Have some Muslims allowed human evolution?
3:21
16 Feb 2014
Evolution
Yasir Qadhi
This is an undated clip in which Yasir Qadhi discusses evolution. He is seated in a chair speaking to an audience, and asserts that only a few Muslim scholars have accepted evolution. He states that those who do are “activists” or not specialists in Qurʾānic exegesis.
He argues for a literal interpretation of the Qurʾān. He says that because the text describes God as creating Adam, that this can only mean Adam created was created in an instant from nothing. He states that the theory of evolution and the Qurʾān are irreconcilable, and that not to take the Qurʾān at face value is “opening the door to complete deviation and heresy”.
This copy of the video was uploaded by Why Islam?. It includes labels encouraging subscribing to their video feed, as well as front and back bumpers promoting this proselytizing group.
Evaluation:
Qadhi’s assertion that any metaphorical interpretation of the Qurʾān would automatically open the door to throwing out the whole text would come as a surprise to the many historical interpreters who have allowed for some metaphorical interpretations. Because there is no authoritative body in Islam to decide whose credentials are valid, his assertion that his own credentials are better than anyone who understands Islam as allowing for human evolution cannot be demonstrated.
The science implicitly mentioned here — that evolutionary theory for humans is wrong — is not accepted by evolutionary biologists.
Qadhi here suggests that Muslims have never allowed for any kind of metaphorical interpretation, which is incorrect. One may readily find pious Muslim interpreters in nearly any era who include metaphorical interpretations.
About Yasir Qadhi
Born in 1975 to Pakistani parents in Houston, Texas, Yasir Qadhi is among the most influential and controversial Islamic scholars in the world. An incredibly smart young man, Qadhi graduated two years early from high school as valedictorian and went on to earn a Bachelors of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Houston. While at the University of Houston, Qadhi became interested in pursuing Islamic studies and eventually studied at the Islamic University of Madinah in Saudi Arabia. There he earned a second Bachelors Degree in Hadith, and a Masters in Islamic Theology. He then attended Yale University where he earned two more Masters degrees in Islamic Theology and Philosophy, respectively, and is expected to receive his Ph.D. in Islamic Studies in the near future.
Qadhi began his career in Islamic scholarship as studying through a Salafist lens, though his views have tempered over the years. In addition, on Christmas Day 2009, one of his former students from the Al Maghrib Institute (an Islamic Studies institute with locations around the world) was convicted of attempting to blow up a plane headed to Detroit by sewing a bomb into his underwear. More of Qadhi’s former students have also been convicted in terrorist activities. This led to Qadhi being investigated by the US government and he eventually emerged as a spokesperson for a nonmilitant portion of Salafi Islam.
As of 2015, Qadhi is still an instructor and Dean of Academic Affairs at the Al Maghrib Institute. He is also the Resident Scholar at the Memphis Islamic Center in Memphis, Tennessee in addition to lecturing as an Assistant Professor at Rhodes College, Tennessee. Qadhi is very active on social media with Facebook and Twitter pages amassing close to a million followers. His articles as Resident Religious Advisor to Muslim Matters, a popular Islamic blog, can be found on the website.
Selected Bibliography:
“Abu Ammaar Yasir Qadhi.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Accessed 18 June 2015.
Elliott, Andrea. “Why Yasir Qadhi Wants to Talk About Jihad.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 19 Mar. 2011. Accessed 18 June 2015.
Qadhi, Yasir. “Dr. Yasir Qadhi.” Muslim Matters. N.p., n.d. Accessed 18 June 2015.
Qadhi, Yasir. Facebook. Facebook, n.d.
Qadhi, Yasir. Twitter. Twitter, n.d.
“Rhodes College | Faculty & Staff.” Rhodes College | Faculty & Staff. Rhodes College, n.d. Accessed 18 June 2015.
“Yasir Qadhi.” PBS. PBS, n.d. Accessed 18 June 2015.