Evolution in the Quran
4:55
28 Jan 2011
Evolution
Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips (Dennis Bradley Philips)
Yusuf Estes
In this clip from the question and answer session of an undated lecture, a woman off-screen asks Yusuf Estes, who is also off-screen, what the Qurʾān says about the theory of evolution. Estes defers the question to Philips, who says there is no evidence for evolution in the Qurʾān. Speaking apparently for all Muslims, he suggests that “as a basic principle, we don’t believe in the theory of evolution [which indicates that] life came from non-life by itself, by chance…” (min 4:02)
Contrast this with another clip from an undated lecture, in which Philips does not suggest that Muslims necessarily agree or disagree with evolution.
This video includes a front bumper from Al-Badr Productions (which seems to be a click-bait farm). There are many other variations of this clip.
Evaluation:
Although Philips’ understanding of some form of intelligent design (“special creation”) is within the bounds of what Muslims have historically understood as acceptable, his representation of this as some kind of Islamic dogma is not.
Philips’ suggestion that scientists have abandoned the theory of evolution (or perhaps the survival of the fittest) is not correct. Although scientists continue to discuss and debate details, the overall thrust of the theory is still accepted as basic biology. For a short presentation on evolution today, see this short video from NOVA.
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.
About Yusuf Estes
Yusuf Estes, born Joseph Edward Estes in 1944, is a Muslim convert who became a popular Islamic speaker. Born into a fiercely Protestant Christian and musical family, Estes became a part of the Disciples of Christ Church in 1956 and worked as a musical minister and owner of several music stores from the 1970s through the early 1990s. He also delved into local politics with his father in Texas. In 1991, a few months after meeting an Egyptian Muslim and watching a family friend who was a Catholic priest at the time convert to Islam, Estes himself converted to Islam.
Estes is now known for traveling the world and giving lectures on topics relating to Islam. According to his autobiography, he served as a chaplain for prison inmates and as the Muslim delegate to the United Nations World Peace Summit for Religious Leaders in August 2000. Estes claims to have received higher education in Islamic theology, a Ph.D. specifically, and to have studied under various Islamic teachers, yet it is unclear where he received this degree, and no information about his education has been corroborated. Estes frequently appears on Peace TV, Guide Us, and various other Islamic TV channels.
As of 2015, Estes operates a personal website (though he claims to operate close to 3000 websites), and a Facebook page with around half a million followers.
Selected Bibliography:
“Biography of Yusuf Estes.” Yusuf Estes And the Quran. WordPress, 25 Aug. 2012. Accessed 18 June 2015.
Estes, Yusuf. Facebook. Facebook, n.d.
Estes, Yusuf. “Yusuf Estes Biography.” Yusuf Estes Blogspot. Blogspot, n.d. Accessed 18 June 2015.
Estes, Yusuf. Yusuf Estes. N.p., n.d. Accessed 18 June 2015.