Perhaps you heard about creationism and evolution, but do you really know what does the Quran say about the creation of life and mankind? Welcome to the Creation of Life on Earth website!
Reason for Making This Website
I did my Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in the United States of America. While I was in the U.S., I met people from many different religious backgrounds and people who did not believe in any religion. In addition, I had the chance to discuss the topics of creation and evolution and see them from different perspectives. I discovered that many people do not know what the Quran says about the creation of the universe and life on earth. Therefore, I made this website to serve as a simple online source for all knowledge seekers to show how a Muslim biologist deals with Biology and its related topics in light of what he knows from the Quran. However, I have to emphasize that I am not claiming here that I am a Scholar in Islamic Studies. In fact, I am providing this information about the creation of life on earth to the best of my knowledge as a Muslim. It is a summary of what I have read and understood so far. Of course, I know that there are many books and websites on Islam, creation, and evolution but this is my humble contribution to this topic after 50 years of my life. As a Muslim teaching Biology I found that the verses of the Quran relating to the creation of the living things lay the correct and accurate framework for understanding Biology.
Website Goal
This is an educational website. It mainly answers three questions: (1) Who created the human beings?, (2) Why the human beings were created?, and (3) How the human beings were created? In addition, the website answers questions about the creation of the other living things (i.e. non-human living things): Who created them? Why and How were they created?
The Quran is the main reference of this website. I searched the entire Quran to find verses addressing the creation of the universe, mankind, and life on earth. In many cases I found several verses addressing one issue, thus in such cases I provided only a representative group of verses and not every verse. By design, I used a simple writing style and easy vocabulary in making this website to make it useful to the maximum number of people. Also, I used online references so any person with an Internet connection can access them and get more information.
Language Note
You will find two transliterations appearing frequently on this website. They are: “Jalla Jalaluhu” and “Salla Allahu alay-hi wa-sallam.” The “Jalla Jalaluhu” is the transliteration of an Arabic phrase that is translated into English as “may His glory be glorified.” Muslims use this phrase or other glorifying expressions, such as the Exalted, The Majestic and Sublime, the Most Glorified and the Most High, and the Almighty, immediately after mentioning the name of Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu) to glorify Him. Some people use the acronym SWT, which stands for "Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala", which means "Glory to Him, the Exalted." The “Salla Allahu alay-hi wa-sallam” is the transliteration of an Arabic phrase that is translated into English as “peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.” Muslims always use this phrase after mentioning the name of the Prophet Muhammad (Salla Allahu alay-hi wa-sallam) to show respect to him and to honor him.
Two Questions
Some people ask me: how can an educated person with a PhD degree in a biological science believe in the creation of the universe and life on earth according to the Quran? The answer is simple; we all observe the manifestations of precision and perfection in every aspect of the universe. For example, let us think about the solar system. Scientists discovered that planets of the solar system are on orbits precisely calculated. If one of them gets a little closer to the sun, it burns, and if one moves away from it a little bit, it freezes. Furthermore, in another example scientists discovered that a point mutation, which is a DNA change in one single nucleotide, in one gene in the human body can result in an inherited disease such as thalassemia. In fact, so many examples could be given in this regard. Therefore, after observing any creature, each one of us feels that there should be a great Creator behind this great mastery in this creature and in fact this applies to the entire universe. In addition, the Creator of the universe did not leave people without guidance. He revealed holy books and the Quran is the last one. In the Quran, Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu) told us that He is the Creator of the entire universe. Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu) described in the Quran some of the aspects of the creation to serve as signs and proofs that He is the One and Only Creator. Time passed and modern science came in agreement with these signs, which were said in the Quran more than fourteen centuries ago. What is very interesting is that the Quran provides full details about the origin of the human beings and the purpose behind their creation. Thus in the life of a Muslim, there is no confusion or search for answers about the origin of humans. In addition, the Quran presents a system of good values that do not change over time and lead always to a happy life.
Someone may want to ask me: how can a Muslim biologist reconcile what he/she knows from the Quran with modern science? Again the answer is simple and just needs three easy rules. The first rule is that Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu) is the Creator of everything (living and non-living) “Allah is the Creator of every thing and He has charge over every thing” (Quran 39: 62). The second rule is that Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu) is able to do all things "Blessed is He in Whose Hand is the dominion, and He is Able to do all things" (Quran 67: 1). The third rule is that Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu) created Adam (peace be upon him) as the first human being from the dust (soil) of the earth “… is the likeness of Adam. He created him from dust, then (He) said to him: Be! - and he was” (Quran 3: 59). Now, a Muslim biologist can deal with any scientific knowledge easily and happily. In fact, the more a Muslim knows the more he/she praises Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu) as a Great Creator. Moreover, a Muslim biologist always has a greater desire, than other people for scientific research and discovery because he/she knows that the first word of the Quran was “read”. In addition, he/she knows that Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu) commanded people in the Quran to travel through the earth and see how He did originate the creation. As a result, a Muslim biologist is always motivated and keen to participate actively in scientific research to give benefits to humanity and to provide welfare to all people.
I always improve and update this website so if you have comments, corrections, questions, or suggestions about it please send them to me by email moh.aldeeb@gmail.com.
Mohammad Al-Deeb, B.S., M.S., Ph.D.
16-January-2022
CREATION OF LIFE ON EARTH
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