Human evolution and Islam

Islam is quite clear on the subject of human evolution: there was none.
This is how About Islam.com explains the issue...

While Islam recognizes the general idea of the development of life in stages, over a period of time, human beings are considered as a special act of creation. Islam teaches that human beings are a unique life form that was created by Allah in a special way, with unique gifts and abilities unlike any other: a soul and conscience, knowledge, and free will. In short, Muslims do not believe that human beings randomly evolved from apes. The life of human beings began with the creation of two people, a male and a female named Adam and Hawwa (Eve).

Notice how the author already muddies the issue by confusing the idea of man and apes evolving from a common ancestor (what anthropologists believe and what we have evidence for) with man evolving from apes (what no anthropologist or scientist has ever suggested). Notice also the sly use of the word randomly - meaning what exactly in this context?

My Muslim friend and I were debating this issue some years ago. If, he said, "a missing link between men and apes" (meaning between man and his hominid ancestors) were ever discovered, he would abandon his faith since the creation of Adam and Eve as the originators of mankind is a basic tenet of Islam.

So what do Muslims make of the ever-increasing amount of fossil evidence for the so-called missing links. How do they fit homo erectus and homo habilis for example, into their world view?

Let us return to the Muslim view of the creation of Man for one moment as described once again by About Islam. (and lest anyone accuse me of picking on Islam here, let's remember that Mohammed got his "facts" from the Judeo-Christian creation stories, which in turn were borrowed from more ancient myths and so on and so on...)

The Qur'an describes how Allah created Adam: "We created man from sounding clay, from mud moulded into shape..." (15:26). And, "He began the creation of man from clay, and made his progeny from a quintessence of fluid" (32:7-8). Thus, human beings have a fundamental attachment to the earth.


While the creation of Eve is not described in detail, the Qur'an does make it clear that a "mate" was created with Adam, from the same nature and soul. "It is He Who created you from a single person, and made his mate of like nature, in order that he might dwell with her in love" (7:189). She is not mentioned by name in the Qur'an, but in Islamic tradition she is known as "Hawwa" (Eve).


From these two individuals, generations of human beings have inhabited the earth. "Oh humankind! We created you from a single pair of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, so that you may know each other (not that ye may despise each other). Verily the most honoured among you in the sight of Allah is the who is the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things)" (49:13).

As can be seen from the above surah, there is no escaping the very explicit reference to "two individuals" and "a single pair of male and female".
No Muslim can allow himself or herself to accept what modern science tells us to be our origins. If they do, they must, logically, reject their faith and will burn in Hell for all eternity...Because rememeber, Allah is "the most merciful of all those who are merciful"...

Doe this perhaps explain the despicable rantings of our favourite lunatic revert, Yusuf Estes?