Theistic Evolution:
A Modern Religious Heresy

The concept of theistic evolution seeks to reconcile the traditional theistic narrative of creation with Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. This idea initially gained prominence within the Catholic Church following the Second Vatican Council through the influence of groups such as the Jesuits and notable figures like the French priest and scientist Teilhard de Chardin. Over time, theistic evolution found acceptance across various Christian denominations and eventually within the Muslim world. Indeed, in recent years, many contemporary Muslim scholars have attempted to demonstrate a harmony between the Qur'anic account of creation and evolutionary theory, striving to align Islamic teachings with modern scientific perspectives. ​

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However, upon closer examination, it quickly becomes evident that this reconciliation is fraught with contradictions. The core principles of the evolutionary paradigm often conflict with the metaphysical and theological foundations of divine creation, making any attempt to fully synthesize the two an inherently tenuous endeavour. What is needed, therefore, is not a renunciation of the Qur'anic creation narrative but rather a deeper exploration and elaboration of its principles.​​

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The notion of human evolution, for example, directly contradicts several Qur'anic verses which describe the creation of Adam (peace be upon him) as a deliberate act of divine will—“Indeed, the example of Jesus to Allah is like that of Adam. He created him from dust; then He said to him ‘Be’ and he was” (Qur'an 3:59). Unsurprisingly, there, in turn, exists nothing in the Islamic tradition which in any way suggests that humanity evolved from apes. On the contrary, the Qur'an makes reference to the “fall of man,” a notion that diametrically opposes the assertion of man’s evolution from a lesser state. Hence, imposing an evolutionary interpretation onto these verses not only distorts their meaning but also undermines one’s belief in the Qur'an as a divine and unchanging text.​

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​That said, this dissonance between the Qur'anic worldview and evolutionary theory is not limited to human beings but extends to encompass all living creatures. In Islamic thought, the Qur'an is regarded as the eternal word of God, providing guidance that transcends time. As such, references in the Qur'an to creatures like the camel signify not just their physical existence but their eternal archetype or metaphysical form, which God actualizes within the physical world—"Then do they not reflect on camels—how they were created?" (Qur'an 88:17). In contrast, Darwinism rejects the notion of eternal archetypes, viewing species as transient points within an ongoing evolutionary process. Under this view, the concept of a "camel" is not rooted in a fixed, eternal form but is merely a linguistic convenience for identifying a temporary stage in a continuous chain of change.

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On the other hand, if one were to argue that God manifests these archetypal forms through evolution, it remains unclear at what point in this seamless process of transformation a creature definitively becomes a "camel"? To account for this issue, one would need to propose the existence of an infinite series of forms corresponding to every incremental stage of evolution—a proposition that lacks any basis in the Islamic tradition and is, moreover, philosophically untenable. Indeed, this approach would render the concept of archetypes meaningless, replacing their metaphysical coherence with an endlessly fragmented and redundant framework that even proponents of evolution would find difficult to justify.

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With regard to the validity of the theory itself, Darwinian evolution, firstly, stands out as the only scientific theory devoid of any direct experimental evidence, relying instead on the fossil record to substantiate its claims. The issue, however, is that the fossil record fails to provide any definitive proof of the intermediary species required to support the gradual progression central to evolutionary theory. Furthermore, the mechanistic framework of the Neo-Darwinian model, when analyzed mathematically, has been demonstrated to lack the creative capacity to produce even the simplest cellular organisms—let alone beings capable of self-awareness, abstract thought, moral reasoning, etc.

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​Thus, rather than enriching the intellectual and spiritual dimensions of the Qur'anic worldview, theistic evolution, if anything, reflects a regression—an uncritical capitulation to the Darwinian paradigm that not only distorts foundational Islamic principles but also reflects a troubling lack of religious conviction on the part of those Muslims who choose to embrace it without question.

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