Educational Articles About Islam, October 29, 2007

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Creation and Evolution in the Holy Qur'an 

By Hassan El-Najjar *

Al-Jazeerah, October 29, 2007

Introduction

This is the first stage of writing an article about creation and evolution, as mentioned in the Holy Qur'an. Readers find below the 26 main verses which the author could identify in the Holy Qur'an about creation and evolution, on the basis of his little knowledge. These are presented in order of the creation and evolutionary  processes.

The second stage will be (in sha Allah) explaining the meanings of these verses and linking them together to form a whole. The objective is to tell the story of God's creation of life and how it evolved on planet Earth, with particular attention to the creation of humans.

The third stage (God willing) will be comparing the story of creation and evolution in the Holy Qur'an with the evolutionary theory, which dominates almost all branches of science in our time.

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26 Verses About Creation and Evolution in the Holy Qur'an

The following quotations are taken from:

Arabic Qur'an: http://www.kashar.net/Quran/QuranArabic.asp

Qur'an in English and other languages: http://www.kashar.net/Quran/

and http://www.quranexplorer.com/

أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم

I seek refuge with God from the stoned Shaitan (Satan)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

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يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالاً كَثِيراً وَنِسَاء وَاتَّقُواْ اللّهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءلُونَ بِهِ وَالأَرْحَامَ إِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيباً

4.1 . O mankind! Be careful of your duty to your Lord Who created you from a single soul and from it created its mate and from them twain hath spread abroad a multitude of men and women . Be careful of your duty toward Allah in Whom ye claim ( your rights ) of one another , and toward the wombs ( that bare you ) . Lo! Allah hath been a Watcher over you .

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30.21.  وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا لِتَسْكُنُوا إِلَيْهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَكُمْ مَوَدَّةً وَرَحْمَةً إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

30.21 . And of His signs is this : He created for you helpmeets from yourselves that ye might find rest in them , and He ordained between you love and mercy . Lo , herein indeed are portents for folk who reflect .
 

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وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَ كُلَّ دَابَّةٍ مِن مَّاء فَمِنْهُم مَّن يَمْشِي عَلَى بَطْنِهِ وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَمْشِي عَلَى رِجْلَيْنِ وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَمْشِي عَلَى أَرْبَعٍ يَخْلُقُ اللَّهُ مَا يَشَاءُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

24.45 . Allah hath created every animal of water . Of them is ( a kind ) that goeth upon its belly and ( a kind ) that goeth upon two legs and ( a kind ) that goeth upon four . Allah createth what He will . Lo! Allah is Able to do all things .
 

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32.7 . Who made all things good which He created , and He began the creation of man from clay ;
 

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32.8 . Then He made his seed from a draught of despised fluid ;

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32.9.  ثُمَّ سَوَّاهُ وَنَفَخَ فِيهِ مِنْ رُوحِهِ وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ وَالأبْصَارَ وَالأفْئِدَةَ قَلِيلا مَا تَشْكُرُونَ

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وَقَدۡ خَلَقَكُمۡ أَطۡوَارًا 

71.14. He has created you in diverse stages (Yusuf Ali's translation)

71.14. He has created you in different stages (Mohsin's translation)

71.14. He has created you in different and successive stages (I would add to Mohsin's translation the word successive, as he mentioned the successive stages in the womb).

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هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن طِينٍ ثُمَّ قَضَى أَجَلاً وَأَجَلٌ مُّسمًّى عِندَهُ ثُمَّ أَنتُمْ تَمْتَرُونَ

6.2 . He it is Who hath created you from clay , and hath decreed a term for you . A term is fixed with Him . Yet still ye doubt!
 

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وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الإِنسَانَ مِن صَلْصَالٍ مِّنْ حَمَإٍ مَّسْنُونٍ

15.26 . Verily We created man of potter ' s clay of black mud altered ,
 

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وَٱللَّهُ أَنۢبَتَكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ نَبَاتً۬ا

71.17. And Allah has produced you from the earth, growing (gradually), (Yusuf Ali's translation)

71.17. And Allâh has brought you forth from the (dust of) earth (Mohsin's translation)

71.17. And Allah hath caused you to grow as a growth from the earth (Pickthal's translation)

The three translations got the common meaning of growth out of earth but they avoided using the verb  أَنۢبَتَكُم, to plant (you), and the noun نَبَاتً۬ا, (as) a plant. The meaning, then, is that "Allah has planted you in earth and caused you to grow out of it like plants," which pass through  different and successive metamorphosing stages from seeds to growing plants, then to the  flowering stage, and ultimately to the death of the grown plants. However, life continues as the dying plants produce life in the form of seeds.

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قَالَ لَهُ صَاحِبُهُ وَهُوَ يُحَاوِرُهُ أَكَفَرْتَ بِالَّذِي خَلَقَكَ مِن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ سَوَّاكَ رَجُلاً

18.37 . And his comrade , while he disputed with him , ex claimed : Disbelievest thou in Him Who created thee of dust , then of a drop ( of seed ) , and then fashioned thee a man?
 

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11.  وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ نُطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ جَعَلَكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا وَمَا تَحْمِلُ مِنْ أُنْثَى وَلا تَضَعُ إِلا بِعِلْمِهِ وَمَا يُعَمَّرُ مِنْ مُعَمَّرٍ وَلا يُنْقَصُ مِنْ عُمُرِهِ إِلا فِي كِتَابٍ إِنَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ

35.11 . Allah created you from dust , then from a little fluid , then He made you pairs ( the male and female ) . No female beareth or bringeth forth save with His knowledge . And no one groweth old who groweth old , nor is aught lessened of his life , but it is recorded in a Book . Lo! that is easy for Allah .
 

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خَلَقَ الْإِنسَانَ مِن صَلْصَالٍ كَالْفَخَّارِ

55.14 . He created man of clay like the potter ' s ,
 

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هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ عَلَقَةٍ ثُمَّ يُخْرِجُكُمْ طِفْلاً ثُمَّ لِتَبْلُغُوا أَشُدَّكُمْ ثُمَّ لِتَكُونُوا شُيُوخاً وَمِنكُم مَّن يُتَوَفَّى مِن قَبْلُ وَلِتَبْلُغُوا أَجَلاً مُّسَمًّى وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ

40.67 . He it is Who created you from dust , then from a drop ( of seed ) then from a clot , then bringeth you forth as a child , then ( ordaineth ) that ye attain full strength and afterward that ye become old men though some among you die before and that ye reach an appointed term , that haply ye may understand .
 

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الَّذِي خَلَقَكَ فَسَوَّاكَ فَعَدَلَكَ

82.7 . Who created thee , then fashioned , then proportioned thee?
 

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فِي أَيِّ صُورَةٍ مَّا شَاء رَكَّبَكَ

82.8 . Into whatsover form He will , He casteth thee
 

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وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَاكُمْ ثُمَّ صَوَّرْنَاكُمْ ثُمَّ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلآئِكَةِ اسْجُدُواْ لآدَمَ فَسَجَدُواْ إِلاَّ إِبْلِيسَ لَمْ يَكُن مِّنَ السَّاجِدِينَ

7.11 . And We created you , then fashioned you , then told the angels : Fall ye prostrate before Adam! And they fell prostrate , all save Iblis , who was not of those who make prostration .
 

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أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللّهَ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ بِالْحقِّ إِن يَشَأْ يُذْهِبْكُمْ وَيَأْتِ بِخَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍ

14.19 . Hast thou not seen that Allah hath created the heavens and the earth with truth? If He will , He can remove you and bring ( in ) some new creation .
 

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فَالْيَوْمَ نُنَجِّيكَ بِبَدَنِكَ لِتَكُونَ لِمَنْ خَلْفَكَ آيَةً وَإِنَّ كَثِيراً مِّنَ النَّاسِ عَنْ آيَاتِنَا لَغَافِلُونَ

10.92 . But this day We save thee in thy body that thou mayest be a portent for those after thee . Lo! most of mankind are heedless of Our portents .
 

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وَقَالُواْ أَئِذَا كُنَّا عِظَاماً وَرُفَاتاً أَإِنَّا لَمَبْعُوثُونَ خَلْقاً جَدِيداً

17.49 . And they say : When we are bones and fragments , shall we , forsooth , be raised up as a new creation?

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قُل كُونُواْ حِجَارَةً أَوْ حَدِيداً

17.50 . Say : Be ye stones or iron

 

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22.  وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ خَلْقُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأرْضِ وَاخْتِلافُ أَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَأَلْوَانِكُمْ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآيَاتٍ لِلْعَالِمِينَ

30.22 . And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth , and the difference of your languages and colors . Lo! herein indeed are portents for men of knowledge .
 

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خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ بِالْحَقِّ يُكَوِّرُ اللَّيْلَ عَلَى النَّهَارِ وَيُكَوِّرُ النَّهَارَ عَلَى اللَّيْلِ وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ يَجْرِي لِأَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى أَلَا هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفَّارُ

39.5 . He hath created the heavens and the earth with truth . He maketh night to succeed day , and He maketh day to succeed night , and He constraineth the sun and the moon to give service , each running on for an appointed term . Is not He the Mighty , the Forgiver?

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وَالْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ دَحَاهَا

79.30 . And after that He spread the earth ,
 

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أَخْرَجَ مِنْهَا مَاءهَا وَمَرْعَاهَا

79.31 . And produced therefrom the water thereof and the pasture thereof ,

* Dr. Hassan Ali El-Najjar has a Ph.D. in Sociology and a Master’s degree in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Georgia, USA.

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