Signs of the Quran - Biology

Evolution - Systematics

"Has there not been over Man a long period of Time when he was nothing--(not even) mentioned?"

Surah Ad-Dahr 76 Ayah 1

"And Allah has created every animal from water: of them there are some that creep on their bellies; some that walk on two legs; and some that walk on four. Allah creates what He wills: for verily Allah has power over all things."

Surah An-Nur 24 Ayah 45

"He is Allah the Creator the Evolver the Bestower of Forms (or colours). To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names: Whatever is in the heavens and on earth doth declare His Praises and Glory: and He is the exalted in Might the Wise."

Surah Al-Hashr 59 Ayah 24

"He has created man; He has taught him speech (and Intelligence)"

Surah Ar-Rahman 55 Ayah 3/4

"And He taught Adam all the names (expressions) …"

Surah Al-Baqara 2, Ayah 31

"Do they not look at the birds held poised in the midst of (the air and) the sky? Nothing holds them up but (the power of) Allah. Verily in this are Signs for those who believe"

Surah An-Nahl 16, Ayah 79

"And Solomon was David's heir. He said: "O ye people! we have been taught the speech of Birds and on us has been bestowed (a little) of all things: this is indeed Grace manifest (from Allah)."

Surah An-Naml 27, Ayah 16

"And (appoint him) an Apostle to the Children of Israel (with this message): I have come to you with a sign from your Lord in that I make for you out of clay as it were the figure of a bird and breathe into it and it becomes a bird by Allah's leave..."

Surah Al-i'Imran 3, Ayah 49

According to the Quran, there has been a clear timeframe for evolution (see also Universe & Space - Age). Mankind has not evolved from animals (see B 3/1), yet is made out of the same substances, clay and water in quranic words and amino acids and H2O in modern scientific expressions. Regarding the appearance of man, it is stated in the above Ayah, S 76: A 1, that there was a long time when the human race did not exist at all but apparently other living beings had been created. There was an evolution/creation of animals.

The types of animals described in the verse 24/45 are land animals and one would assume that animals like fish or birds are exclusively bound to the habitats they usually inhabit, such as water and air. The Creator in his infinite artistic talent "creates what he wills" and can make these classes of animals access other biotopes as well. For example fish can even creep on land (mudskipper) or attempt to fly through the air (flying fish) in order to flee from predators and some birds can even dive and swim (ducks, and kingfishers) or, having lost their ability to fly, run over land on "two legs" (ostrich). Penguins even "creep on their bellies", such as emperor penguins do, when they glide over ice for long distances. Animals can also walk on two legs (S 24:A5), like kangaroos, bears, apes and monkeys.

Scientists during the last few centuries used to classify the Homo gender as the only one walking upright. They had to find another definition after the discovery of many other species that walked upright too. Now they refer to the cranial capacity, the size of the brain, which has to be reviewed as well, since dolphins and whales have much larger brains than humans. Now they have come to the conclusion, that it must be due to the ability to speak and think in an abstract forms. This means that language (S 55:A 3/4) and expression (S 2:A 31) are the basis of our nature and that our intelligence is based on this type of abstraction, the main difference between animals and man (Eccles). This is being put into question in recent years since dolphins and whales can communicate by sound and apes can think in abstract terms as well (see B 3/2). Additionally, there seem to be very intelligent patterns in the singing of birds (S 27: A 16) and their abilities to fly, communicate and orient themselves over long distances (S 16:A 79). Birds are warm blooded like mammals and they in fact, evolved after mammals. In S 3: A 49 there is an indication that hey were created from the same substance as man, from clay.