By A. O.
Allah’s Different Forms of Creation
There is an important point that is ignored by those who believe in evolutionary creation which is Allah’s different forms of creation. Allah has produced living things that differ significantly from humans and animals, such as angels and the jinn. This matter will be discussed in the following lines.
Two-, Three-, and Four-Winged Angels
Angels are beings that always obey Allah’s commands. The Qur’an describes their creation as follows:
“Praise be to Allah, the Bringer into Being of the heavens and Earth, He Who made the angels messengers, with wings – two, three, or four. He adds to creation in any way He wills. Allah has power over all things.” (Fatir 35:1)
As we can see from this description, the forms of angels differ considerably from those of human beings. Allah draws attention to the different forms of creation in the above verse.
Verses also show how angels are at Allah’s command and obey Him:
“Everything in the heavens and every creature on Earth prostrates to Allah, as do the angels. They are not puffed up with pride. They fear their Lord above them and do everything that they are ordered to do.” (An-Nahl 16:49-50)
“The Messiah would never disdain to be a servant of Allah, nor would the angels near to Him. If any do disdain to worship Him and grow arrogant, He will in any case gather them all to Him.” (An-Nisa’ 4:172)
“You who believe! Safeguard yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones. Harsh, terrible angels are in charge of it, who do not disobey Allah in respect of any order He gives them and carry out what they are ordered to do.” (At-Tahrim 66:6)
In addition, angels were created before man. In fact, Allah told the angels when He was going to create Adam, the first human being, and commanded them to prostrate before him.
At the same time, Allah gave Prophet Adam, peace be upon him, knowledge that was different from that of the angels, and taught him the names of things. Angels do not possess that knowledge. As the Qur’an states:
“When your Lord said to the angels, “I am putting a vicegerent on Earth,” they said, “Why put on it one who will cause corruption on it and shed blood when we glorify You with praise and proclaim Your purity?” He said, “I know what you do not know.” He taught Adam the names of all things. Then He arrayed them before the angels and said, “Tell me the names of these, if you are telling the truth.” They said, “Glory be to You! We have no knowledge except what You have taught us. You are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.” He said, “Adam, tell them their names.” When he had told them their names, He said, “Did I not tell you that I know the Unseen of the heavens and Earth, and I know what you make known and what you hide?” We said to the angels, “Prostrate to Adam!” and they prostrated, with the exception of Iblis. He refused and was arrogant and was one of the disbelievers.” (Al-Baqarah 2:30-34)
Jinn are Created from Fire
Like angels, the jinn’s appearance also differs from that of man. The verses below show that man was created from clay, while the jinn were created from fire:
“We created mankind out of dried clay formed from fetid black mud. We created the jinn before, out of the fire of a searing wind.” (Al-Hijr 15:26-27)
“He created man from dry earth like baked clay, and He created the jinn from a fusion of fire.” (Ar-Rahman 55:14-15)
In the Qur’an, Allah also reveals His purpose in creating man and the jinn:
“I only created jinn and man to worship Me.” (Adh-Dhariyat 51:56)
It is clear from this that although man and the jinn are very different beings, they both were created to worship only Allah by living by the values He prescribed. He has revealed in many verses that both angels and the jinn have some characteristics that differ from human characteristics. For instance, both can transport matter:
“He (Sulayman) said, “Council! Who among you will bring me her (the Queen of Saba’s) throne before they come to me in submission?” An audacious one among the jinn said, “I will bring it to you before you get up from your seat. I am strong and trustworthy enough to do it.” (An-Naml 27:38-39)
The Qur’an also says that the jinn, just like the angels, were created before man. When He created Prophet Adam, peace be upon him, Allah commanded the angels and the jinn to prostrate before him. After that, He reveals that Satan is one of the jinn:
“When We said to the angels, “Prostrate yourselves to Adam,” they prostrated, with the exception of Iblis. He was one of the jinn and wantonly deviated from his Lord’s command. Do you take him and his offspring as protectors apart from Me when they are your enemy? How evil is the exchange the wrongdoers make!” (Al-Kahf 18:50)
Creation is a simple matter for Allah, Who can create from nothing and with no previous cause. Just as He created the angels and the jinn in different forms from nothing, He also created man as a separate being from nothing and with no need for evolution. The same applies to other living things, such as animals and plants. Allah created all of these spontaneously out of nothing and without having them evolve – in other words, without turning one species into another. As we saw earlier, the stages Allah uses in this creation which we mentioned before have nothing to do with evolutionist coincidence or random events, for each is the product of the flawless systems Allah’s might and sovereignty brought about.
How the Bird Created from Clay by the Prophet ‘Isa Came to Life
Allah endowed Prophet ‘Isa, peace be upon him, with metaphysical properties in the life of this world, as seen in:
“… ‘Isa, son of Maryam, of high esteem in this world and the hereafter, and one of those brought near.” (Al `Imran 3:45)
He came into the world with no father, spoke while still in the cradle, and cured the sick in a miraculous way.
Moreover, when Prophet ‘Isa, peace be upon him, made a clay object in the shape of a bird and breathed into it, the bird came to life by Allah’s will. This fact is related in the Qur’an:
“As a Messenger to the tribe of Israel, saying: “I have brought you a sign from your Lord. I will create the shape of a bird out of clay for you and then breathe into it and it will be a bird by Allah’s permission…” (Al `Imran 3:49)
“Remember when Allah said, “`Isa, son of Maryam, remember My blessing to you and to your mother when I reinforced you with the Purest Spirit so that you could speak to people in the cradle and when you were fully grown; and when I taught you the Book and Wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospels; and when you created a bird-shape out of clay by My permission, and then breathed into it and it became a bird by My permission…” (Al-Ma’idah 5:110)
Allah can spontaneously create a living thing in that way. This is one of His miracles, and an important truth that evolutionist Muslims should not ignore.
A similar example mentions Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him, and reveals how Allah endows inanimate things with life:
“When Ibrahim said, “My Lord, show me how You bring the dead to life.” He asked, “Do you not then believe?” He replied, “Indeed I do! But so that my heart may be at peace.” He said, “Take four birds and train them to yourself. Then put a part of them on each mountain and call to them; they will come rushing to you. Know that Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.” (Al-Baqarah 2:260)
How Prophet Zakariyya’s Barren Wife had a Child
One example of miraculous creation concerns the joyous tidings received by Prophet Zakariyya, peace be upon him, that his barren wife would give birth to a child:
“(Allah said,) “Zakariyya! We give you the good news of a boy named Yahya, a name we have given to no one else before.” He said, “My Lord! How can I have a boy when my wife is barren and I have reached advanced old age?” (An angel) said, “It will be so!” (Maryam 19:7-9)
As the verses reveal, creation is a simple matter for Allah, Who requires no previous cause to create. He endowed this Prophet with a child, and by commanding that it should “Be!,” this Prophet’s wife spontaneously became pregnant. Our Lord reveals in the continuation of the verse:
“… Your Lord says, “That is easy for Me to do. I created you before, when you were not anything.” (Maryam 19:9)
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Taken with slight editorial modifications from the book titled, “Why Darwinism Is Incompatible with the Qur’an” by the author.
A. O. is a Turkish writer and author.