CILE
Area of Research
#CILE2015 Mohamed Naim Yassin: Problems that Evolutionism presents to Muslim Perceptions

#CILE2015: The Participants

 

>> CILE 3rd Annal International Conference, Brussels, march 2015 <<

 

Biography

Dr. Yasin specializes in Comparative Fiqh and Islamic Politics. He has published many books, including Al-Iman (Faith), Abhath Fiqhyyah fi qadaya tibbyyah (Juridical research in Contemporary medical issues) and more recently Mabâhith fī al-‘aql (Philosophy of Mind). He has written more than 40 research papers on medical issues and contemporary zakat and worked in different educational institutions such as University of Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and the University of Islamic Sciences.

 

Speech Title (Islam and Science panel)

Problems that Evolutionism presents to Muslim Perceptions

 

Abstract

So far as the Islamic perception is concerned, it is conclusively absolute that God is the Creator of all things, a fact beyond denial or hesitation. Darwin argues that all species of organisms arise and develop from one of four origins. During his earlier investigations, he believed that it is difficult to attribute species to anything other than omnipotent and omniscient wise Creator. Latterly however, he doubted this understanding since he considered it impossible to prove by evidence. Hence he believed that human beings are free to believe or disbelieve in the Creator. It seems that Darwin considered that faith has nothing to do with evolutionism or the genesis of man and creation, even if it is the most important circle of evolution, because it formed the beginning. Anyway, Darwin’s view that faith in the Creator is speculative comes into full conflict with the Islamic faith.

For Darwin, all species are involved in a struggle for survival in the process of natural selection based on the emblematic phrase “survival of the fittest”, which denotes that the influential elements in survival are all inevitably occurring without the Creator’s intervention. Evolution is automatically taking place and one particular event follows another by self-powers originated in nature. This understanding is in stark conflict with the belief in divine predestination. It contradicts the decisive Islamic perception, because the claimed evolution is not a part of the Creator’s plan for the creation. It is not enough for Darwin to remove this conflict by simply acknowledging God as the first origin, if he deistically meant that He created this origin and did not intervene in the creation affairs.

Generalizing the theory to include man is also problematic, for the Islamic percep- tion believes conclusively that Adam was created by God from two elements : The spirit breathed by God formed their basis and this spirit is only breathed into a body of a specific formation, which is fit to receive and obey the spirit’s orders. Meanwhile, the conclusive texts prove that Adam was not created on the earth. Instead, he was sent here after being made fully into human being by God’s creation. I do not think that Darwin opens his theory to include the heavens !

The “survival of the fittest” claims are in open conflict with the Quranic texts, which declare that God may help the weak and destroy the strong ; a fact that is well-demonstrated in the stories told by all the prophets. Darwinism is thus impossible to apply to man in the Islamic perception, unless it implies that God may give precedence to one species over another for certain wisdom that He knows and such wisdom may be unveiled to us. Truly, this is a critical factor. The concept of the “fittest” thus changes the causes of survival when this perception is introduced to the structure of Islamic doctrines.

Darwinism’s limitless application to man and the future of humans, conflicts with the Islamic creed about the end of human life in this world and the existence of the Afterlife with eternal reward devised by God’s Command. His theory claims endless sequences of evolution and the rise of species. Drawing on the “survival of the fittest”, the current man of our time will be worst, while the superman expected to soon assume God’s position is yet to come, God forbid ! Incredibly, some well-known and long-established understandings, supported by some Quranic verses, state that the Last Hour will strike the worst of mankind, not the fittest of mankind.

 

Video

(Starting 1 hour, 7 min, 40 sec )

Post your Comments

Your email address will not be published*

Add new comment

Restricted HTML

  • Allowed HTML tags: <a href hreflang> <em> <strong> <cite> <blockquote cite> <code> <ul type> <ol start type> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <h2 id> <h3 id> <h4 id> <h5 id> <h6 id>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.