Can MUSLIMS Really Believe in Human EVOLUTION?? The Answer Might Surprise You

In this guest lecture, Dr. Hashmi explores the scriptural challenge posed by Darwin and human evolution. Can science and scripture be reconciled??
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[@realtheology5342]

One hour special 😍😍 can’t say no to that! Amazing work like always! Rly enjoyed the lecture!

[@DrJavadTHashmi]

Thank you! 😊

[@inhumanhyena]

MashaAllah, you're doing very important work here brother, keep it up!

[@DrJavadTHashmi]

Many many thanks

[@AbdurRahman-cf8xd]

@@DrJavadTHashmi Thanks for your hard work professor. it seems, you are very enlightened person as well. I believe, these enlightened muslim scholars, were very smart to spot all these irrational aspects in the scripture, thus they tried to reconcile the scripture with updated knowledge of the world affairs by inventing allegorical meaning of the scriptures. Since they did not have complete access to scientific and cosmological knowledge what we have now, thus, it was hard for them not to believe that there is a god or these revelations came from the creator. Even for their enlightened view of scriptures, many of them were being leveled as apostate by mainstream muslim scholars. I would really admire them for their ground breaking work. Honestly, if God asked me why you did not believe my revelations or lost your faith, I might say, "Hey Allah, your very confusing, contradictory, irrational and inconsistence revelations made me unbeliever, I believe the Omniscient and rational God would not be offended by my take on this man made revelations.

[@whatamievendoing]

I didn't know what to expect with this lecture but you definitely surpassed expectations. I love the level of nuance and delicacy at display here, this was just amazing! I read in the comments of another video that you give these lectures in a mosque... Not going to lie here, I'm a bit jealous. Wish I could attend in person!

[@heartfeltteaching]

My dad isn't the brightest bulb in the tanning bed, so when we used to drive to Islamic Sunday School in the 90s, his answer to this question would always be some variation 'intellectually evolution is true, but faith tells us God made human beings individually.' To this day he resents my not treating him as a source of wisdom lol

[@muhammads575]

very well explained I'm actually blown. Dr Taimur Rahman has also been dealing with the prevalence of fundementalism in south asia recently, discusisng people like Maulana Maududi and Dr Israr Ahmed, some of the most influential figures. Keep it up!

[@jinn_1891]

Excellent job

[@DrJavadTHashmi]

Thank you very much!

[@quicktingz2097]

Excellent video Dr👍 Keep up the amazing work!

[@DrJavadTHashmi]

Thanks a lot!

[@ZahidHussain-ih3nn]

Amazing work!

[@celtislam]

Excellent and enlightening as always

[@Azukos]

Assalam-o-Aleykum Dr. Hashmi, Thank you very much for this lecture. I (we) needed to hear all of this. I was able to understand a lot of vocabulary that I saw here and there (especially in the book by Iqbal that I read recently) such as Ashʿarī or Muʿtazila for example. I guess you popularized it a bit to make it more accessible, I really needed it and I'm certainly not the only one. So, sincerely, thanks! To tell a bit about my story, I was born and raised in Europe, I never let go of my religion and my principles but I was lax on a few precepts that I didn't understand. It was only recently (a year and a few ago) that I started to take an interest in theology and history (and also a bit of politics). This allowed me to get much closer to religion. I remember two lectures that had a big impact on me, it was "The purpose of life" and "Winning our children back to Islam". It was Dr. Lang who gave those speeches. This struck me greatly. There were also other videos and other people, including Yasir Qadhi whom you quote in your speech. I discovered your channel very recently and started following you on Twitter because I felt the sincerity in your work. In fact, through your videos, I felt a bit like Dr. Lang's approach of... let's say showing us our own reflection in the mirror (moreover, I saw that he was also inspired by Muhammad Asad, whose you also spoke). I think it's highly necessary and I know you're taking a lot of risks. I was sorry to see that there was a lot of controversy on Twitter because of your commitment. You are quite an active person, even an activist at heart, maybe. I guess when you go through the best universities such as Harvard or Oxford, you are trained for! Nevertheless, I have a criticism to make, at my humble level of a young man of 28 years without any big knowledge. That wouldn't even be a criticism but more of a comment. One facet that I liked about Dr. Lang's speeches was his ability to engage against certain practices without explicitly targeting this or that sect/group. I think it was a show of humility and a proof of his loyalty to the community. Despite this, he remained clear in his words! I think you're more explicit in your commitments, and that's to your credit (I even think it's quite brave in a way, knowing the sad level of tolerance that some can have within our community...). On the other hand, I think, again on my humble level, that you don't need to go that far. For example, I saw your emotion when you talked about of Mr. Hijab (which was justified in my opinion, he had been quite condescending in this video), I saw an exchange between you and an individual on Twitter during which you had had to apologize because he said he was formally against ISIS while you said that his opinions agreed with theirs (I can't remember the name of the individual but I believe he was an Iraqi journalist) and there, in this speech above, there is a slide where you list the Salafi and the Wahabbi and, there, you put Yasir Qadhi and Al-Qaeda or ISIS on the same line. In truth, you're not wrong, it makes sense knowing that their approaches are more literalistic. However, I think it can be hurtful to be identified with these groups. Believe me, I'm not saying this just to criticize you. To be sincere, I appreciate you. You remind me a bit of my big brother... and, in fact, it made me a little sad to see you apologizing to I don't know who on Twitter for a slight misunderstanding. Regarding the lecture you gave here, I find that you have been respectful but I thought that some Salafis or some followers of brother Yasir could have taken this slide... quite badly. I have seen some of his videos and I think he has made his distance from these extremist groups very clear. Long story short, I think you should leave these groups, such as ISIS or Al-Qaeda, out of the discussion, except when you explicitly talk about them, specifically and exclusively. I know that the disagreements will always be there and they won't go away, but it makes me sad when I see people from the same "house" who, for a few different points of view, come to attack each other. I think this is a major cause of our downfall by the way. I may be unfair by saying all this to you when you are certainly not the most "offensive", I think you are more the one who is attacked than the one who attacks. However, I still wanted to share my thoughts and opinions with you, as "simple-minded" as I am. I'm sorry for the length of my message and my words, which are perhaps naive and worthy of someone too sensitive (someone of his time, given that the sensitivity today is very - even too - high). Indeed, I also may be wrong. Perhaps your (or MPAC's) strategy has a concrete goal and the agenda to achieve that goal has been studied extensively beforehand. Again, I'm just a young man who started studying his religion just a few months ago... Thank you for your work and your sharing of knowledge. I think you can bring a lot to our community! May Allah bless you and guide you to the straight path, the path of our beloved Prophet, Peace and Blessings be upon him. ------------------------------------------- PS and off-topic: I saw your debate against Robert Spencer. It was very interesting! I think you were clearly above him in your argumentation and someone objective will agree with me. I just have a comment (yes, once again, I'm really sorry... but I would like to give you my opinion, my hope is that it can help you a little, maybe). In fact, I had the impression that this individual said so many blunders (not to say big nonsense) and there was so much to say about his remarks that your discourse was perhaps too dense. He was more simplistic in his approach, he said a few "punchlines" here and there, some nonsense indeed, but he was so concise and seemed so sure of himself that it could give the illusion that he was able to hold the debate. Perhaps it would have been better to focus only on his “main blunders”? I repeat that my impressions may be wrong! With all my humility and all my respect. Assalam-o-Aleykum to you, Javad bhai, and to all of you!

[@jgoogle4256]

I am also interested in learning more about my religion. Can you please suggest any readings, lectures, etc? There are traditional sources, and more modern sources, I suppose. I would appreciate your advice on how to best go about learning the religion. Should I start from the traditionalist perspective? Or not? Thanks

[@Azukos]

@@jgoogle4256 Oh, I remember that comment. I cringe a little when I see it again. Even in a year I've been able to learn a bit, and I know writing it all down like this wasn't a good idea. I now think it's normal and even healthy for there to be debate and rebuttal, within a certain framework. It's part of our tradition, in fact! My advice to you, dear brother, is to go back and forth between traditional and modern sources. You'll find your happy medium. I think that if you only read traditional sources, it's possible to become extremist quite quickly (and I've been there a bit) and if you only focus on modern, liberal sources, it's possible to become lax. Well, that's my humble opinion! I think the best thing is to read books, of course, even though I'm a very slow reader. I'd also recommend lectures and podcasts, which help a lot. I've started by listening to all the lectures by Dr Jeffrey Lang, he's not a real Muslim scholar as we can understand it, but his humility, his aura, and his simple way of explaining things make him a very good first step. Then, I'd recommend the book “Lost Islamic History” by Firas Alkhateeb, because I think that starting with history is good for understanding a lot of things, like understanding where we've come from and where we're going. I think this book contains a good condensed history of Islamic civilization! Then, I think you'll be able to find a lot of interesting content on your own, there's so much out there. Dr Yasir Qadhi is truly an excellent scholar who is rooted in his tradition, for example in my eyes. And, indeed, Dr Javad T Hashmi himself has a series of lectures available on KZbin about Muslim intellectual history (which I absolutely must see, but haven't had time to yet!). Don't hesitate if you have any further questions! Assalamu-Aleikum!

[@NisarAhmed-wk2tu]

Great talk Dr. Hashmi!!! 👌 Completely agree with your approach and opinions 💯

[@DrJavadTHashmi]

Thank you 🙌

[@hana92108]

@@DrJavadTHashmi have you looked at Nadir Ahmed's research on 9:29? he destroyed David Wood in his last debate "Is Islam violent" with the argument peaceful non-believers are exempt from surah 9:29 kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2Sym2iem6eMebs

[@septiawanhidayat8932]

Very amazing

[@DrJavadTHashmi]

Thanks a lot

[@MrKhanmeister]

Salaam Dr Hashmi. You briefly mentioned / alluded to the spread of salafi islam due to political reasons / petro dollars. Do you have any book or other resource recommendations on this as I’m keen to understand this topic better? Jzk

[@laylaali5977]

Excellent program I want ad actually many early scholars considered verses about hell and heaven are methodical in fact a lot of Quranic verses are methodical and figurative

[@user-ky8ym7le9m]

"The truth of the matter is that the obligation incumbent on each person is to take the position to which his speculation leads him to” I can’t find the source & context of this quote in the original Arabic, i also don’t have the book so I can view their reference. Does anyone know where this quote came from?

[@mukhamadsuhermanto2764]

Salam, Brother. I have several notes, perhaps useful: 1. 17:06: this grouping is vague. If you'd classify the aqeedah: it would be: Wahhabism (antrhomorphism), Athari, Ashari-Maturidi (these are currently living on earth). Hanbali is in the Fiqh classification, just like Hanafi, Maliki, and Shafi'i. While Aqeedah classification is something else. You may refer this to the work of Ushuluddin in every country (EXCEPT SAUDI), let say Marocco, Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia, Syria, etc. 2. "Hanbali are the majority available." Comment: Wahhabism (not Hanbali) is propagated greatly (financially, politically etc.) due to Saudi agenda. You can refer the Hanbali scholars from Al Azhar and compare them with the Saudi-propagated wahhabism. ==== Athariy and Ash'ari-Maturidi does NOT cancel each other. They are more complementary to each other. For instance, my great beloved shaykh is Athary, he is enough with it and does not need to go further to the discussion of what Ash'ari-Maturidi went through (i.e. debating the neoplatonian and other greek philosopher). Yet, I myself found detailing that would be useful for me due to my studies and vast discussion with others. --------------------------------- My background is a PhD student in Engineering. However, I learned Islam quite deep in a traditional madrasa in Indonesia and Turkey (while finishing my M.Eng there). I'd love to discuss with you further if you'd detail some of my comments. I do not try to engage a debate. My comments are solely for a more a comment from a typical Indonesian (sunni-salafiyyah (NOT SALAFI-wahhabi)) understanding towards the topic. -------------------------------- I found another relevant research from our Shi'i-Ismaili brother (Dr. Khalil Andani, I think) who did a research on Adam-Archaic Human (Homo Neanderthals, Denisovan etc) I recall. Unfortunately I forgot which channel he was delivering the presentation.

[@zeddicuszulzorander1431]

1. Hanbali is considered to be proto-Athari/Salafi school of Aqidah even though now is mainly considered a school of jurisprudence (Fiqh) because of the school heavily resilience Ãthar (Ahadith). The Mihna is an attestation of Imam Ahmad involvement in advancing puritan literal interpretation of Quran, strict adherence to Ahadith and his rejection of the Qiyas as opposed to the other major three schools of jurisprudence. 2. Wahhabism is a more radical and political branch of Atharism/Salafism/Zahirism, not a separate categorical school of thought.

[@seanberube7702]

Great presentation

[@TwinofIcarus]

Amazing

[@ekadria-bo4962]

Nice work dr javad. Even i still believe in "authority proof" of Qur'an (like some scientific miracle). I enjoy your talking about that.. Jazakallah Dr.

[@pebystroll]

This isn't a trick question, but do you believe The moon was split in half by the prophet?

[@ekadria-bo4962]

@@pebystroll not really. Even sirah isn't acknowledge that.

[@pebystroll]

@Eka Dria-bo cool thank you for your respectful response

[@khalil7011]

​@pebystroll If it was, what problem would that pose?

[@nabeelmahmud3453]

I love listening to Muslims from academia! Though I wish he used less hadith as proof-text.

[@deeznutz1428]

coming out as skeptical of hadith isn't easy. but he is skptical of hadith as he did 2 long video with joshua little who studies hadith and there explained why hadiths are unreliable.

[@LaughingJoystick23]

I don't think he needs to come up with proofs using hadiths, for not all hadiths are authentic - neither sahih Muslim nor Bukhari...

[@fromthecityofray8980]

Evolution can be a basis for a very beautiful and positive ethical message. Yes, if evolution is true then human beings are not special - and that's a good thing. We are connected with the environment. We are part of the world. And the world is much more complex and dynamic than we previously thought - it develops in infintely complicated patterns and adjusts to changing circumstances that in big part are results of its own previous changes. We should be awed by it.

[@jgoogle4256]

Also, if something higher than the base natural world like morals could evolve from that natural world, it can be viewed either nihilistically like nothing matters were all just particles moving and morality is an evolutionarily programmed hoax, or you could say that by good fortune of evolution, or the will of Allah swt operating through the mechanisms of the natural world, the natural world was able to give rise to something on a “higher level”. Reaffirming the validity of morality even if one rejects divine creation. I believe in God but I’m making a point here.

[@iam4mark852]

Are you familiar with Professor Ehab Abouheif? He's an evolutionary biologist and founder of the McGill Centre for Islam and Science at McGill University

[@whatamievendoing]

Very interesting person, thanks for mentioning him

[@sagnorm1863]

I don't know if this means I am smart or stupid. I have sat alone and independently come up with these philosophical arguments. It made me feel smart. And now, after watching this video, it turns out people have thought of these things way before me. So did I waste my time meditating alone?

[@jgoogle4256]

No, the fact you thought about it by yourself means you’re able to understand it better when other people present it. It also proves you have some capacity for critical thinking as opposed to blindly gobbling up what people tell you, rejecting clear science, and leading a life of ignorance. I have yet to watch the video. I am assuming hashmi accepts evolution and tries to somehow squeeze in the story of Adam (as) in there.

[@alabbas_]

I think a discussion with Subboor would be great, perhaps we can get into those nuances of scientific realism vs instrumentalist

[@zverh]

There is also religious realism and instrumentalism. Prominent religious instrumentalists in islamic history include Avicenna and his disciples. Some contemporary popular religious instrumentalists are Jordan Peterson and Andrew Tate.

[@khalil7011]

​@@zverhAndrew Tate 😂

[@zverh]

@@khalil7011 What is so funny? It is clear from Tate brothers' speech and action (القول والعمل) that they are both religious fictionalist.

[@khalil7011]

@nasibi91 His religion is a private matter, I don't see how you can make this assumption based on him being a sinner.

[@zverh]

@@khalil7011 It is actually a lot more than a private matter. Belief is not confined to a mere conviction in the mind or even with the addition of affirmation by the tongue, but also includes action as expressed by the dictum الإيمان قول وعمل. Also you have to situate Tate's views on religion into his broader outlook and philosophy in general. He is a radical pragmatist/instrumentalist. This is clearly visible from his speech and action, not just the current one but his entire track record. He is all about practical results. If some belief has some pragmatic benefits, it is true. That is the pragmatic theory of truth. He thinks that the vast majority of people are NPCs who cannot think for themselves or live a meaningful, disciplined life on their own. And he thinks that religion provides them with a framework and can guard them against harmful lifestyles like drug abuse etc. As Nietzsche said, "He who cannot obey himself will be commanded. That is the nature of living creatures." So to him religion is a fiction, albeit a useful fiction.

[@papasmurf369]

Hi, I’m a physician and an atheist-trying to learn more about Islam because I have lots of Muslim colleagues and I enjoy religious studies. Came to your content by way of Bart Ehrman, and I’ve been really enjoying it. I also very closely follow the work of Sam Harris. You’ve spoken somewhat disparagingly of him and of “New Atheism”. I believe he would approve of you and the work you’re doing in popularizing and educating people on historical-critical and “modernist” approaches to Islam. I also think you’ve mischaracterized his views at times so I think it could be productive for the two of you to dialogue in the future-there’s likely more common ground and common cause between the two of your perspectives than you may believe. Anyways, I really appreciate your work, and I thank you.

[@saliksayyar9793]

Harris camouflage his Islamophobia with atheism.

[@BenM61]

I believe in some kind of evolution and definitely Adam. The universe itself was created long before Adam. He was introduced to this material world somewhere, somehow and somewhen. We are not privy to that information but I take the creation of Adam and Eve as historical and not as a myth to explain our origin. God would not tell us a lie in order to explain to us the universe and our place in it.

[@kkassam]

Interesting presentation but like you said just the tip of the iceberg! I’d be curious to hear more about how Muslim theologians , exegetes, philosophers, mystics (and even you personally) most open to non-literalistic readings understand and have understood the Quranic verses about creation, Adam ﷺ etc.

[@Cassim125]

Shoaib ahmed malik has written a book on this. You can check out his KZbin vids

[@doctorSuhailAnwar]

Very nicely put together Javad. I remember your discussion with abu Lyth and know you got slack for your metaphorical interpretation of Quran back then. No matter how long a preamble you set and how much you tiptoe around this topic traditional Muslims will not forgive you for this allegorical metaphorical interpretation. In my opinion this is just another level of apology trying to reconcile science with Quran - you just can’t !! Twist it anyway around Quran doesn’t condone common descent - you can stretch it to Quranic approval of hominin genera but the two concepts don’t sit together.

[@QuranThinkSpace]

www.youtube.com/@QuranThinkSpace Channel is in URDU to understand Quranic narrative on Human Evolution

[@almazchati4178]

Problem I find with evolution is, humans can think, which is unique if you compare with other creatures. I think the creation versus of Quran is referring to this aspect of humans. Unless evolution can come up with mechanisms for evolutionary intellect, it will simply remain as an phenomenological theory, without any basis. The idea that chaos leads to ordered complex systems is quite a challenge for any physicist. Unfortunately, we shall never be able to figure out the fundamental forces of the universe, and we shall only see the tip of the iceberg.

[@Abumaryam22]

Alhamdulillah

[@AbdurRahman-cf8xd]

@The Impactful scholar, Thanks for your hard work professor. it seems, you are very enlightened person as well. I believe, these enlightened muslim scholars, were very smart to spot all these irrational aspects in the scripture, thus they tried to reconcile the scripture with updated knowledge of the world affairs by inventing allegorical meaning of the scriptures. Since they did not have complete access to scientific and cosmological knowledge what we have now, thus, it was hard for them not to believe that there is a god or these revelations came from the creator. Even for their enlightened view of scriptures, many of them were being leveled as apostate by mainstream muslim scholars. I would really admire them for their ground breaking work. Honestly, if God asked me why you did not believe my revelations or lost your faith, I might say, "Hey Allah, your very confusing, contradictory, irrational and inconsistence revelations made me unbeliever, I believe the Omniscient and rational God would not be offended by my take on this man made revelations.

[@Cassim125]

So you believe the Quran is from god but its imperfect ?

[@Aesieda]

​@@Cassim125That's not what he's saying.

[@nohypocrisy]

the mind, the soul, idea, intentional, reason, fear, ignorance, health, pride, dream, inattention, patience

[@alberteinstein828]

an ex-muslim from Kazakhstan(currently studying in europe) here. firstly, i want to thank you, because its amazing to see that muslim community is trying to at least think about this questions. And i actually never knew before you and dr.Khalid that there are some “modernist” muslims who have real power at least in academia, i always thought as if people like you, were in marginalized position.(and by the way, actually i found you through dr.Khalid, and found him through channel lets talk religion) So, i just want to thank you for your work, because i think it will help to establish peace between ex-muslims and muslims. and eventually will lead to “reformation” of islam.

[@deeznutz1428]

good to see sensible ex Muslim as most of them online are clear bigot just like fundamentalist Muslims.

[@TheQuranExplainsItself]

You’re ex sunni/shia not “Muslim”. Muslim is tied to the Quran and the Quran doesn’t convey a club you join and leave. You can’t be born Muslim and there’s nothing in the Quran you can have grounds to turn against after embracing them. I understand ex sunni/shia doesn’t have the sting you may be aiming for but if integrity is what matters as you’re attempting to portray with your protest label, then the simple correct statement would be to call yourself ex sunni/shia.

[@kelam4533]

Exactly, he's not muslim in the first place to call him "ex" @@TheQuranExplainsItself

[@comparativereligiondailynews]

@@kelam4533 Acknowledge the fact that Ex Muslims exist. Even Hadiths prove that in Islamic History apostates were real.

[@kelam4533]

"Islamic history" is sunni or caliphate history for us, not neceserly islamic, for instance we don't consider umeyyad as really muslim in the sense of being faithfull to the quran, they were pretty much heretics and the abassid invented a lot of thing which basically formed what we call today "sunnism" and which we don't agree with 100%, no in our view he's not really muslim, also in quran-only perspective there's no such thing as "apostate" in the sense of those who need to be killed for "leaving the doctrine", there's only hypocrites, negators or people who genuinely don't know about the faith@@comparativereligiondailynews

[@info786]

I'm surprised at the framing of this lecture. Evolution is commonly seen as being anti-religion/God but it doesn't necessarily have to be. The Quran describes a sequence of events that could be incorporated within an evolutionary process, but with God as the initiator and sustainer, with mankind being given unique qualities at a point in time when ready. Some examples are shown below: 21:30 ...We made out of water every living thing... 11:61 ...He produced you from the earth/land... 76:1 Was there not a time when mankind was nothing to even be mentioned? 76:2 We have created mankind from a mixed exudate... 71:17 God made you grow from the earth as a growth/plant 23:12 And We have created man from an extract from clay. 23:13 Then We made him a drop in an established lodging. 71:14 "And indeed He created you in stages... 6:38 There is not a creature in the earth, or a bird that flies with its wings, but are communities like you... 6:133 ...He raised you from the seed of another people. 22:5 ...We have created you from dust, then from an exudate/drop, then from a clinging substance, then from a fetus developed and undeveloped... 32:7 The One who perfected everything He created and He began the creation of man from clay. 32:8 Then He made his progeny from an extract of a humble liquid. 32:9 Then He evolved him, and blew into him from His spirit... 29:20 Say, "Roam the earth and observe how the creation was originated... To conclude, it seems The Quran does not confirm nor rule out the evolutionary process. It may be interesting to note that the basic theory of evolution can be found in early Muslim works and was not considered controversial. Perhaps the most well known example of this was in the work 'Al Muqaddimah' ('the introduction') by Ibn Khaldun (1377), written more than 400 years before Charles Darwin. Quote: "One should then take a look at the world of creation. It started out from the minerals and progressed, in an ingenious, gradual manner, to plants and animals. The last stage of minerals is connected with the first stage of plants, such as herbs and seedless plants. The last stage of plants, such as palms and vines, is connected with the first stage of animals, such as snails and shellfish which have only the power of touch. The word 'connection' with regard to these created things means that the last stage of each group is fully prepared to become the first stage of the newest group. The animal world then widens, its species become numerous, and, in a gradual process of creation, it finally leads to man, who is able to think and reflect. The higher stage of man is reached from the world of monkeys, in which both sagacity and perception are found, but which has not reached the stage of actual reflection and thinking. At this point we come to the first stage of man" Also see MAS Abdel Haleem's book Understanding Quran Themes and style, where he highlights differences between Quran's account of creation Vs The Bible, clearly showing the Biblical version is more literal. Also Darwinian evolution says nothing about abiogenesis which is the creation of life, which science knows very little about even today. And lastly many do not know in the Quran in the parable of Adam it switches between the singular and plural.

[@laylaali5977]

I am a nondenominational rationalist Muslim and I do believe evaluation I don’t believe there is a contradictory between believing God and evaluation

[@user-ls8ks7kv8c]

I dont see a contradiction either (other than Adam and Eve specifically, and us having similar DNA to apes could be explained by inter-breeding with Neanderthals and other humanoids who could have possibly evolved from apes), but speciation (a species evolving from one species to another) has never been shown in the real world. We have perfectly preserved (walhamdulillah) that are tens of millions years old and none of those animals have changed significantly, thus totally debunking speciation. So we as Muslims shouldn't rush to accept a theory that flies in the face of observed reality. Notice they always point to artist renderings of fossils and ignore the actual amber fossils where no artist imagination is needed.

[@jgoogle4256]

@@user-ls8ks7kv8ca quick google search cites multiple instances of speciation observed

[@doctorofpharmacologytoxico9556]

Since no one can reconcile evolution and the islamic concept of Adam and eve; I present my hypothesis. 1. Explanation of Adam and Eve as first humans; Adam was the first mutated Homo sapiens originating from within a neanderthal community. This means that he was the first Homo sapiens. Similarly Eve was also the first female Homo sapiens. God says that Adam is a messenger. This means a community was present for the message to be delivered to. The above mentioned neanderthal community could be the recipient of his message. 2. Who did the sons of Adam marry? They married the neanderthal females. They would have the dominant genes for them to produce Homo sapiens offspring from the neanderthal females.

[@doncotti_certi4ever]

Qur'an 71:17 ‘And God has caused you to grow from earth like a plant (in a mode of growth particular to you) The verse alludes to the first origin of the father of humanity from the elements of the earth - soil, air, and water - and also the material origin of every human being, which are the same elements that are made into particular biological entities in human body. As Hamdi Yazır points out, the word nabātan, which comes at the end of the verse as an adverbial complement to "grow," denotes the particular way of human creation and growth. So, the verse allows no room for any inclination toward the Darwinian Theory of Evolution.

[@jgoogle4256]

I guess people who are unable to reject clear science are in trouble then. Suppose a Muslim recognizes that evolution is clearly a compelling theory and one extraordinarily difficult to reject in favor of supernatural explanations. What would you tell them? As the world gets more educated and scientific literacy increases, this will only be a bigger and bigger problem. Why is it that the more educated people become, the less they are able to reject science?

[@__hannahbanana]

If someone says they believe in evolution, is that saying they believe we were once monkeys? That wasn’t clear to me.

[@Thor.Jorgensen]

No, you were always a human being. You were born as a human being. You are not a "monkey" although genetically we know that humans belong to the animal kingdom, we know that humans are mammals because we breastfeed our young as all mammals do. We know that we are primates because of our opposable thumbs. We know that we are simians because of our dry noses that produce mucus. We humans genetically belong to the Hominidae family. And we belong to the Homo order, which includes the Neanderthal. We did not descend from chimpanzees, we did not descend from orangutans, we evolved alongside and split off. We are related like distant cousins by millions of years. This happens with all animals, humans included. And no, a monkey did not suddenly give birth to a human being. A wolf did not suddenly give birth to a dog. A bacteria did not suddenly give birth to a seagull. These were all gradual incredibly small changes with each birth over millions of years and over trillions of generations.

[@user-ls8ks7kv8c]

@@Thor.Jorgensen This has never been shown to happen. We have many amber fossils that are tens of millions of years old of a salamander, flea, spider, wasp, etc etc and none of those animals have since evolved into another species. Speciation has never occurred. We even have amber fossils that are roughly 100 MILLION YEARS OLD and yet no significant change occurred at all during that time.

[@Thor.Jorgensen]

​@@user-ls8ks7kv8c No. You've been convinced of it. That does not mean that it happened. What you're saying simply isn't true. Someone told you a pseudoscientific lie and you believed it. Furthermore, what you said about amber fossils is nonsense. We have amber fossils dating back to 320 million years ago, and yes, we have seen consistent gradual evolutionary change. It never happens overnight.

[@asmookypooky]

i have to say i’m still confused on what your actual viewpoint is and what you are trying to prove- do you believe humans evolved from apes? what is the scientific proof of this that you cannot deny that causes a problem between you and your religion? if you do believe humans evolved from apes, what part of the quran is there proof of evolution of humans from apes, or for what reason do you believe this does not contradict the quran? the second part of this question is the main thing i’m confused about. if we did evolve from apes, then did Allah swt not create Adam as? do you believe he existed and or that God caused him to evolve from an ape?? i had a hard time understanding exactly what your view point was. i also have to point out that it seems a little convenient to take the creation story as a metaphor, because in that case, what else can we take as a metaphor? as much as i agree with a lot of your points, im just really confused on this one and would love clarification. thank you

[@zakymalik6920]

There is more than one evolution. There are cosmological, geological, biological and sociological evolutions. The scientists of evolution say so. When I try think about man, religion and art, I do not see any of those evolutions.

[@walterhartwellwhite8022]

What kid evolution is a fact of life

[@zakymalik6920]

@@walterhartwellwhite8022 guy with childish dp is calling me kid hilarious my boy ? My boy then tell as i getting olderwith my friends & partner we're developing interest in older music (20th Century music) why is this happening not with one or two guys but with many guys in my circle why we're admiring classical art more than the latest why is that case if art is evolving then why do I find classic art of eastern & western art still attractive & fascinating since we're evolving why don't discard old stuff (like older form of art & music). Why am I not able recognize evolutionary progression there?

[@homer1273]

It’s false claim that Muslims reject Darwinian evolution just because of religion. You ignore the fact that many atheist also reject Darwinian evolution. You also don’t differentiate between the theories of evolution that people actually reject. Most people reject the blind evolution of Dawkins, where things just appear by accident

[@unknownspotter2275]

No need to afraid about evolution theory, just ask them questions which this theory can't explain. I believe there are lots of questions which it can't answer. who/which force made big bang happened , 13.8 Billion years ago?

[@AB-et6nj]

All of these methods of analysis start with the presumption that the Quran is true. This is already a biased position to start with if you just care about knowing the truth. These methods are so broad that many other religious scriptures could still be deemed "true" as well, especially if you're starting with the presumption that your religion is true

[@saliksayyar9793]

The Qur’an says do not call each other by nick names. No group calls itself Wahabi, why do you? It was a pejorative term invented by the British of Muslim groups resisting British colonialism. Islam is what is in the Qur’an and the authentic Hadith of the Prophet (saww) , rest are human opinion. Not deen or faith. Speculative Greek philosophy mislead Muslims for centuries. Greek philosophy is not science. You are misquoting Ibn Tammiya. Ibn Rushd had problems, that need not be propagated. Like all animals, human conceptualization is limited, so it can never be equal or close to reality or Truth of revelation. Science changes all the time, so which science should the Qur’an be reconciled with ? Ptolemy or Copernicus or Newton or Einstein? So, isn’t there cognitive dissonance in science? How do you reconcile quantum physics with Einsteinium relativity? Idols carved in every age by humans and then demolished and then new ones carved and so on. You do not seem to understand Arabic usage, making something with your own hands means with great care and interest, something one really loves are cares about. Israeliat came in, and you have also brought it in. Muslims do not take their religion from Torah. You seem to be in thrall of Dawkins, his basic presumption is scientifically incorrect. Science or rational thought can never tell us about life after death or the Hereafter. Only revelation can, that is why Prophets were sent. Your argument is that there is nothing more than the material world. If so, then their is no place for revelation or ghaib. The Qur’an begins with belief in the unseen.

[@spew2419]

Did he stated wahabi?

[@aceheart5828]

The position of David Solomon Jalajel on Islam & Evolution is by far the strongest position. Check out his discussion with Shoaib Malik. This matter is long resolved. You can take his position literally, or layer metaphoric understandings to it and it remains absolutely sound..... I don't even know how one speaks about this subject without mentioning Shoaib Malik or his work on the subject..... insha'Allah Allah strengthen you in your research and embolden you in your speach. Ameen.

[@DrJavadTHashmi]

I do not find Dr. Jalajel's solution to be intellectually satisfying, and consider it to be a symptom of the same fundamentalism and literalism that I oppose herein. As for Dr. Malik's work, I have read it and enjoy it, but will eventually plan to write a rebuttal to it.

[@jawadasad2961]

​@DrJavadTHashmi, have you written it?

[@mishpishthephilospher2694]

Asalam Walkium Dr J, i have a video request from you, can you please do a video where you clarify misconceptions about islam and about Muhammd marriages what was the purpose and why? I also hope you can do a video where you tell facts and stories of Muhammd, and dark history of islam

[@mishpishthephilospher2694]

Can you also do Ismaili history and Quran?

[@mishpishthephilospher2694]

Please, I would love to learn all about Ismaili history from you as you are a wise, intellectual and logic speaker 😊 Plus you would be making my Xmas gift

[@dom3073]

@@mishpishthephilospher2694 his marriages and their purpose are well documented, honestly you dont need a lecture for this, plenty of resources on the net showing that stuff. if you want, we can do a one on one meeting and i can explain it to u.

[@mishpishthephilospher2694]

@@dom3073 i would love that very much Please and thank you

[@dom3073]

@@mishpishthephilospher2694 Let me which platform u would like to communicate in.

[@TemujinKojiro]

59:19 but don’t you think that all these non religious people who choose Darwinism that you mention do so because it’s really their own viable option. As I’m sure they wouldn’t be able to take creationism as a view because the vast majority of them don’t believe in god.

[@obaidulhaque7687]

Adam was jewish Rabbi concocting idea… they are shazaraa…. - argumentative GROUP… adam is messenger or any human being is called so;

[@Zarghaam12]

*A storm in a tea cup, perhaps! Evolution has been talked about favourably in Islamic literature; the contributing authors being the writer al-Jahiz (d. 869 CE), a mathematical cosmologist, Nasiruddin Tusi (d. 1274 CE), and even the poet Rumi (d. 1273 CE)* ! ... *and whoever did the translation of Surah 78 an-Naba (and esp. verse 33 , i.e. 78:33) needs to have his head examined! Here is Abullah Yusuf Ali' translation of the relevant verses of an-Naba (النّبَإِ), from verse 31 to 36* : إِنَّ لِلۡمُتَّقِينَ مَفَازًا (٣١) حَدَآٮِٕقَ وَأَعۡنَـٰبً۬ا (٣٢) وَكَوَاعِبَ أَتۡرَابً۬ا (٣٣) وَكَأۡسً۬ا دِهَاقً۬ا (٣٤) لَّا يَسۡمَعُونَ فِيہَا لَغۡوً۬ا وَلَا كِذَّٲبً۬ا (٣٥) جَزَآءً۬ مِّن رَّبِّكَ عَطَآءً حِسَابً۬ا (٣٦) " *Verily for the righteous there will be a fulfilment of (the Heart's) desires 31. Gardens enclosed, and Grape-vines 32. Companions of Equal Age 33. And a Cup full (to the Brim) 34. No Vanity shall they hear therein, nor Untruth 35. Recompense from thy Lord, a Gift, (amply) sufficient 36* ... " *No full-bosomed females. Some orientalist buffoon came up with that one* ! 🙂

[@heartfeltteaching]

You know God could easily have just stated unambiguously that He evolved human beings over time instead of creating Adam out of clay/a clot of blood or else said that *despite* appearing to be as much an evolved creature as any other--what with our blind spot, wisdom teeth, and olfactory pseudogenes--we were specially created out of the earth. But no, instead we've got to sift through verses that strongly suggest a literal independent creation of the human being, plus God gaslighting us human beings for foolishly accepting (collectively? individually? only Adam?) the Trust when the firmament, the mountains, and the earth fearfully said no. In other words, it's all our fault, and if we don't accept that, then we shall eat forever from the Tree of Zaqqum. I call bullsh*t. *This* is just one reason why young Muslims leave their silly organized religion.

[@MultiMark2]

Darwin was adopted

[@blingcicero6570]

I watched part of your debate with Harris Sultan. Perhaps what I don't understand is that both of you try to understand the world with the same Muslim upbringing. It appears to me that you kept Islam and conformed it to fit the modern world while Harris perceived that Islam as stated by the Quran itself does not conform to modern science like evolution. I think taking an abstract interpretation of the Quran would make belief in Islam superfluous.

[@DrJavadTHashmi]

False. Science is about fact; revelation/religion is about value... as well as meaning-making. As well as ritual, community, belonging, and so much more.

[@blingcicero6570]

@@DrJavadTHashmi revelation is a teaching from the almighty. Somethings are considered poetic and necessarily strictly interpreted. Without getting into mental gymnastics it's difficult to believe that both there is a first man prophet named Adam and that evolution of humans from primates.

[@Cassim125]

@@blingcicero6570 look up shoaib ahmed malik on KZbin. He has some podcasts on his book his written all about reconciling adam with evolution. He has 4 theories which match the scripture and science

[@nu-nisamiracle2401]

Why not? 😑 The Qur'an and sahih hadith literaly tell us in detaiL about eVolution to the exact years with Math equation and events.. 😑 Did you know when adam (as) was cReated in the Heaven? It's 55 million years ago.. that, according to a Math equation in sahih hadith.. 😑 Even telling us how, by Stating how isa (as) is siMilar with adam (as).. 😑 If you don't know, then ask.. 😑

[@Kamisama77]

Ahh i see.55 arabic million years means 6k years in english. AlhamduililLOL 🔥

[@nu-nisamiracle2401]

@@Kamisama77 nope.. The Quran iMply that the earth is 1/3 the age of the Universe.. And it's true.. 4.6 is exactly 1/3 of 13.8.. billion years.. The Qur'an is right about the age of the earth.. it's 1/3 the age of the Universe.. So, how about the bible? 🙄

[@Osiris382]

An ex Muslim here. It's kinda interesting to see Muslims are at least thinking about these questions, although a very marginalised part of them. The saddening thing is you cant even hold such a meeting in maximum part of the muslim world without risking being beheaded.

[@DrJavadTHashmi]

Whereas I share the distress about the current situation, I would only point out that this was not the case across Islamic history, as is clearly evident in the very sophisticated discourses of the classical Islamic philosophers (who were often even given royal patronage and were held in high esteem). Right now, the Islamic world is stuck in a very reactionary phase, mostly due to the experience of colonialism, an inferiority complex, and other socio-political trends.

[@zayirhameed4075]

@@DrJavadTHashmi Ex Muslim here as well, I do appreciate your scholarship and that you take histcritical and critical view towards religion. I have no qualms people finding meaning and peace in any faith they follow. My question is when you take a metaphorical or figurative approach towards interpretation of the scriptures each time you come across conflict with philosophy and science, doesn't that indicate you are making the scriptures unfallsifiable ? And when you do that you are simply acting on your confirmation bias?

[@thejarjarexp2147]

Falsifiability isn’t a standard requirement for whether or not something is accepted. It’s specifically a criteria for whether or not something can count as a science, and even then there have been pushbacks against this within science and philosophy of science. When it comes to things like particular religious positions you can’t ultimately say that something is or isn’t true. There are certain questions we can try and do this for, like whether or not something like what we would call G-d exists or not, whether the existence of G-d is possible, the problem of evil, etc. These are questions we can argue about, and they’re the terrain of philosophy, but things like “how do we interpret this part of scripture?” are ultimately unprovable philosophically or scientifically (at least as far as positive proof is concerned). As far as negative proofs we can say “this is one way to read the text. It seems to contradict science/reason. There’s also this other way to interpret the text. This way doesn’t contradict science/reason.” This all isn’t even getting to the fact that many religious texts weren’t written to be interpreted literally. The Book of Revelation in Christian scripture for instance is written within the tradition of Jewish apocalyptic literature, and those sorts of texts intentionally used symbolic language to obscure actual events either as they were happening or after they happened (the Book of Daniel is another example of this). So when it comes to how we interpret religious texts it’s less about falsification and more about negative proof, reason, and historical source criticism.

[@smith6696]

@@DrJavadTHashmi Can you name some of those classical Islamic philosophers who I presume you meant held to some sort of human evolutionary theory?

[@DrJavadTHashmi]

@@smith6696 They took a non-literal reading of scripture in order to match with their then dominant philosophical-scientific worldview, which was different than Darwinian evolution. The point is not correspondence to our modern theory, but rather, to the exegetical and hermeneutical strategy of diverting texts away from a purely literalistic reading.

[@dorarie3167]

I’m surprised when you asked whether the things promised in heaven were specifically for a 7th Century Arab. To me, they are prosaic everyday items to be desired, and of course the Maidens would appeal to men. This is all to be expected if this was all made up by 7th Century Arabs, or a delusional or hallucinating Muhammed, a much more plausible conclusion than a supernatural that has not been demonstrated to exist.

[@mazeerahamed1956]

Do you know that Muslims believed in evolution in history? You don't have to believe in Evolution, but you should know, that Muslims "spoke of" evolution way before the atheists took it as a flag. The theory of evolution was called the Muhammedan theory by western writers. In the 14th century, Ibn Khaldhun wrote in the book called "Al Mukaddhima" that humans evolved from apes. He was a famous Islamic scholar.That is way before Darwin

[@johngurvan8279]

Atheism was around long before man invented religion. Where do you learn things ?

[@johngurvan8279]

The ancient Greeks and Romans new of it, long before Islam was invented. Know your history before making things up. You claim everything that has already been know and stupid people believe it.Your book only mentions evolution but did nothing with it. The title of this book means prologue or introduction

[@heartfeltteaching]

You're right. You won't know how to talk to your kid about evolution. Nor will you know how to talk to your kid about why God has to make jahannum a plus of *eternal* sadistic torture, or why He creates gay people with a sexual orientation they can't change, tells us that the human yearning for sexual-emotional intimacy is a blessing, but that any gay person who dares to act on this same exact yearning for love as heterosexuals will burn in hell forever. Here's a hint: It's all nonsense.

[@griefer3454]

Evolution is true for animals and everything else except humans.😊

[@bolladeen]

I have the same opinion since Adam pbuh came to earth later in time. And human intelligence, self contiousness is unique only to the generations of Adam pbuh and Eve.

[@Free-Palestine]

Rather than evolution, you mean adaptation. Darwinian evolution presupposes a tree of life/natural selection mechanism, solely based on assumptions, and has never been proven. Not an iota of evidence showing anything transitional. Because some animals and insects adapt to their environment, they then fabricate an entire story about Darwinian evolution. It's great for fictional book sales, but has nothing to do with science.

[@walterhartwellwhite8022]

No. True buddy Muslims share a common ancestry with apes we are still apes your fairy tale Adam and Eve story doesn’t hold up to science and history

[@Free-Palestine]

@@walterhartwellwhite8022 I'm sure you share a common ancestor with apes, and intelligence. As for the modern scientific method, it was invented by a Muslim, named Ibn Al-Haytham. Please appeal to your Western ape 'scientists' for confirmation.

[@Kamisama77]

LoL... AlhamduiliLOL. Don't you know that humans are members of a group of animals (mammals)? We humans are just smarter mammals.

[@coldmow]

Is it thát hard to be more patient? Why do people always draw impatient quick conclusions to reconcile their own desires? "I want to know whether it's true or not" the thought reeks of arrogance in the sight of God. Who are you again? God didn't give you the answer, can't you just say "I don't know" ? Science is not the yardstick to measure reality by. Someone who holds this view is called: "a Muslim". The definition of the word Yuslim is "surrender". So please redo your Shahadah to reaffirm that you take The Quran as the leading yardstick. Science is not Haram. But DO NOT LET IT TAKE OVER THE PLACE IN YOUR HEART WHERE *BELIEF* MUST BE. This is crucial. It was only a few years back that scientists believed that the sun was motionless. While The Quran spoke the cold hard Truth, unapologetically. People were laughing. Today we are laughing at them. But there is still a huge amount that mere humans do not understand. There was a quote from a Sahabi that said: " There is nothing in the hereafter that is like what is present in this world. Except the names. " Even our bodies will be different. Even if the latter is not the case and our bodies are the same, does this now make you a disbeliever? Of course not. Accept your inferiority as a human and maybe one day Allah will give you the answer. Just know one thing. If you've already drawn your haughty conclusion, be sure that the real answer will never come to you and you will be stuck wit your arrogant conclusion until your death. Deaf dumb and blind.

[@ahmeddavids8634]

You went to Harvard to learn about Islam and it shows😢😢😢

[@elijahali7934]

It does, he articulate and inclusive. And he actually thinks deeply about the Quran and the Deen.

[@DWAGON1818]

This guy is trying so hard to draw Muslims towards a western worldview. Im shocked that someone is taking him seriously. His take on the Quran is superficial. On the surface he tries to sound deep. Going to Harvard to study Islam is like going to community college to study Quantum Mechanics. It has not value. Nothing to show off here.

[@BeNGALi4LFE]

If you disagree, just disprove it. Leave the anti-Harvard drama aside.

[@DWAGON1818]

@@BeNGALi4LFE disprove what? He has to make a case first. Where is that?

[@BeNGALi4LFE]

@@DWAGON1818 you said, "....trying so hard to draw Muslims towards a western worldview..." so clearly you disagree. just show what you feel is problematic.

[@DWAGON1818]

@@BeNGALi4LFE him trying to call Muslims towards the western worldview . That is the problem. Now if you're asking for exact sentences then just listen to be video

[@mahbubrm2148]

@@DWAGON1818 and what is that Western World view that you are taking here which i was unable to see ?

[@FRED-gx2qk]

quran is not from God 💯💯💯☹️

[@zakymalik6920]

Ok

[@shabirvalli8604]

Investigate

[@magnuscritikaleak5045]

Fred the Liar!!!!pants on Fire!!

[@eeeqqq7582]

Everything is from God. The Quran is from God.