Islam and Evolution Al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm PDF

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The topic of evolution and its potential clash with the mainstream teachings of Islam is one of the most contentious and charged issues of our times. How does a person of faith who also respects science rec- oncile between what science has almost definitively concluded as a fact with the claims of ...

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The topic of evolution and its potential clash with the mainstream teachings of Islam is one of the most contentious and charged issues of our times. How does a person of faith who also respects science reconcile between what science has almost definitively concluded as a fact with the claims of truth made by the Quran? In this comprehensive and highly readable monograph, Shoaib Ahmed Malik has done a commendable job of summarising the various approaches taken by modern Muslim thinkers. The text is accessible to even non-specialists and has enough in-depth analysis to be of interest to specialists in science and religion, theology, and philosophy. I believe this work is essential reading for anyone interested in the topic of Islam and evolution. Dr. Yasir Qadhi, The Islamic Seminary of America, USA Evolution has presented a serious challenge to traditional Abrahamic faiths. The responses have too often fallen short of the rigours exhibited by modern science and the resulting assertions of evolutionists. Here is a serious Muslim response by Shoaib Ahmed Malik who understands that the science of evolution and the faith of Islam and has no difficulty straddling both worlds without losing his faith in either. Dr. Hamza Yusuf, Zaytuna College, USA Shoaib Ahmed Malik’s work is timely, thought-provoking, and stimulating. He marries the classical, theological framework of Ashʿarism and modern evolution. The book’s focus on the metaphysical and hermeneutic approaches of al-Ghazālī, a globally known Muslim figure, will fill a huge gap in the literature and answer the many questions in the public’s mind and academia on the status of evolutionary thought in Islam. Malik’s book is a well-written, exemplary work for scholars from a wide range of disciplines who wish to explore evolution in other Sunnī, Shiʿī, and Ismāʿīlī theological schools, among others. Dr. Majid Daneshgar, University of Freiburg, Germany Evolution is one of the most discussed and misrepresented theories among Muslims today. The discussions are usually motivated by emotional reactions, which only obscures the debate’s multi-faceted nature and prevents us from seeing what the problem really is. To analyse the link between evolution and Islam carefully, one must differentiate the scientific foundation of evolution from its various philosophical glosses and have a consistent methodology for interpreting religious texts. Only with such sensitivity can one discuss to what extent evolution and Islam are compatible. Shoaib Ahmed Malik’s book is an outstanding

contribution to this debate/question while exemplifying the required sensitivity. He takes one of the giants of Islamic intellectual history, al-Ghazālī, and analyses the issue in terms of his commitments in metaphysics and hermeneutics. Thus, he gives life to a medieval thinker’s ideas and brings him into dialogue with a contemporary problem. The result is a text that is a rare example of multi-faceted, critical, and innovative thinking. Dr. Nazif Muhtaroğlu, Bahcesehir University, Turkey This fascinating book is a pivotal source for anyone interested in Islam and evolution debate. Shoaib Ahmed Malik, first, provides careful, nuanced, and comprehensive examination of contemporary landscape of ideas on this important debate. Then, he presents his own fresh and thought-provoking perspective on whether a reconciliation between Islam and evolution can be reached by starting from the general principles of Ashʿarite school al-Ghazālī’s thought. Tracing the implications of medieval Islamic thought for a contemporary discussion is difficult and complex. Malik’s book masterfully navigates the challenges and demands of this task. Dr. Özgür Koca, Claremont School of Theology, USA Shoaib Ahmed Malik’s book is one of the very rare works that takes an accurate understanding of evolutionary biology and engages with is it according to the terms of the Islamic tradition (in this case, the Ash`arite theology of al-Ghazālī) to determine what a viable faithbased stance could be. Rigorously researched, it explores with sensitivity the genuine theological issues that are confronted when biological evolution is considered in a religious light. It is indispensable reading on the subject. Dr. David Solomon Jalajel, Prince Sultan Research Institute, Saudi Arabia Evolution has been a dynamite in the science-and-religion debate since the time of Darwin, in spite of many serious and intelligent proposals to resolve the problems. Here is one of the most serious and intelligent yet. Shoaib Ahmed Malik makes a highly original case for peace by examining the foundational Muslim thinker, al-Ghazālī, and showing how his thought can shed light where so far there has been much heat. This is a book which all theists who are worried about the evolution wars need to read. Prof. Mark Harris, University of Edinburgh, UK

Sometimes a book is a total revelation. You realise just how very much you did not know. Those of us who work on the science–religion discourse too often assume that all of the Abrahamic religions – Judaism, Christianity, Islam – present the same challenges and opportunities. Shoaib Ahmed Malik’s remarkable book, Islam and Evolution: Al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm, shows how very wrong we have been. In clear, careful, non-condescending language, Malik teaches us about Islam and its varieties, and the challenges posed by modern evolutionary science. He writes in a constructive and confident manner, not avoiding problems, but showing how there is much for all of us to learn, and leads us from the narrow, Eurocentric vision that restricts so much of our thinking. Prof. Michael Ruse, Florida State University, USA For many writers on Islam and science, the medieval scholar and theologian al-Ghazālī is associated with a theory of causality inimical to the requirements of modern science. In exploring the scope for compatibility between Islam and the science of evolution, Shoaib Ahmed Malik takes a very different view, contending that the metaphysics and hermeneutics of al-Ghazālī permit the acceptance of much of the modern evolutionary narrative – with the critical exception of wholly naturalistic accounts of the origins of a unique and parentless Adam. I gladly recommend his book because it also paves the way for serious comparative studies of the receptivity of Islamic and Christian cultures to scientific innovation. Prof. John Hedley Brooke, University of Oxford, UK

Islam and Evolution

This book attempts to equip the reader with a holistic and accessible account of Islam and evolution. It guides the reader through the different variables that have played a part in the ongoing dialogue between Muslim creationists and evolutionists. This work views the discussion through the lens of al-Ghazālī ­(1058–1111), a widely known and well-respected Islamic intellectual from the medieval period. By understanding al-Ghazālī as an Ashʿarite theologian, a particular strand of Sunnī theology, his metaphysical and hermeneutic ideas are taken to explore if and how much Neo-Darwinian evolution can be accepted. It is shown that his framework can be used to reach an alignment between Islam and Neo-Darwinian evolution. This book offers a detailed examination that seeks to offer clarity if not agreement in the midst of an intense intellectual conflict and polarity amongst Muslims. As such, it will be of great interest to scholars of Science and Religion, Theology, Philosophy of Religion, Islamic Studies, and Religious Studies more generally. Shoaib Ahmed Malik is an Assistant Professor of the Natural Sciences at Zayed University, Dubai. He researches exclusively on the topics of science and religion, atheism, and Islamic theology. He is the author of Atheism and Islam: A Contemporary Discourse (2018), and has book chapters and articles with various publishers and journals.

Routledge Science and Religion Series Series editors:

Michael S. Burdett, University of Nottingham, UK Mark Harris, University of Edinburgh, UK

Science and religion have often been thought to be at loggerheads but much contemporary work in this flourishing interdisciplinary field suggests this is far from the case. The Science and Religion Series presents exciting new work to advance interdisciplinary study, research, and debate across key themes in science and religion. Contemporary issues in philosophy and theology are debated, as are prevailing cultural assumptions. The series enables leading international authors from a range of different disciplinary perspectives to apply the insights of the various sciences, theology, philosophy, and history in order to look at the relations between the different disciplines and the connections that can be made between them. These accessible, stimulating new contributions to key topics across science and religion will appeal particularly to individual academics and researchers, graduates, postgraduates, and upper-undergraduate students. God, Evolution, and Animal Suffering Theodicy without a Fall Bethany N. Sollereder Ramified Natural Theology in Science and Religion Moving Forward from Natural Theology Rodney Holder Intersections of Religion and Astronomy Edited by Aaron Ricker, Christopher J. Corbally, and Darry Dinnell Divine and Human Providence Philosophical, Psychological, and Theological Approaches Edited by Ignacio Silva and Simon Maria Kopf Islam and Evolution Al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm Shoaib Ahmed Malik For more information and a full list of titles in the series, please visit: https://www.routledge.com/religion/series/ASCIREL

Islam and Evolution Al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm

Shoaib Ahmed Malik

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First published 2021 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2021 Shoaib Ahmed Malik The right of Shoaib Ahmed Malik to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record has been requested for this book ISBN: 9780367364137 (hbk) ISBN: 9781032026572 (pbk) ISBN: 9780429345753 (ebk) Typeset in Sabon by KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd.

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“The definitive obligation in [investigating] the foundations of belief is to maintain moderation and steadiness on the straight path, for either extreme in pursuing the matter is reprehensible.” Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī

Dedicated to my beloved wife and son

Contents

Acknowledgementsxiii Transliteration, Referencing, and Reused Materialxv Introduction

1

PART 1

Setting the context

19

1 What evolution is and isn’t21 2 Christian responses to evolution66 PART 2

Islamic perspectives on evolution

85

3 Islamic scripture and evolution87 4 Muslim opinions on evolution106 5 Old texts, new masks: misreading evolution onto historical Islamic texts155 PART 3

Metaphysical considerations

177

6 Chance, naturalism, and inefficiency

179

7 Intelligent design

212

8 Morality and evolution

237

xii  Contents PART 4

Hermeneutic considerations

265

9 Al-Ghazālī’s hermeneutics

267

10 Creationism or evolution in Islamic scripture?296 Conclusion Index

338 344

Acknowledgements

This was a colossal project and could not have been possible without the help, encouragement, constructive feedback, and incredible discussions that I’ve had with so many people over the past few years. These include Usman Ali, Hamid Mahmood, Sohaib Saeed, Safaruk Chowdhury, Marzuqa Akrima, Edward Moad, Malek Zuaiter, Moamer Yahia Ali Khalayleh, Nadda Khan, Sara Sherbaji, Nour Skaf, Abbas Ahsan, Nidhal Guessoum, Rana Dajani, Mehmet Bulgen, Enis Doko, Caner Taslaman, Kelly James Clark, Jeffrey Koperski, Sajjad Rizvi, Martin Whittingham, Abdullah Galadari, Nazir Khan, Yasir Qadhi, Sarah Qidwai, Glen Moran, Jamie Turner, Carl Sharif El-Tobgui, Ramon Harvey, Majid Daneshgar, Michael Ruse, John Hedley Brooke, Alan C. Love, Derek Turner, Laura Hassan, Özgür Koca, Joseph Lumbard, Hira Amin, Elvira Kulieva, Rezart Beka, Shams Ad-Duha Muhammad, Muntasir Zaman, Imran Iqbal, Sarah Lane Ritchie, Jamie Collin, and Joshua Ralston. During the course of writing this book, I have been sharing and discussing my ideas on several online platforms. Participants, who are too simply many to mention, have either directly or indirectly helped me refine my points as I deliberated over the ideas for this project. There are also numerous instances where people flew into Dubai from various countries and were able to bring several materials that were not available in my immediate vicinity. Appreciably, some kind souls – you know who are – also sent me copies of what are otherwise rare, out-of-print materials that were crucial for my work. I thank you all for your help, kindness, and fruitful engagement. The diagrams that I felt were necessary for this project are all thanks to Muhammad Rusydi Azmi. He was exceedingly tolerant with the constant iterations that I requested during the course of this undertaking. I am also grateful to Routledge and its editors, Rebecca Shillabeer and R Yuga Harini, for their patience and helping me get this book to completion. I am also very thankful to my friend, who wishes to remain anonymous, for making this work open access. I cannot thank you enough for making this book accessible to the world. God bless you! There are four people who I would like to acknowledge in particular. Mark Harris has been a mentor to me since I formally started my journey

xiv  Acknowledgements in science and religion. I am also very thankful and grateful to my teacher, Ali Laraki, who has been absolutely catalytic in my development of learning Islamic theology. Without their continuous encouragement, helpful counsels, and constructive feedback, I don’t think this work would have  ever come into fruition. David Solomon Jalajel and Nazif Muhtaroğlu have been dedicated partners in crime and were kind enough to review every single chapter, sometimes spending time well into the late hours to get back to me in the set deadlines. Both were incredibly helpful with sharpening the arguments, teasing out ambiguities, saving me from embarrassing errors, and directing me to crucial references that I missed out on. The quality of this work was raised tremendously by their unswerving support. I am in debt to them both. Of course, any errors that do seep through are entirely my own. I would also like to acknowledge my family. Starting with my parents, Saleem Ahmed Malik and Fauzia Malik. I could not have reached where I am today without your hard work, sweat and tears. From the mischievous little boy that you once knew, I had no idea that I would come to write a book like this. I am grateful for everything you have sacrificed for me, mom and dad! My brother, Altamash, has been a nuisance since he was born, but every rose has its thorns. Jokes aside, you and your wife, Mahnoor, has made the writing process all the more fun in the past year with your timely, pre-Corona marriage. Last but not least, I would like to thank the two precious human beings that have completely transformed my life: my wife, Elnaz Alipour, and my son, Jonah. Elnaz bore the difficulties of being a patient spouse and mother as I scrambled for time writing this book alongside the crushing workload of teaching online during the Corona pandemic. Her love, untiring support, understanding, and kindness were invaluable in the process to which I owe the success of this work. Similarly, I had to shun several fun opportunities with my little tyke. However, whatever moments that we spent and laughed together made the whole thing much easier to bear. Thank you both for being in my life and for helping me get to where I am today. A friend of mine once remarked: “We all too often forget to thank God.” This statement has lasted with me. This endeavour has simultaneously been an academic exploration as well as a personal journey. I thank and praise God with all my heart for making it happen and for helping me through it: “… Be thankful to God: whoever gives thanks benefits his own soul …” (Qurʾān 31:120).

Transliteration, Referencing, and Reused Material

I have followed the transliteration guidelines as set by the International Journal of Middle East Studies. All English renditions of Qurʾānic verses taken from are Mohammed Abdul Haleem’s translation of the Qurʾān. For ease of searching, most ḥadīth translations were acquired from www.­ sunnah.com with single-number referencing. Some ḥadīth translations were obtained from other references, which have been mentioned in the endnotes and bibliography. All dates are in the Common Era. Some of the material in this book was published elsewhere. All of ­chapter 5 was published as an independent article under the same name with Zygon. Some of the material in chapter 6 was also published with Zygon under the title, “Does Belief in Human Evolution Entail Kufr (Disbelief)? Evaluating the Concerns of a Muslim Theologian.” I would like to thank Zygon’s editor, Arthur C. Petersen, who kindly gave me permission to reuse the material for this book.

Introduction

The field of Islam and science has been steadily developing over the past few decades with many dimensions of the discourse gaining contemporary interest. These include divine action models, quantum mechanics, evolution, bioethics, science, and scripture, and many more (Jalajel 2009; Guessoum 2011a; Yazicioglu 2013; Bigliardi 2014; Altaie 2016; Malik 2019a; Koca 2020; Al-Akiti and Padela 2021; Salim and Malik 2021; Padela and Moosa 2021). Undoubtedly, the specific interface of Islam and evolution is one of the most interesting yet polarising discussions in this territory (Mabud 1992; Iqbal 2003; Jalajel 2009; Hameed 2011; Guessoum 2011a; Ibrahim and Baharuddin 2014; Bigliardi 2014; Qadhi and Khan 2018). The theory of evolution states that every biological entity, humans included, are all historically related through interconnecting lineages. Humans, then, are descendants of an earlier species and were not simply created into existence instantaneously. This entails that Adam and Eve, who are generally and traditionally considered to be the first parentless couple of humankind in Islam, must have had a mother and a father. Here, tension starts to brew, and it is the conceptual starting point for the entire discourse of Islam and evolution. As we shall see in the coming chapters, there have been various responses to the theory of evolution by Muslim thinkers (Guessoum 2016; Malik 2019b). This particular work attempts to look at the discussion from a theological perspective through the lens of a medieval Muslim theologian called Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī. But why theology? Who is al-Ghazālī? And what’s his importance when it comes to evolution? This chapter will aim to answer these questions and simultaneously set the stage for the entire book. The structure of this chapter is as follows. I will first discuss the challenges one faces when looking at the interface of Islam and evolution. This is followed by an exposition of the methodology adopted i...