elephants. It is very clear that the
reality of nature is nowhere near this calculation.[14]
Thus,
the superiority that creatures enjoy, such that they are a species in relation
to the other species, or an individual in relation to other individuals, enables
each creature to eliminate others, and not just in the origin of existence but
the in the particularities of existence as well, including some beneficial
intricacies.
Through
this competition that took places eons ago in the world of living things, and
the result of latent attributes differing in each one of them–which is the sole
force behind this competition–a ladder of ranks emerged which categorized these
living creatures into all kinds of varied and disparate species. On the ladder
of these ranks, man is nothing other than one from a group of these simple
creatures that took part in the competition and secured a single ring for
himself as a species, and it was due to good luck that he had these latent
attributes that pushed him head on through the course of competition and
nominated him to acquire the highest ranks of life, such that his colleagues
differed from him in all kinds of disparate ranks.
However,
what proof did Darwin rely on in saying that man is like all other creatures
and that he evolved from one species?
Darwin
derived his proof for what he said from the sciences of comparative anatomy and
embryology, and from the vestigial structures that are found in man.
He
found, for example, that parts of man’s skeleton could be compared to their
corresponding parts in some other creatures, and the same goes for the muscular
and nervous systems. Even the composition of the brain and its parts could be
compared between man and other creatures and many aspects of similarity could
be found between them.
Likewise,
with reference to the proofs that he derived from embryology, he thought that
the process of the embryo’s formation in man was nothing other than a
repetition of the stages of life that are found in lower-ranking creatures,
just as the early phases of the embryo’s development are very similar in man
and other creatures. He noticed, for example, that the backside of the embryo
ends with what resembles a tail in the embryos of both man and dogs, and with
the evolution of the embryo the tail in man’s embryo is concealed while it
remains in that of dogs.
Likewise,
Darwin drew conclusions from aspects of psychical interdependence between man and other kinds of creatures, such as
the phenomenon of self-awareness as well as psychical feelings and emotions.[15]
Critique of Darwinism
Dr
ʿAbdul Ḥalīm Swaydān says, ‘The Darwinist theory has stirred up a lot of
criticism.’ Then he presented some of them and afterwards stated that they were
only a tiny portion of the many criticisms that have been directed at
Darwinism.
Let
us briefly consider these criticisms, and others, taking into account the
problems that Darwin himself found with his theory and admitted, regarding many
of them, that they were unsolvable problems and he was content not to attempt
to solve them or respond to them!
1. Indeed the
reality that we witness clearly contradicts what Darwin called the law of
selection and the survival of the fittest, because the universe–after all the
time that has passed–still resounds with the fittest, the fit and the unfit
from all kinds of creatures, starting with unicellular creatures all the way to
monkeys and then man! If the law were
true, one of its simplest, obvious requirements would be that the competition
between creatures had passed the starting point so that we could at least
assume that evolution and natural selection were moving along slowly. However,
this starting point is still bursting forth with its various weak creatures and
they are still enjoying life and their particularities of livelihood, just like
the other creatures that they are competing with.
2. There is no
dispute concerning the fact that every species of creatures experiences heavy
losses over time due to various natural factors that overcome them. This is a
witnessed fact that is not denied. As for calamities[16] being a
result of a race and a competition that came to an end with the selection of
the fittest and most powerful, this is–as Dr ʿAbdul Ḥalīm Swaydān says–another
matter. Indeed both death and being saved from death are often down to mere
coincidence, not special attributes within the individual. The great swamp that
dries up and the tsunami that bursts on to the sand, both leave behind all
kinds of corpses, while others are saved from death. However, it is not death that
chooses the weak for itself and it is not saving that chooses the strong for
itself. Rather, the entire matter is down to coincidence.
- Death also contradicts what Darwin saw as nature dealing with a group of living beings according to the law of natural selection and survival of the fittest. How can the fittest survive if death is lying in ambush for them? On the other hand, statistical studies, which have been confirmed by the scholars in this field, have shown that death befalls, first of all, individuals who rise above the normal pattern such that afterwards there remains the average pattern and that which is less than it.[17] They[18] are a consequence that contradicts Darwin’s theory and its predictions.
- The process of selection is not a mechanical procedure, whether we consider it to be manufactured or natural selection. Rather, it is a means that is aiming towards an objective, and striving towards some objective is considered the most complex of procedures in terms of understanding and realisation. How can it be possible to attribute it to “nature”, for which there is no escape from explaining its work and its effects, regardless of how disparate the terms regarding it are, as being either mechanical or merely haphazard?
The selection of the fittest must
depend on a law that distinguishes the fittest from others and justifies it and
directs it. What law does nature rely on in its election and what is the
justification that nature digests and is then influenced by?
- Indeed protecting life from being infiltrated by a weak being that does not have all the attributes of fitness is easier for nature–if the matter were in nature’s hands–than overlooking it. Even if it[19] did infiltrate life and take its share from it and then others like it started taking part in all the functions of life, nature would become aware of it immediately and then start grabbing it and others like it from amongst the other creatures in order to eliminate them, and then by eliminating them correct the mistake that it should have never committed in the first place.
If this weak being is sentenced to
falling behind then it will cease to exist, because it is not from the category
of the fit or the fittest. Why would nature bring into existence that which it
wants to eliminate today or hold behind from the main group? On the other hand,
if we said that the matter of bringing it into existence is not in nature’s
hands, it is more appropriate that the matter of correcting the universe should
not be in its hands, by taking it[20] out of
existence and eliminating the mistake of its existence.
- If the principle of natural selection is the factor behind continuous evolution in living beings, and this evolution is always aiming for the fittest, then how come we do not find intellectual capacity in many creatures to be more evolved and advanced than others, considering that this advancement is for the benefit of all of them? How come the highest ranking monkey has not acquired the same intellectual capacity that man has acquired, for example?
Darwin looked into this problem
that he faced, as more than one writer has stated, but he did not answer it.
Rather, he commented on it by saying:
“A
definite answer to the latter question ought not to be expected, seeing that no
one can solve the simpler problem...”[21]
Then he looked into this problem
which, with many other problems, stood in the way of his theory, another time
and in another way, and another time he affirmed his inability to respond to
it. He said:
“It has often been asked, if
natural selection be so potent, why has not this or that structure been gained
by certain species, to which it would apparently have been advantageous? But it
is unreasonable to expect a precise answer to such questions, considering our
ignorance of the past history of each species…”[22]
- It has been established through study that many of the plants of Egypt have not changed their composition over several, long centuries. This is made clear from the domestic animals that are carved in some of the relics of Ancient Egypt or have been preserved by means of mummification. We can see how they resemble the same creatures that are alive, or, rather, there is maybe no difference at all.
Indeed, there are numerous animals
that have not undergone any change in their structure since the beginning of
the Ice Age, despite the fact that they have been placed under several
influences as the climate has changed. Indeed, many creatures have migrated
vast distances over the surface of the earth, and Darwin himself admitted this.
So, where is the reality of which
there is no doubt regarding the theory of evolution?
- Finally, we say that everything Darwin relied on does not hinder that which has been firmly observed and described, i.e. he noticed the phenomenon of resemblance in living beings, starting with the first cell all the way through to the most advanced of species, which is man.
However, what connection does this
affirmed resemblance between creatures have with claiming that all of them
originate from one creature? Is it not possible that the differences between
man and other creatures, such as monkeys for example, could be the result of a
difference in essence and not a difference in stage, even though resemblance
can be seen between them? In other words, why is not this graduated sequence in
resemblance from living beings based on this same gradualism and resemblance ever
since Allah, Mighty and Majestic, created them?[23]
If there were some standard of
evidence that was empirical and observable then it would be possible to put an
end to this questioning at its very foundations and to bring us the decisive
statement regarding this matter. However, neither Darwin nor the scientists
that preceded him or came after him in this matter have been able to give us
any evidence in this regard.
Neo-Darwinism
The
many criticisms that were directed at Darwin’s theory had great influence in
causing it to collapse and go through a period of decline and degradation.
However, a group of researchers went back and extracted from its rubble another
new theory that came to be known afterwards as Neo-Darwinism and considered as
the corrected version of Darwin’s theory.
These
researchers were led by the Dutch scientist Hugo de Vries.
Then
a group of British and American biologists followed him and supported him in
this.
The
most important opinion that this new school of thought espoused and considered
as a fundamental difference that distinguished it from Darwin’s theory, and was
preferred by these other researchers, was that evolution was only based on
circumstances that happen by surprise and coincidentally, as opposed to being
based on selection of the fittest, which was Darwin’s opinion. They say that
after the changes have happened by surprise and spontaneously, in which no
ultimate cause is evident, they are registered immediately in the genetic
supply, such that they are transferred genetically to the offspring.
Therefore,
this school of thought does not accept the idea of selection that Darwin talked
about at great length in his supposition and imagination. Rather, it grants
coincidence the principle role in forming and multiplying species, while
acknowledging that the environment that the creature is raised in has an effect
on the quantity and quality of the change.
Critique of Neo-Darwinism
Nevertheless,
this “corrected version” of Darwin’s school of thought, itself, was the target
of many other criticisms and it fell into contradictions that it could not escape
from. These criticisms include:
1. The supposed
evolution, which is the foundation of the research, is no doubt progressive, as
it is a proposed explanation for the gradual progress of creatures in light of
it. Thus, is it the job of mutation to be involved in this steadily progressive
evolution?
It is known that mutation always
involves attributes of impairment and disarray. Are death and the means and
preliminary steps leading to it anything other than the most prominent aspects
of mutation? How can this steadily advancing evolution be explained on the
basis of this impairing and disarraying factor?
In other words, why does not
mutation direct itself, one day, towards the procession of creatures and cause
them to relapse backwards instead of the difficult and persistent climb
forwards?
There is no doubt that any
objective answer to these questions is like an elephant such that it destroys
this new theory from its very foundations.
2. If it is
mutation that governs the change and evolution that happens to living beings,
then what requisite remains for supposing that living beings come from one
source? It is known that this supposition was only met with acceptance by its
proponents based on the progressive similarity that they noticed between these
creatures, and noticing this is what made them state the principle of natural
selection of the fittest.
If this principle is blown away by
the supposition of mutation, then the phenomenon of progressive, tangible
resemblance between categories of living beings has to be ignored, and at that
point the supposition that all living creatures come from a single source is no
longer tenable.
This is how the opinion of
mutation carries within itself the factors that destroy the idea of evolution
from its very foundations.
3. The opinion
of adopting the law of genetic inheritance for mutagenic progression, which
supposed that a creature went, at some point in its lifespan as a species, or a
family, for an evolutionary leap,[24] without
indicating anything that could even be quasi-evidence for this leap, is nothing
more than a cover for the weakness of this opinion behind the system of
inheritance.
Therefore, it is natural for the
researcher to ask about any encyclopaedia that can show us, even remotely, any
period in history in which some form of mutation appeared in some animal, i.e.
before it became hidden in the innermost core of the genetic unseen!
In conclusion:
In
conclusion, all of this was a summary of the opinions and modern schools of
thought, which contradict and invalidate one another, regarding the hypothesis
of evolution as it pertains to living beings in general and human beings specifically.
Thus, after all of that, what does the scale of scientific vision register
regarding the subject? Indeed it immediately registers the following points:
First
of all, the idea of evolution and what follows from it, such as natural
selection of the fittest and so forth, has not passed the stage of hypothesis,
which draws contradictory evidences and inferences. Everything that has been
said or written is nothing more than failed attempts and detached researches
that have created more problems than they have solved.
Secondly,
the nature of this struggle that we have examined is a nature of perplexity and
confusion, regarding a subject matter that is cut off. It is not a nature that
has a methodical progression[25] that
would allow us to understand a matter that is known as fact and which has a
defined scope and size.
Thirdly,
based on the aforementioned, it is not possible to establish any scientific
verdict regarding any of these researches or opinions, and it is also not
possible for us to consider them as scientific fact in and of themselves such
that the intellect passes them by with conviction and acceptance. The
continuous sequence of refutation and criticism that trails it is the profound
evidence for this.
Why do they criticise all the detailed
theories and then adopt the idea of evolution on the whole?
However,
you might ask: if this is the case then why do the researchers and critics
themselves go back and accept the idea of evolution on the whole, regardless of
following one of the specific schools of thought that we have discussed?
The
answer is that these researchers, in the beginning of their research, did not
put down all the objective possibilities that are connected to this matter
under one microscope in order to look at them and examine them. They rejected,
from amongst the possibilities, the matter that they had no desire for and did
not look at or give any thought whatsoever. Indeed, it is that which is most
likely to be the truth, as the Creator of the universe Himself has explained in
His Book that was sent down to the Seal of His Prophets, upon them be blessings
and peace. Then they confined themselves to the circle that agrees with them,
or the end of the road that they placed in front of themselves. Within this
limited scope they started researching and asking about the first creation and
the origin of creation and man’s relation to other creatures.
Therefore
they had to–and they sentenced themselves to this ideological prison–choose the
best solutions and answers that they found in front of them, and if they did
not find them they should have–in any case–not returned to their research with
empty ideas, because returning with some supposition–regardless of the doubts
and suspicions surrounding it–is more suited to the aspirations of thought and
intellect than returning to a negative, confused position.
And
so on, as accepting any school of thought that assumes the idea of evolution in
the life of man and other creatures, regardless of the contradictions and holes
therein, is closer to scientific thought than saying that the earth or the sky
were suddenly split by a Being who is intricate in His making and wondrous in
His design. He intimidates the earth with His power and turns to the moon and
the stars with His might. If a person does not accept that then he find his
intellect compelled to accept this. At this point one hesitates regarding
choosing the former solution, despite its weight, when one finds oneself
confined to a narrow strait that only contains one of these two solutions.
There
is no doubt that this choice is based on logic! However, it is relative logic
that is harmonious with the mindset of whoever has placed himself within a
closed circle or restricted his thoughts to a dead-end road. From here he is
considered logical and being honest with himself when he says, while in this
constriction of his: ‘This is all that I can see in front of me, so what can
the intellect do other than choose the more likely solution?’
However,
this is immense ignorance and dangerous self-deception on the scale of thorough
examination and it is unrestraint throughout the world of fact, with all the available
possibilities, without making desire, the environment, traditions or the
authority of benefit the arbiter.
As
for us, in our scientific researches and studies we have adhered to the
principle of examining and probing all possibilities and hypotheses and we
place all of them under one microscope in order to look at them and research them.
Therefore, it is upon us to consider all the foundational possibilities that
are attached to the subject, including affirming the Creator, Mighty and
Majestic, which implies an explanation of this matter.
We
have examined the possibilities that have been hypothesised by the proponents
of evolutionary thought, and we have seen all of them suffer under the pressure
of serious criticisms directed at them. We have seen all of them struggle with
and invalidate one another, as you have seen in our brief examination.
Therefore,
we must turn and pay attention to affirming the Creator Himself, and He tells
us about the matter in detail and about its reality. In our previous lessons we
arrived at absolute certainty regarding Allah The Exalted’s existence based on
various, decisive scientific proofs. We also arrived at certainty regarding the
prophets and messengers being sent, including the Seal of the Prophets,
Muḥammad, peace and prayers be upon him. We have arrived at certainty in the
Books that have been sent down as revelation from Allah to them, and all this
was based on logical, scientific proofs that were explained in their place.[26] We have
seen the Creator, Mighty and Majestic, affirming that He created man in the
best of stature and that he multiplied from the progeny of Adam, whom Allah
created and gave him realisation and taught him how to state and express
things, the names of which He had inspired him with. Then we saw Him talking,
in this clear speech of His, about those who argue about how they came into
existence and the explanation that they must rely on when they imagined the
supposition of man’s evolution. They covered their ears in order not to hear
the Creator Himself explain the matter–we have seen Him talk about them in a
way that spreads awe and the majesty of Lordship. He said:
“I
did not make them witness to the creation of the heavens and the earth or to
the creation of themselves, and I would not take as assistants those who lead
astray.” [al-Kahf
18:51]
This
is how we have researched and examined deeply. Thus, in which possibilities do
we believe and affirm? Do we close our eyes and our thoughts and believe in one
of these aforementioned schools of thought, in spite of the gaps they suffer
from and the fact that they are collapsing under the weight of criticisms, and
reluctantly make our intellects accept one of these suppositions and affirm it,
or do we believe in acknowledging the Creator Himself, after we have believed
in Him and completed our faith in His Messengers, His Books and His Qurʾān?
No
free, intelligent person would hesitate for a single moment regarding the fact
that we must–after having faith in Allah, His Messengers and His Books–cast
aside the nature of these disturbed and confused people and affirm the
information that is sound and established and has reached us decisively and via
so many channels of transmission that it is impossible to be a lie.
We
say all of this regarding the story of man’s creation, which has been explained
in the Speech of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, clearly and decisively, leaving no
room for uncertainty or interpretation.
As
for the other creatures, it is for every intelligent person–as the Qur’an has
not explained their origin–to look into the matter if they wish, but they must
not let their thoughts wander between hidden suppositions that have no basis or
proof and they must only place their certainty in that which meets their
criteria for being definitive, scientific proofs, adhering to the principle
that Allah the Exalted enjoined upon us in:
“And
do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, hearing, sight and
heart will all be questioned.” [al-Isrāʾ 17:36]
The idea of evolution is one
thing…and the equated, gradual progress between species is something else:
Then
you must know that everything we have mentioned is connected only to the
hypothesis of man’s evolution, after he first came into existence, from one
species of creatures to another.
As
for the equated, gradual progress and what exists at the foundation of
creation, it begins from inanimate objects, then plants, then animals and then
man. This has been an established fact ever since the most ancient times until
today, and the eye cannot deny it, let alone the intellect and the mind. Thus
the series of categories of existent beings contains consistency in the path of
ascending to the highest, which makes it similar to grains laid out in succession,
gradually becoming more and more beautiful and rare.
All
of the scientists[27] have
talked about the phenomenon of this ascending alignment, which is the most
manifest proof of the Creator’s existence and His awesome power to create.
Ibn Khaldūn says, ‘One should then
look at the world of creation. It started out from the minerals and progressed,
in an ingenious, gradual manner, to plants and animals. The last stage of
minerals is connected with the first stage of plants, such as herbs and
seedless plants. The last stage of plants, such as palms and vines, is
connected with the first stage of animals, such as snails and shellfish which
have only the power of touch. The word “connection” with regard to these
created things means that the last stage of each group is fully prepared to
become the first stage of the next group. The animal world then widens, its
species become numerous, and, in a gradual process of creation, it finally
leads to man, who is able to think and to reflect.’[28]
Ibn Miskawayh says, ‘As for the
connection of created beings of which we say that wisdom is prevalent in them,
such that if we were to produce and present the masterful plan of The One True
Lord regarding all of them, such that the last of each species is connected to
the first of another species, it thus becomes like one thread that strings
several pearls in a perfect combination, until all of them come from one knot.
This is what we draw attention to in order to prove Allah’s help…’[29] Then he
started to go into greater detail about this gradual manner and elucidate it,
in the same way that Ibn Khaldūn clarified it.
This is a fact that is witnessed
and described, and established as it is, ever since the most ancient times that
man is aware of. All scientists see it and talk about it. Indeed, all
intelligent people who look at it are astonished, and it has nothing to do
whatsoever with what Darwinists and their ilk have supposed, i.e. the evolution
of each species from the species beneath it, be it man or any other species. It
is a false hypothesis without any foundation, as you have learned.
Something rather curious is that
some of those who are still enchanted by the researches and ideas of Westerners
take every idea that is put forward by a Western researcher and try to find
something that corroborates it from the Qurʾān, or the Sunnah or what some
Muslim scholar has written! Whenever they hear the theories of evolution they
rush to find something that corroborates it from any Islamic source, such that
if they find what has been said by many Muslim scholars such as Ibn Khaldūn and
Ibn Miskawayh they put their hands in it as if they have discovered a priceless
treasure chest and then they set about confirming, with vehement pride and joy,
that Muslims scholars preceded Darwin by hundreds of years!
We say: if it were the case that a
Muslim scholar preceded Darwin with regards to his theory that he put forward,
all it would show is that that scholar preceded him in idiocy and falsehood,
and we turn to Allah to free us from that.
Indeed it is one of the most
severe forms of oppression to strip sound speech of its meaning and then attach
falsehood to it in order to support the whisperings of liars, being diligent in
blindly imitating them and following them wherever they go.
[1]Ar. dalīl al-khiṭāb; this is a byword
for mafhūm al-mukhālafah, or understanding the opposite. For example, if
some people will be veiled from Allah on the Day of Judgment out of His wrath,
then this means that others will see Him out of His pleasure.
[2]See Tafsīr al-Rāzī 5/261
[3] See Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī (al-Jāmiʿ
li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān)
[5] (tn): Ar. ijmāʿ al-ummah
[6] (tn) Ar. takabbur, which is rightful
for Allah and blameworthy for man
[7] Something astonishing and laughable is that
some atheists wanted to claim that the Qurʾān contradicts itself, so they
became obsessed with researching this matter. Then they came across this
apparent contradiction regarding the origin of man: one time it says that he is
created from earth, another time that he is created from ṣalṣāl and
another time that he is created from hamaʾ masnūn.
This
apparent contradiction is similar to what happens when someone says: ‘This
house is built from earth that comes from clay that comes from baked brick.’ If
man loses his freedom such that he becomes the property of his masters then it
is no wonder that he loses his mind as well, and thus he thinks based on
someone else’s desires.
[8] (tn): i.e. p. 111 of this translation
[9]See ʿIlm al-Ḥayāt al-Ḥayawāniyyah by Dr
ʿAbdul Ḥalīm Swaydān, p.130
[11] (tn): The first edition of the book was
published 1859. This author is actually referring to the sixth edition, which
was published in 1871.
[12] (tn): i.e. Food supply is incapable of keeping
up with population growth.
[13] Al-Insān wa At-Taṭawwur by Dr Ḥasan
Zīnū as well as ʿIlm Al-Ḥayāt Al-Ḥayawāniyyah by Dr ʿAbdul Ḥalīm Swaydān
[14] The Origin of Species by Darwin, p.195.
(tn): The author is referring, here and in the notes below, to the Arabic
translation of the sixth edition by Ismāʿīl Maẓhar, entitled Aṣl al-Anwāʿ, published by Maktabah al-Nahḍah in Beirut and
Baghdad.
[15] See Darwin, The Origin of Species;
Chapter 8: Instinct, p.454-500 and Chapter 11: On the Geological Succession of
Organic Beings. Also see Dr Anwār ʿAbdul Ḥalīm, Qiṣṣat al-Taṭawwur p.68.
[16] (tn):
i.e. events that led to mass extinctions
[17] (tn): i.e. the natural pattern. In other
words, those who are most fit for survival are usually destroyed first in
natural disasters, manmade calamities and other forms of mass extinction.
[18] (tn): i.e. statistical studies
[19] (tn): i.e. a weak being
[20] (tn): i.e. a weak being
[21] The Origin of Species,
p.412. (tn): p.127 (n.p: Feedbooks, Sixth Edition) The full quote is: “Lastly,
more than one writer has asked why have some animals had their mental powers
more highly developed than others, as such development would be advantageous to
all? Why have not apes acquired the intellectual powers of man? Various causes
could be assigned; but as they are conjectural, and their relative probability
cannot be weighed, it would be useless to give them. A definite answer to the
latter question ought not to be expected, seeing that no one can solve the
simpler problem, why, of two races of savages, one has risen higher in the
scale of civilisation than the other; and this apparently implies increased
brain power.” One can also see: http://www.literature.org/authors/darwin-charles/the-origin-of-species-6th-edition/chapter-07.html
[22] The Origin of Species, p.447.
(tn): p.235 (n.p.: Feedbooks, Sixth
Edition) One can also see: http://www.literature.org/authors/darwin-charles/the-origin-of-species-6th-edition/chapter-07.html
[23] (tn): As an additional example, two people
possessing similar features is not definite proof that they are related. It is
merely circumstantial. Furthermore, where are the transitional forms? There is
absolutely no proof whatsoever for their existence.
[24] (tn): What is being referred to is the new
Neo-Darwinist addition of the doctrine of punctuated equilibrium to account for
massive leaps and advances over short periods of time. This was done when
Neo-Darwinists recognized that a beneficial mutation over billions of years
could theoretically be undone over that same amount of time.
[25] (tn): i.e. a mind of its own
[26] (tn): i.e. earlier in this book, Kubrā
Al-Yaqīniyyāt Al-Kawniyyah
[27] (tn): Ar. ʿulamāʾ, which could also be
translated as scholars
[28] Al-Muqaddimah, p.47 and 48, Būlāq
edition (tn): The Muqaddimah; An Introduction to History by Ibn Khaldūn, translated by Franz Rosenthal (Princeton:
Princeton University Press, 2005) p.75
[29] Al-Fawz al-Asghar by Ibn Miskawayh,
p.90
JazakAllah khayr for all your efforts.
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