Social Evolution Vs Religion

1470 Words3 Pages

The debate about if Evolution is a reality or a fantasy is a burning question between Muslims and Atheists. The main idea behind evolution is that populations and species of organisms change socially and biologically over time. Many Muslims have been discussing this subject ever since Charles Darwin released his Theory of Evolution in 1859. The Theory of Evolution is described as “descent with modification;” the idea that species change over time, give rise to new species and share a common ancestor. The Qur’an, the Holy book of Islam, says many things about how man was created, especially in regards to biological and social evolution. Muslims believe that humans were made from clay and water, while Darwinian evolution states that humans descended …show more content…

Social Evolution is when man can evolve mentally when being in an environment with other humans. Social Evolution changes a human’s interaction with other people, their actions around other people, and how they influence and act around society. Biological Evolution is when a person can evolve physically by the evolution of genes. The most common form of Biological Evolution is the Theory of Evolution by Charles Darwin, where he shows that humans supposedly evolved from Apes. Muslims believe that Social Evolution is judged by man, however Biological Evolution is judged by Allah. The Qur’an talks about Social Evolution when it says in Chapter Shams (the Sun) Verses 9-10 says, “He will indeed be successful who purifies it. and he will indeed fail who corrupts it.” (Mutahhari, 7) This verse talks about how man can influence society positively and negatively and the outcome of his actions. Muslims believe that Biological Evolution is changed by Allah and that he knows the outcome. Most Muslims believe that humans evolved over time however they believe that Allah judged the outcome of the human and that he …show more content…

(Hannan, 24) Saudi Arabia is a very conservative Muslim country that has a strong hold on Islamic beliefs. Darwin’s main use was to remove God and explain biology in terms of his findings, this resulted in some schools to completely remove it from all fields of study. A survey of religious commitment in Muslim-majority country shows that over half of the respondents in Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Malaysia, and Egypt believed that Darwin’s Theory of Evolution “could not be true” (Hannam, 24), because of their very conservative and strict teachings about the Qur’an in its original state. In Iran however, students are taught evolution in detail and that “nearly all biologists today have accepted that Darwin’s theory can explain the diversity of the Earth” (Hannan, 24). Muslims teach a limited view of Darwinian Evolution because the Qur’an says that the first man was created by God, made from dry clay like earthen vessels, and was created from dust. The idea of teaching Darwinian Evolution in school became increasingly evident after Darwin’s death. Two Protestant Christian missionaries at a college in Beirut, Lebanon were responsible for the controversy by spreading Darwin’s ideas in the college. This triggered some Muslims to conflict and argue about evolution. With many people preaching the ideas of Darwin,

Open Document