Is there Contradiction between Islam and Evolution?
4:06
13 Nov 2010
Evolution
Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips (Dennis Bradley Philips)
Bilal Philips answers a question about evolution (not given on screen) and its relationship to Islam. Philips suggests that belief in God is not linked to or dependent on belief or disbelief in evolution. The problem as Philips sees it is that evolutionary theory does not call for someone in charge of the whole system, which he believes to be necessary. He suggests that scientists can also not say why the Big Bang came about.
The clip seems to have come from either the 2008 or 2009 “Journey of Faith Conference” in Toronto.
Evaluation:
The material on Islam is within the bounds of what Muslims have historically understood as acceptable.
The necessity for a designer to shape evolutionary processes is not the dominant view among evolutionary biologists today.
There is insufficient historical material on which to base an evaluation.
About Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips (Dennis Bradley Philips)
Born in 1946 in Kingston, Jamaica as Dennis Bradley Philips, Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips (not to be confused with Bilal Abdul Alim, whose birth name was Julius Philips Jr.) grew up in Canada and converted to Islam, after a Christian upbringing, in 1972. His interest in Islam led him to the Arabian Gulf, where in 1979 he received a diploma in Arabic and a B.A. in Islamic Studies from the Islamic University of Madinah. He continued his studies in Saudi Arabia at the University of Riyadh where he gained a masters degree in Islamic theology in 1985. Furthermore, Philips also completed a Ph.D., again in Islamic theology, at the University of Wales in the United Kingdom in 1994.
Philips has utilized his education in various avenues over the past couple of decades. Notably, during his time in Saudi Arabia he taught at an Islamic high school for ten years, and when he moved to the United Arab Emirates he lectured at the American University of Dubai for another ten years, in addition to founding the Islamic Information Center in Dubai. After his time in Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E., Philips moved to Qatar, where in 2007 he founded the Islamic Studies Academy in Doha and launched the Islamic Online University. Philips resides in Qatar as of 2015. Besides his main work in the Arabian Gulf, he has also established various other Islamic institutions and directed the Islamic branches of universities in various countries, including Sudan and the Philippines.
Philips can be found as a regular on Peace TV, and a variety of information about him, including his publications, can be accessed via his personal website. As of 2015, Philips operates successful Facebook and Twitter pages, in addition to a YouTube page, which hosts many of his lectures. Combining his social media outlets, Philips’ followers number in the millions.
Selected Bibliography:
“About – Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips.” Dr Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips. N.p., n.d. Accessed 26 May 2015.
“Bilal Philips.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Accessed 26 May 2015.
“Bilal Philips.” YouTube. N.d. Accessed 26 May 2015.
“Islam Events – Dr. Bilal Philips Biography.” Islam Events – Dr. Bilal Philips Biography. Islam Tomorrow, n.d. Accessed 26 May 2015.
Philips, Bilal. Facebook. N.p., n.d. Accessed 26 May 2015.
Philips, Bilal. Twitter. Twitter, n.d. Accessed 26 May 2015.