Can Muslims Believe in Human Evolution While Affirming Adam’s Unique Creation?
Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick
Question
Is it permissible to believe that humans evolved alongside Adam while still affirming that he was a miraculous creation and the ancestor of all humans?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
Islam affirms that Adam (peace be upon him) was created miraculously by Allah and is the first human and ancestor of all mankind. Allah says:
“Indeed, the example of Adam to Allah is like that of Jesus. He created him from dust; then He said to him, ‘Be,’ and he was.” [Quran, 3:59]
The belief that other human-like beings evolved alongside Adam (peace be upon him) contradicts the Quranic narrative, which establishes Adam as the first human and the father of all humanity.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said,
“Verily, Allah has removed from you the pride of the time of ignorance with its boasting of ancestors. Verily, one is only a righteous believer or a miserable sinner. All of the people are the children of Adam, and Adam was created from dust.” [Tirmidhi]
While Islam does not reject scientific discoveries, any theory that contradicts the Quran and authentic hadith must be re-evaluated. Thus, affirming evolution for animals is permissible, but applying it to the origins of humanity in a way that contradicts Adam’s special creation (peace be upon him) is not.
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And Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan (Allah have mercy on him), where he taught.
Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Shaykh Muhammad Awama, Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Hitu, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.
He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has been the Director of the Discover Islam Centre, and for six years, he has been the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.
Shaykh Irshaad has fifteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town. He is currently building an Islamic podcast, education, and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy Prophetic living and fitness.
