So, I'm gonna respond to you point by point. You numbered them so I will too. You should know that I do not trust hadiths and therefore do not cite them nor respond to them. This could be another debate, but the question is does the Quran support evolutionary creation, not hadiths.
(1) You appealed to authority on this verse and it is not surprising that authorities in Islam do not support the evolutionary interpretation of Quran 71:13-14: They base their understanding on hadiths. All we need to do is who the Arabic translation of that word. Allah did not give you the Quran so that you can ask these so called "scholars" to interpret it for you. Allah wants YOU to ponder on the Quran, not have someone else ponder for you.
Will they not then ponder the Qur'an or are there locks upon their hearts?" [Quran 47:24]The word for stages (atwaran) means successive stages. That means the creation of humans beings is in stages. That is all that verse shows.
Did Allah mention in other verses the stages he created us in? Yes embryological and evolutionary (i have mentioned this in my earlier posts).
You said
""interpreting Qur'anic verses in the light of other Qur'anic verses," because in other verses Allah explains the stages of creation as being those inside the mother's womb.". That is exactly what I did. Quran 32:7-9 explains those stages. One stage involved the beginning of formation of humans, the next is sexual reproduction and the next is the stage in further proportioning. Not only that, you failed to mention where else Allah explains the stages of creation besides the embryological.
Further, if all humans were created in stages, then so was Adam....
(2) The next thing you brought up while making fun of it, is the verse on Allah increasing the wings on Angels (Quran 35:1).
All you have to do is ask yourself, why is Allah talking about Angels and to what purpose is Allah telling you that his creation involves adding and increasing complexity of his creatures? What point does Allah want you to understand? The point is that Allah adds on to creation.
You also stated that it is not generally all his creation, but it is talking about Angels. WHY is Allah talking about Angels if the subject of that chapter is humans?
What is the verse telling you about the nature of Allah's creation? It is telling you that Allah creates by originating and ADDING on to creation. He made Angels with one wing and he increased and improved his creation into having 4.
If you can't ask yourself these questions and if you can see why Allah wrote this verse (What is the purpose), then you would get the proper translation.
Allah specifically told us in the Quran that intelligent people will get the right interpretation of the Quran. So I hope you can read the Quran intelligently and think of the meaning and the concept that Allah wants you to grasp.
Why does Allah mention Angels in a chapter that's subject is obviously humans?...Because Allah creates the same way. By originating creation and by adding on to creation.
(3) The next thing you discussed was Quran 7:69
I've noticed that you committed to appeal to ridicule fallacy. Just because something sounds ridiculous, does not mean it its wrong. You need to understand that.
Ask yourself, Why did Allah say that he has improved us in creation/stature after the people of Noah?
HOW did Allah improve us in creation/stature? By killing of the humans that weren't fit enough to believe and be obedient to Allah...I.e. Natural selection.
What is Allah teaching you in this verse? Why did he say that he has improved us in creation and why did he imply that humans have gone through an evolutionary event at this time?? You need to dig deeper into this and not get a shallow and superficial understanding...
(4) Its funny here. You refuted yourself and you ended up proving my point.
My point was there was a long period of time in which Adam was non-existent and there was along period of time in which humans got created.
I will quote you:
"or it could be the period of time when Allah shaped Adam"-->Agreed.
It could be the time when man was not created-->Agreed.
Thanks for proving my point.
Allah created Adam in a long period of time and before Adam's creation a long period of time occurred...Wow, what a strong hint at the long
process in which Allah created humans.
(5) This is where you really discredit yourself.
Quran 96:1-2 is where Allah has explicitly told us that he created MANKIND (ALL OF MANKIND) from Alaq. This does not exclude anyone as Allah is never short of words
Then you went to Quran 7:11-12 and said see, Adam wasn't created from Alaq, he was created from Clay. This is worse then saying that the Quran contradicts itself by saying that humans are created from Water and then the Quran says humans are created from Clay, and then the Quran says humans are created from Dust. IT is just as bad as the infidel argument. We were ALL created from Water AND dust AND semen AND clay AND alaq!
We created man from an extract of clay. (Qur'an, 23:12 and 15:26)(Quran 96:1-2) ... who created, Created man from a clinging substance (Alaq or embryo)^EVERYONE was created from clay and EVERYONE was created from Alaq. BOTH are true.
Adam was formed in an embryo and he had a father....
(6) I agree on you with Quran 3:33-34. It was speaking about being descenants of one another. Apologies for bringing that up.
What I do disagree on is your view of Quran 35:11
Quran 35:11 And Allah created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop; then He made you in pairsYou stated that this verse refers to creation Adam from dust and his offspring is the sperm-drop and the mates. To show why this translation is definitively wrong, let us look at this part "Then he made you in pairs". That means that humans FIRST became pairs after creation of us from Dust and then a sperm drop. Adam and Hawwa were a pair, weren't they? Yes. They were a pair. So the logical conclusion is that he created us from dust and then from a sperm drop BEFORE he created Adam and hawwa (a pair). Read the verse again. To restate: Adam and Hawwa are a pair. This verse says that humans were made in pairs after Allah created the sperm-drop. The logical and necessary conclusion is that Adam and Hawwa were created from a sperm-drop because they are a pair.
You stated that Thumma (the word for "then") in this verse does not meant to denote time? Based on what do you make such an assumption? Thumma means then and it is mostly used in the Quran to denote a time after.
I also disagree on your view of who Adam succeeded in the Earth. The Quran did not mention anything on this, but the Quran tells us that Adam succeeded something. The Quran did NOT say Jinn. The Quran left that for US to discover. Evolutionary science tells us who that something Adam succeeded is. It happened to be ape-like humans...We DID succeed something on the Earth. Then you also held the argument that successor doesn't have to mean physically succeeding, and that it could mean being a ruler over them. And I would agree here, but I would say the word "khalifatan" meaning successors refers to BOTH succeeding after something on the Earth and ruling over them. We did succeed something on the Earth and we ARE the rulers of the Earth.
And oh by the way, you proved my point once again:
You quoted the verse that said Jesus' creation is the likeliness of Adam (Quran 3:59). Guess what? Jesus was formed in an embryo and my whole thesis here is that
SO WAS ADAM. Adam was formed in an embryo himself. You proved my point once again. So why are you so reluctant to accept the scientific fact of evolution?
You are getting refuted, again and again. And most of the time, you are refuting yourself.
(7) You posted a verse that I didn't even mention, but I would still like to defend the view and the what the verse is saying.
Allah caused you to grow from the earth, and then will return you to it and bring you out again. (Qur'an, 71:17-18)The manipulation of this verse that you present is wrong.
Allah has caused us to grow from the Earth and then he will
RETURN us to the Earth. That means we will die exactly where we grew from the earth. This verse DOES present evidence of inorganic evolution! We formed from the Earth and we will return to the Earth. It does NOT mean just nourishment from plants and other earth things like you mention, it means literally we have grown from the Earth. Why can this be the only interpretation? Because we will return to the Earth.
Even in your own post you agreed with me again and refuted yourself. Why do you do this, it's like your arguments has no structure.
You said:
" When you die, you will return to the earth and become part of the soil"-->Agreed. That means that this verse is saying we grew from the soil. Another Quranic verse informs us that we grew from the Earth progressively (implying the idea of creation in stages):
(Quran 71:17) And Allah has caused you to grow from the earth a [progressive] growth. This is extremely suggestive of the evolutionary fact. Another valid translation of that verse is that Allah has caused us to grow from the earth like plants. The verse would read:
71.17. And Allah has caused you to grow out of the earth like plants What does that mean? That means that Allah has planted us in the Earth and we grew FROM the earth. Just like planting a seed. You put the seed, provide it with everything it needs and nourishment, leave it
alone and it will morph/evolve into a plant. Compare that to the evolutionary finding. The first cell formed out of the contents of the Earth and it grew and evolved overtime into a human.
So to stress this point: The Quran states that a plant grows out of the Earth in successive stages, just like humans grew out of the Earth in successive stages. This again is extremely suggestive of the evolutionary fact and is contrary to your anti-evolution heresy.
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It tells us that humans grew from the Earth in successive stages progressively just as Quran 71:14 states (Allah created humans in diverse stages)! I would also like to remind you that the two verses (Growing out of the earth progressively/like plants and Allah created humans in diverse stages) are in the same chapters and only a few verses apart. Clearly Allah wants us to grasp this concept that we not only did we grow in stages embryonically but grew from the earth in diverse stages.--That Adam himself grew from the Earth in diverse stages.
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8 Your "real" process of creation has no Quranic validity. The Quran did not mention this nonsense.
Quoting "scholars" and saying "look they agree with me", is ridiculous. Irrespective of the general consensus, the truth is the truth. In the 1950's scientists did not believe in Quantum Mechanical Findings (anti-realism) and they did not believe in the big bang despite the overwheming evidence. People at that time, just like you, Quoted those scientists and saying "look they agree with me, therefore you are wrong". This mechanism of argument defense is not how we debate.
The Quran did not command us to have others ponder on the Quran for us. The Quran commanded us to ponder it ourselves and not to commit shirk and follow religious mullahs.
Next, you quoted Quran 7:189 and then stated that you believe that Adam is the father of all humans. YES, he IS the father of all humans, but he also had a parent. Allah has chosen Adam for all humans to descend from.
IF you are stating that the concept of Adam (a singular human being) is not in support of evolution, then you are wrong. Genetic study has been able to trace our ancestry back to ONE singular individual. They call it the Mitochondrial eve and the Y-Chromosome Adam. These are NOT the Adam and Eve. This is just an example of how we can trace our ancestry back to singular people. If the mitochondrial eve and the Y-Chromosome Adam had a singular common ancestor (which they must logically have), THEN the parents of that ancestor would be THE Quranic Adam and Eve. The pair in which we have
ALL descended from.
Then you said something like did "Hawwa evolutionize from Adam?" and you quote Quran 4:1. I can easily present 5 valid translations:
1.) It is referring to the Soul. He created Adam's soul and took it and made Eve's
2.) It is not referring to Adam and Eve at all, and it is referring to the first cell that has formed and its pair that divided from it and eventually all humans came from this.
3.) It is referring to Adam and Eve and Eve literally came out of Adam.
4.) Eve was one of Adam's offspring that he has mated with
I'm guessing you support translation #3? I do too. But what does Allah mean that he created Eve from Adam?
You have yourself proved that Adam was created in an embryo (just like Jesus) and Allah
intervened in the Embryo (just like Jesus). So Adam and eve could literally been at one point an embryo that divided. How Allah took eve out of Adam.
Translation #1 is not very far off either. Translation #2 is possible, but I hesitate to defend it because nowhere in the Quran does it state anything about the first cell dividing. So I don't support translation 2.
Translation 4 is supportive of incest, but we should know that Allah makes rules and abrogates his rules. Incest back then did occur, we have to accept it. Even on your view that Adam and Eve had kids and the kids mated with each other presents Allah allowing Incest. Anyway, Eve could have simply been an offspring of Adam (could be Adams daughter, nephew, or nephew's kid). I don't see any issue with this translation. Eve came out of Adam and with THIS pair, all humans became descendants of them.
^So this refutes your idea that Quran 4:1 is against the idea of evolution.
Next you state, and I'm quoting to literally put quotes on your answer:
Then Allah said to the angels: "Truly, I am going to create man from clay. So when I have fashioned him and breathed into him (his) soul created by Me, then you fall down prostrate to him." (Chapter 38:71-72 Quran).
And when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My [created] soul, then fall down to him in prostration.” So the angels prostrated – all of them entirely, Except Iblees, he refused to be with those who prostrated. (Qur’an 15:29-31)
Now. Lets inspect the above ayah in points:
1) Allah created man from clay
2) Then fashioned and Proportioned
3) Then Breathed soul into him
This ayah proves that Adam was created directly by Allah and not process of evolution. Because according to evolution humans came from primates apes..animals.etc. Basically they are ALIVE and need to be ALIVE to evolve. But Adam was only ALIVE and had a soul only after he was fashioned and proportioned by Allah. Meaning Adam was DEAD AND LIFE-LESS when he was being created and in the process of fashioning or as Mclinkin says in the process of evolution. THEREFORE ADAM COULD NOT OFF EVOLVED FROM SOMETHING BEFORE HIM WHEN HE WAS NOT ALIVE. Because how can a dead ape evolve into a man. YOU UNDERSTANDING ME GUYS.
Issue with your understanding. Firstly, you assume that a soul makes you alive and that without a soul you are not alive and you assume that a soul is also given to Animals. Where is the Quranic basis of this assumption? There are none. Bacteria are alive and I don't think they have souls. So souls? What does the Quran mean by soul? Well, the Quran seems to show that the input of a soul is correlated with higher intelligence (the ones that humans possess)! The Quran states that Allah has given us a soul and given us higher intelligence. So a soul is a feature required for the intelligence that a human possess and not for being alive.
So NO, these Ayas do not prove that Adam was created directly by Allah and not through a process of evolution. Adam was given a soul because he was picked over the other beings by Allah. A soul is not necessary for you to be alive. A soul is something Allah decides to give and Allah gave it to us .The soul possibly granted us certain faculties such as intellect, volition, emotion, knowledge of right and wrong, a sense of justice, mercy etc. Obviously Animals do not have the same intellect we do.
So what does this mean? It does not mean that the creation of Allah in stages did not involve life. This thus refutes your point.
In order to gain any argumentative support, you
MUST show where the Quran said animals and other living things are given souls. And, I know there is no such Quranic verse. Your argument therefore falls on itself. This whole rant is ridiculous and it's major premise/assumption is false. It is nothing more than idle talk.
You have to accept the Quranic consistency in stating that Humans were created progressively in stages. This is in support of the idea of evolution. We started off as nothing more than clay (Allah originates creation), we evolved and got proportioned into higher beings (Allah adds complexity on to his creation) and Allah has created us good (Allah perfects/improves his creation).
Conclusion:
1.) Allah said that he created humans in stages and he specified them as being both evolutionary and embryological
2.) Allah explains to us that he originates his creations and he increases/Adds on to them
3.) Allah tells us that humans have experienced a significant evolutionary event at Noah's time and it was driven through Natural selection (makes you think, huh?)
4.)Adam was created in a long period of time involving a process
5.) Adam was created in an embryo thereby implying he at least had a mother
6.) Adam was chosen over something and he succeeded them!
7.)Allah has caused us to grow from the Earth progressively and in stages
8.) Miscellaneous things (etc.)
And here is yet another verse in which Allah shows us the process in which humans were created:
(Quran 82:7) O mankind, what has deceived you concerning your Lord, the Generous, Who created you, then proportioned you, and then balanced you?This verse may refer to three main stages of the creation of human beings. The first was creation of a living cell (The Arabic verb khlaqa, created). The second was the change from unicellular prokaryote organism to the multi-cellular eukaryote animal organism (The Arabic verb sawwa, fashioned you). The third was the human departure from the animal stage (The Arabic verb 'adala, made you walk in an
upright way). Allah has improved his creation. Allah has added on to his creation, just like Allah mentioned when he said he added wings to angels. Allah
originates creation, then
Evolves it (increases it, improves it, perfects it).