Ahmadiyya views of evolution
Encyclopedia
The Ahmadiyya
Movement is the only denomination of Islam
that universally accept in principle the process of evolution
, albeit divinely guided, and actively promotes it. Over the course of several decades the movement has issued various publications in support of the scientific concepts behind the process of evolution, and frequently engages in promoting how religious scripture supports the concept.
narratives literally, but understand some of the passages metaphorically. Intelligent Design
models are also rejected as are certain aspects of Islamic creationism
that some modernist religious bodies have postulated. Instead they propound the concept of "Guided Evolution", which is demonstrated as being supported both by scriptural and scientific evidence.
Ahmadi Muslims favor the perspective that the human race evolved out of the earth over a long period of time. The Qur'an
teaches that man was created from the earth through a gradual evolutionary process in the following verses:
These verses illustrate that the creation of the human race was the culmination of a gradual evolutionary process and that it would be incorrect to say (as Creationism
/Intelligent design
suggests) that God formed the human being in an instant . Thus Ahmadis accept the concept of evolution in principle, but do not accept Darwinian evolution in all its details.
was the first human being on Earth, and proclaim that he was appointed as the first Prophet of God. This is supported by the verse of the Qur'an
which refers to the appointment of a Representative of God on earth, rather than the creation of a new species, viz:
Ahmadis reason logically that the angels could only have questioned the appointment of a human being as a Prophet (Khalifa of God) because they had already witnessed disorder and bloodshed amongst the already existing humans.
The story of Adam
and Eve
as given in the Bible is viewed by Ahmadis as being more of an account of religious history than a history of the entire human race.
Belal Khalid, an Ahmadi scholar, clarified in his work, “Original Sin”:
occurred purely by chance, or merely by survival of the fittest – and view each stage of the evolutionary process as being selectively and continually woven to an intricate level by one monotheistic creator (Allah).
Furthermore illustrated with scientific theories and Quranic scripture, Ahmadis contend that the processes of life on Earth started from one single point of species (bacteria) with a mixture of water and a viscous clay-like substance. From the source of that one single organism, to the point of the first Prophet Adam (so the Ahmadiyya view) was a slow gradual evolutionary process that occurred over several stages (Lane). Each stage being of a variable timescale - perhaps over billions of years.
Proponents of Ahmadiyya consider that the notion of unguided 'natural selection' does not adequately explain how various species that have progressed from the lowest forms to the highest forms have solely depended upon occurrence of random mutations within the gene pool, or purely by the demands of environmental factors. In his book Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge and Truth (published 1998), Mirza Tahir Ahmad
, the late leader of the Ahmadiyya movement, elaborated the complex mechanism of evolution as having been played more like strategic game of Chess than a game of Dice. Subsequently evolutionary processes could only have been guided by a vastly higher intelligence (God).
and the stance of modernist Islamic scholars, Ahmadis adopt a scientific cosmological approach to explaining the formation of universe initiated from the Big Bang
and highlight how these theories relate with Quranic scripture.
Some of the following verses for example, illustrate how certain aspects of modern scientific theory correspond with religious scripture:
Ahmadi's also explain these verses were written over 1400 years ago – long before mankind had reached any level of scientific insight. Thus modern science has recently uncovered proofs about the universe which contend with these verses, so this is indication that the verses were revealed from the God that created the universe.
the theory that the universe began roughly 13 billion years ago.
A single period, so the Ahmadi view, has no definitive timescale and could mean anywhere from 1 day to billions of years.
According to the Ahmadiyya view the universe passed from stage to stage till the Earth assumed a shape and developed properties which could sustain human life.
The following verse corroborates this interpretation:
Ahmadis believe that any planet that contains the key ingredient of life—water—may also harbour life, as God has created all living things from water:
Ahmadiyya
Ahmadiyya is an Islamic religious revivalist movement founded in India near the end of the 19th century, originating with the life and teachings of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad , who claimed to have fulfilled the prophecies about the world reformer of the end times, who was to herald the Eschaton as...
Movement is the only denomination of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
that universally accept in principle the process of evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
, albeit divinely guided, and actively promotes it. Over the course of several decades the movement has issued various publications in support of the scientific concepts behind the process of evolution, and frequently engages in promoting how religious scripture supports the concept.
Views on Creationism and Intelligent Design
Ahmadi Muslims do not take all the Quranic and Biblical creationCreationism
Creationism is the religious beliefthat humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe are the creation of a supernatural being, most often referring to the Abrahamic god. As science developed from the 18th century onwards, various views developed which aimed to reconcile science with the Genesis...
narratives literally, but understand some of the passages metaphorically. Intelligent Design
Intelligent design
Intelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for...
models are also rejected as are certain aspects of Islamic creationism
Islamic creationism
Islamic views on evolution refers to varying Muslim beliefs on how the life came to be. Muslims acknowledge God as the Creator, as explained in the Qur'an. Other than that, Muslim views on evolution vary...
that some modernist religious bodies have postulated. Instead they propound the concept of "Guided Evolution", which is demonstrated as being supported both by scriptural and scientific evidence.
Ahmadi Muslims favor the perspective that the human race evolved out of the earth over a long period of time. The Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
teaches that man was created from the earth through a gradual evolutionary process in the following verses:
“And He [Allah/God] has created you in different stages and different forms ... And Allah has caused you to develop as a good growth from the earth. [Qur'an 71:14,17]
These verses illustrate that the creation of the human race was the culmination of a gradual evolutionary process and that it would be incorrect to say (as Creationism
Creationism
Creationism is the religious beliefthat humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe are the creation of a supernatural being, most often referring to the Abrahamic god. As science developed from the 18th century onwards, various views developed which aimed to reconcile science with the Genesis...
/Intelligent design
Intelligent design
Intelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for...
suggests) that God formed the human being in an instant . Thus Ahmadis accept the concept of evolution in principle, but do not accept Darwinian evolution in all its details.
Adam and Eve
Ahmadis also reject the creationist doctrine that AdamAdam
Adam is a figure in the Book of Genesis. According to the creation myth of Abrahamic religions, he is the first human. In the Genesis creation narratives, he was created by Yahweh-Elohim , and the first woman, Eve was formed from his rib...
was the first human being on Earth, and proclaim that he was appointed as the first Prophet of God. This is supported by the verse of the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
which refers to the appointment of a Representative of God on earth, rather than the creation of a new species, viz:
[2:30] And when thy Lord said to the angels: ‘I am about to appoint a Vicegerent (Khalifa) in the earth,’ they said: ‘Wilt Thou place therein such as will cause disorder in it, and shed blood? — and we glorify Thee with Thy praise and extol Thy holiness.’ He answered: ‘I know what you know not.’
Ahmadis reason logically that the angels could only have questioned the appointment of a human being as a Prophet (Khalifa of God) because they had already witnessed disorder and bloodshed amongst the already existing humans.
The story of Adam
Adam
Adam is a figure in the Book of Genesis. According to the creation myth of Abrahamic religions, he is the first human. In the Genesis creation narratives, he was created by Yahweh-Elohim , and the first woman, Eve was formed from his rib...
and Eve
Eve
Eve is the first woman created by God in the Book of Genesis.Eve may also refer to:-People:*Eve , a common given name and surname*Eve , American recording artist and actress-Places:...
as given in the Bible is viewed by Ahmadis as being more of an account of religious history than a history of the entire human race.
Belal Khalid, an Ahmadi scholar, clarified in his work, “Original Sin”:
“When the stage of the full development of the mental faculties of man was reached, God sent His revelation to the most perfect man of that generation, namely, Hadhrat Adam (as).
In short, the Quran teaches that man's physical creation and development are the result of a process of evolution and in the same way his intellectual development is also the result of a process of evolution. Hadhrat Adam (as) was not the first human being, but was the first human being whose intellect was capable of accepting and bearing the responsibility of revelation.”
Guided evolution
Rather than adopting the Darwinist theory of unguided natural selection, Ahmadis promote the supposition of “guided evolution” as being part of the progressive design of God. As such they deny that natural selectionNatural selection
Natural selection is the nonrandom process by which biologic traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a key mechanism of evolution....
occurred purely by chance, or merely by survival of the fittest – and view each stage of the evolutionary process as being selectively and continually woven to an intricate level by one monotheistic creator (Allah).
Furthermore illustrated with scientific theories and Quranic scripture, Ahmadis contend that the processes of life on Earth started from one single point of species (bacteria) with a mixture of water and a viscous clay-like substance. From the source of that one single organism, to the point of the first Prophet Adam (so the Ahmadiyya view) was a slow gradual evolutionary process that occurred over several stages (Lane). Each stage being of a variable timescale - perhaps over billions of years.
Proponents of Ahmadiyya consider that the notion of unguided 'natural selection' does not adequately explain how various species that have progressed from the lowest forms to the highest forms have solely depended upon occurrence of random mutations within the gene pool, or purely by the demands of environmental factors. In his book Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge and Truth (published 1998), Mirza Tahir Ahmad
Mirza Tahir Ahmad
Mirza Tahir Ahmad was Khalifatul Masih IV, Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and fourth successor to Mirza Ghulam Ahmad...
, the late leader of the Ahmadiyya movement, elaborated the complex mechanism of evolution as having been played more like strategic game of Chess than a game of Dice. Subsequently evolutionary processes could only have been guided by a vastly higher intelligence (God).
Creation of the Universe
Similar to Theistic realismTheistic realism
Theistic science, also referred to as theistic realism, Augustinian science or Islamic science is the viewpoint that methodological naturalism should be replaced by a philosophy of science that is informed by supernatural revelation and/or allows occasional supernatural explanations. The viewpoint...
and the stance of modernist Islamic scholars, Ahmadis adopt a scientific cosmological approach to explaining the formation of universe initiated from the Big Bang
Big Bang
The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model that explains the early development of the Universe. According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe was once in an extremely hot and dense state which expanded rapidly. This rapid expansion caused the young Universe to cool and resulted in...
and highlight how these theories relate with Quranic scripture.
Some of the following verses for example, illustrate how certain aspects of modern scientific theory correspond with religious scripture:
“Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together,
then We clove them asunder and We created every living thing out of the water.
Will they not then believe?”
[Qur'an 21:30]
(Big Bang Theory and the origin of life from water)
"Then turned He to the heaven when it was smoke,
and said unto it and unto the earth:
Come both of you, willingly or loth.
They said: We come, obedient."
[Qur'an 41:11]
(The Earth from Nebulae. )
“And it is We Who have constructed the heaven with might,
and it is We Who are steadily expanding it.”
[Qur'an 51:47]
(Hubble's lawHubble's lawHubble's law is the name for the astronomical observation in physical cosmology that: all objects observed in deep space are found to have a doppler shift observable relative velocity to Earth, and to each other; and that this doppler-shift-measured velocity, of various galaxies receding from...
- of the expanding universe)
“On the day when We will roll up heaven like the
rolling up of the scroll for writings,
as We originated the first creation, (so) We
shall reproduce it; a promise (binding on Us);
surely We will bring it about.”
[Qur'an 21:104]
(Big crunchBig CrunchIn physical cosmology, the Big Crunch is one possible scenario for the ultimate fate of the universe, in which the metric expansion of space eventually reverses and the universe recollapses, ultimately ending as a black hole singularity.- Overview :...
Theory)
Ahmadi's also explain these verses were written over 1400 years ago – long before mankind had reached any level of scientific insight. Thus modern science has recently uncovered proofs about the universe which contend with these verses, so this is indication that the verses were revealed from the God that created the universe.
Six individual phases of creation
Furthermore, Ahmadis highlight several verses in the Quran where it mentions of "Six periods of creation" and use these verses to explainthe theory that the universe began roughly 13 billion years ago.
A single period, so the Ahmadi view, has no definitive timescale and could mean anywhere from 1 day to billions of years.
“And, verily, We created the heavens
and the Earth and all that is between
them in six periods and no weariness
touched Us.”
[Qur'an 50:39]
According to the Ahmadiyya view the universe passed from stage to stage till the Earth assumed a shape and developed properties which could sustain human life.
Extraterrestrial evolution
Generally, Ahmadis believe that life is almost certainly not limited to planet Earth. The possibility of life having evolved on other planets is clearly established in the first chapter of the Qur'an which speaks of the plurality of worlds:
“All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of All the Worlds.”
[Quran 1:2]
The following verse corroborates this interpretation:
"And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and of whatever living creatures (da'bbah) He has spread forth in both. And He has the power to gather them together when He will so please". [42:29]
Ahmadis believe that any planet that contains the key ingredient of life—water—may also harbour life, as God has created all living things from water:
We (God) created every living thing out of the water.
[Qur'an 21:30]
External links
- Official website of Worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
- Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge & Truth, by Mirza Tahir Ahmad
- Original Sin, by Belal Khalid
- Jesus and the Indian Messiah