An Essential Guide to Islam & Evolution

An Essential Guide to Islam & Evolution

This book is a must-read for anyone seeking a comprehensive, clear, and orthodox Islamic approach to evolution.

Topics covered in this essential guide to Islam and evolution include:

(a) The design argument in both classical Islamic thought and contemporary scientific and philosophical discourse
(b) A critique of ‘methodological naturalism’ as a guiding principle in modern science
(c) An Islamic framework for understanding miracles
(d) An appraisal of contemporary scientific views on naturalistic evolution
(e) Islamic scripture on biological origins
(f) A critique of attempts to reconcile scripture with naturalistic evolutionary ideas

The concluding appendices feature writings from eminent scholars of the past century, such as Shaykh Muṣṭafā Ṣabrī, Shaykh Ashraf ʿAlī Thānawī, and Shaykh Anwar Shāh Kashmīrī, highlighting how scholars deeply rooted in the Islamic tradition engaged with these issues a century ago.

Overall, the text presents a clear, methodical, and principled approach to understanding biological observations through the lens of Islamic theology. Through well-chosen examples, it guides readers in how to critically evaluate evolutionary claims and distinguish conclusions that are based on materialist assumptions from those that can be harmonized with Islamic teachings. It is an important starting point for Muslims educated in Western contexts. This book deserves to be required reading in Islamic schools, maktabs, and as part of introductory coursework in madrasah curricula.