Asalaamu Alaikum, What is the Islamic opinion on the theory of evolution, and if a Muslim claims to believe in this theory is he a kafir? I have spoken with Muslim medical students who claim evolution is compatible with their faith, but what is the Islamic perspective on this theory? The theory of evolution is a very contentious question with many Muslims, so if you can post this Fatwa to your website it would be very helpful. Thank you for your consideration, Jazakallah Khairan

All praise be to Allah, and may His blessings and peace be on His last messenger, Muhammad,

I believe the people you encountered may have their own iteration of the theory of evolution. It comes in different shades, so that is how some people seek to reconcile parts of it with the theistic narrative of the “Abrahamic faiths,” which all maintain that God created Adam, then Eve, and from Adam and Eve we all descended.

It is certainly not compatible with Islam to deny that human beings are all descendants of Adam and Eve. Allah said,

“يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَىٰ.”

“O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female.” [Sahih International, 49:13]

Some theistic sympathizers with the theory accept all that but suggest that Adam could have been created over time, in phases. They sometimes cite the following verse:

“وَقَدْ خَلَقَكُمْ أَطْوَارًا”

“While He has created you in stages?” [Nūĥ 71:14]

They also cite Allah’s saying:

إِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ إِنِّي خَالِقٌ بَشَرًا مِّن طِينٍ. فَإِذَا سَوَّيْتُهُ وَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِي فَقَعُوا لَهُ سَاجِدِينَ

“[So mention] when your Lord said to the angels, “Indeed, I am going to create a human being from clay. So when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My [created] soul, then fall down to him in prostration.” [Şād 38:71-72]

The argue that the “bashar” (animals-to-humans) that were created first were then proportioned over periods we were not told of, and then a soul of different nature was breathed into one of them making him so special that the angels were to prostrate before him.

This is inconsistent with the tradition and the apparent meanings of many scriptural texts indicating that Adam was created directly by God and did not descend from apes. Allah said,

“قَالَ يَا إِبْلِيسُ مَا مَنَعَكَ أَن تَسْجُدَ لِمَا خَلَقْتُ بِيَدَيَّ.”

 “[Allah] said, “O Iblees, what prevented you from prostrating to that which I created with My hands?” [Sahih International, 38:75]

The Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) also said:

 “لا فضل لعربي على عجمي، ولا لعجمى على عربي، ولا لأبيض على أسود . ولا لأسود على أبيض، إلا بالتقوى، الناس من آدم، وآدم من تراب”

“There is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab, or of a non-Arab over an Arab, or of a white man over a black man, or of a black man over a white man, except in terms of taqwa (God-consciousness). The people are from Adam, and Adam is from dust.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (3270); classed as hasan by al-Albani.

To deny the apparent meanings of the above texts, you would need a new system of hermeneutics that is very foreign to the established tradition. The harm to the established hermeneutical system would outweigh the benefit of reconciling some scriptural reports with prevalent theories.

Having said that, I must admit that it is not incompatible to believe that other forms of creation existed on earth and became extinct. Allah said,

“وَيَخْلُقُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ”

“And He creates that which you do not know.” [Sahih International, 16:8]

It is also not incompatible to believe, to some degree, in some forms of the natural selection and adaptation theory and the development of new characteristics in certain species in that context. Basically, there is no proof that this doesn’t happen. Finally, while this is inconsistent with the tradition, there is also no decisive scriptural evidence that, apart from humans, other creations could have not evolved of one another.

The scriptural proofs should not conflict with mental axioms or the findings of empirical senses. However, the evolution theory is a “theory.” It has many problems from within, such as the missing links between the species in the fossil record. Also there is no proven mechanism by which that evolution took place. For example, the notion that a bear can develop into a whale by acquiring a more aquatic habitat is very ignorant of the genetic repository of both according to modern science. That is why they continue to think of modifications to fill in the gaps and answer the difficult questions the theory didn’t answer. Genetic mutations were suggested. However, they cannot explain the perfection of creation. They rarely bring about anything but disease and deficiencies. All modifications thus far have not succeeded in what was intended by them. Furthermore, the theory does not provide any answer to the most important question: how did all of this come about in the first place?

In addition to the above, the evolution theory is a direct blow to the concept of the equality and common origin of mankind. Social and economic Darwinism are but some of its manifestations. Much evil can ensue from the wholesale belief in it. It debases man and ignores our spiritual nature, leading to a very distorted and materialistic perception of oneself.

As for the disbelief (kufr) of those who subscribe to this theory, I must say the following:

Since there are so many shades of belief in that theory, I can’t give you a blanket statement concerning the status of those people. Yet, here are some important principles to keep in mind:

We should never shy away from demarcating the borders of Islam and defending them. That sometimes warrants the declaration of the disbelief of certain individuals or groups. A person becomes kafir if he denies an agreed upon clear unequivocal text of the Quran or the Mutawatir sunnah (relayed by recurrent mass transmission) or a must-be-known teaching of Islam. However, you should never get busy accusing particular individuals of kufr unless there is no shred of doubt they are. What you should know is the difference between belief and disbelief. Those who declare the kalimah (testimony of faith) must not be called kafir unless it is done by the people of knowledge after the plea is established against them, and the conditions of that declaration are met, and the hindrances against making it are all ruled out.

My final advice is to refrain from investigating that which was concealed from us because uncovering alghayb (the unseen that is beyond our reach) is not only unattainable, but also inconsequential. People should have a humble understanding of what they were told in the Quran and Sunnah and consign the ultimate reality of these matters to God. We should be more concerned about the lessons and wisdom to learn from the scriptural reports.

Allah knows best.