Abstract
According to all scriptures, it is God who created this universe and all that is within it. According to the Qur’an also, Allah is the creator of this universe, of nature, and of human beings. There is also the Darwinian theory of evolution. Some support the theory of evolution and reject what is called “creationism” and some people support the dogma of creation and totally reject the concept of evolution. The Qur’an also talks of creation; but the question is whether it rejects the concept of evolution? It is essentially the question of interpretation, after all. The most important question is: are the concepts of creation and evolution mutually exclusive? Most people would maintain yes. But I think they are not necessarily exclusive. They are rather inclusive. The question is: evolution of what? It is evolution of what exists. The Darwinian theory of evolution, if properly understood and interpreted, does not necessarily reject the idea of creation, though it was thought to have done so. In fact, rationalism was emerging in Europe with great verve in the 19th century and the rationalists were looking for explanations for the coming into existence of human beings and various other species. Darwin’s observations and the theory he built on the basis of the empirical evidence he collected became a powerful weapon in the hands of rationalists. It is as if the rationalists were waiting for someone to theorise along these lines and Darwin became their hero, who provided them with the much-needed explanation.
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Reference
Maulana Muhammad Ali, The Holy Qur’an, 6th Ed. (Lahore: AAII Publishers, 1973), p. 5152, f.n. 163.
Cf. Imam Raghib, Mufradat al-Qur’an. Urdu trans. Sheikhul Hadith Maulana Muhammad Abdahu (Lahore: Ahle Hadith Academy, 1971 ), p. 76.
Maulana Mujahidul Islam Qasmi, Zarurat-o-Hajat (Delhi: Islamic Fiqh Academy, India, 1995 ).
Patrick Dixon, “The Brave New World of Human Cloning: Animals Are One Thing, Humans Are quite Another,” Times of India, Bombay Edition, 12 January 1999.
Michael Shermer “Go Ahead and Clone; lt Is just another Tool of Science,” Times of India, Bombay Edition, 12 January 1999.
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Engineer, A.A. (2001). Humankind’s Relationship with Nature and Participation in the Process of Creation by Technology from an Islamic Point of View. In: Koslowski, P. (eds) Nature and Technology in the World Religions. A Discourse of the World Religions, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-2394-7_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-2394-7_4
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