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Views on the origin of living things in Islamic thought

al-JāḥiẓIbn KhaldūnMehmet BayrakdarDavid Solomon JalajelShoaib Ahmed MalikNidhal Guessoum

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For everyone

There is no single view on the origin of living things in the Muslim world. Some authors see precursors of evolutionary ideas in the works of al-Jāḥiẓ and Ibn Khaldūn; others argue this projects modern concepts onto the past. Today views range from creationism, holding that species were created separately, through a view that exempts only Adam and Eve, to theistic evolution without exceptions.

For specialists

Al-Jāḥiẓ's Kitāb al-Ḥayawān (9th century) discusses competition among animals and the influence of environment. Ibn Khaldūn's Muqaddimah (1377) speaks of the gradual connection of the mineral, plant, animal and human realms. Malik (2021) sorts contemporary views, within the framework of Ash'arite kalām, into four groups: creationism, human exceptionalism, Adamic exceptionalism and no exceptions. In this classification Ash'arite occasionalism serves as a theological basis for regarding natural processes as instruments of divine action.

Positions

Those who see precursors of evolution in al-Jāḥiẓ
Al-Jāḥiẓ gives an early instance of biological evolutionism by describing adaptation to the environment and the struggle for existence.[1]
Ibn Khaldūn's Muqaddimah
The realms of being are gradually connected; the last stage of the animal realm adjoins the first stage of the human realm.[2]
Adamic exceptionalism
The scriptures report the special creation of Adam and Eve but do not preclude other living things, even other human-like beings, from arising through evolution.[3][4]
Theistic evolution without exceptions
All living things, humans included, arose through evolution; the Adam narrative in scripture may be read as symbolic or moral.[5]
Creationist view
The Qur'anic verses on Adam's creation from clay and on the creation of living beings show that species were created separately.[4][6]

Connections

Parent

Views on the origin and diversity of living things

Related

Ashʿarism and occasionalismTheistic evolution (evolutionary creation)CreationismIbn Khaldūn's Muqaddimah

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Sources

  1. ArticleBayrakdar, M. (1983). Al-Jahiz and the rise of biological evolutionism. The Islamic Quarterly 27(3), 149–155
  2. Bookİbn Haldun / Ibn Khaldūn; Rosenthal, F. (trans.) (1958). The Muqaddimah: An Introduction to History. Princeton University Press (Bollingen Series XLIII), original 1377
  3. BookJalajel, D. S. (2009). Islam and Biological Evolution: Exploring Classical Sources and Methodologies. University of the Western Cape, Bellville
  4. BookMalik, S. A. (2021). Islam and Evolution: Al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm. Routledge, London · ISBN 978-0367364137
  5. BookGuessoum, N. (2011). Islam's Quantum Question: Reconciling Muslim Tradition and Modern Science. I.B. Tauris, London
  6. ScriptureKur'an-ı Kerim, Hicr 15:26–29quran.comarchive

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APA

Athena contributors. (2026). Views on the origin of living things in Islamic thought. Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/islam-ve-evrim/

BibTeX
@misc{athena_islam_ve_evrim,
  title        = {Views on the origin of living things in Islamic thought},
  author       = {{Athena contributors}},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/islam-ve-evrim/}},
  note         = {Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Accessed: 2026-11-01}
}

Added: September 27, 2026 · Last changed: September 27, 2026 · Page history

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