Charles Darwin predicted in the Quran!
2:36
17 Mar 2010
Evolution
Adnan Oktar
This clip, probably from a TV show, shows Adnan Oktar, also known as Harun Yahya, answering a viewer’s question read by an unknown woman dressed in black hijab. The question asks about a specific ḥadīth (saying attributed to the Prophet Muḥammad), wanting to know to whom an “old man” mentioned in the ḥadīth refers. Oktar says, “Darwin, the greatest fraud in the world.” Oktar then blames Darwin for the deaths of 350 million people, and suggests he (Darwin) is the cause for “almost the whole of the Islamic world” coming under “Communist control”.
The video is in Turkish with English subtitles. The date of original broadcast is unknown.
Evaluation:
This interpretation of the ḥadīth would not be considered typical by most Muslims. Although the title of the video mentions the Qurʾān, there is no Qurʾānic material in the video.
The only discussion of science is to mention Darwin and attribute to him the deaths of millions of people, which cannot be supported with any scientific (or historical) evidence.
Oktar’s statement that almost all Muslim countries became communist is clearly untrue. Most flirtations with communist theories were part of larger geopolitical machinations that smaller, often post-colonial, countries sought to make use of.
About Adnan Oktar
Adnan Oktar, born in Ankara Turkey in 1956, is also known by the name Harun Yahya, which is also used for materials produced by his organizations, Bilim Araştırma Vakfı (“Science Research Foundation”) and Milli Değerleri Koruma Vakfı (“National Values Preservation Foundation”). He is closely identified with creationism in the Muslim world, promoted through the glossy Atlas of Creation, published in 2006-07. His ideas are often close to those of young Earth Christian creationists from the United States. Some have likened his approach to intelligent design, but Oktar himself calls the term “another of Satan’s snares.” He (or his group) has produced numerous written works and videos on i’jāz, the idea that scientific facts may be found in the Qurʾān, proving its miraculous nature.
Oktar has been prosecuted by the Turkish government for “promoting theocratic revolution” (1986), and has been arrested on other charges, although he was later acquitted or the charges were dismissed. On the other hand, since 2007 Oktar has successfully used the Turkish government to block internet sites that he claimed defamed him.
In March 2011, Oktar started broadcasting on the A9 satellite channel. Some of the programming may be found here, but is only available in Turkish.
Selected Bibliography:
“Adnan Oktar” Wikipedia. Accessed 19 April 2015.
His web site: www.harunyahya.com.
Bigliardi, S. (2014). Islam and the Quest for Modern Science: Conversations with Adnan Oktar, Mehdi Golshani, Mohammed Basil Altaie, Zaghloul El-Naggar, Bruno Guiderdoni and Nidhal Guessoum. Istanbul, Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul.
Solberg, A. R. (2013). The Mahdi Wears Armani: An Analysis of the Harun Yahya Enterprise. Stockholm, Södertörns högskola.