As you will know, over the last two centuries in particular, the idea that religion and science are in contradiction to one another has dominated the world. In particular, the totally false idea that Islam in particular is in opposition to science, and that for this reason a great many Muslims are uneducated people, has developed. I wish to concentrate on various aspects of this matter in this address.
First of all, I wish to make it clear that Islam is definitely not in contradiction to science. One of the clearest demonstrations of this is the great Muslim scientists who have lived throughout history and made the great contributions to the world of science. Another proof, and the most important, is the fact that recent discoveries confirm certain facts revealed in Qur’anic verses. Furthermore, in the Qur’anic verses, Allah calls on people to think, study and research, and science is one means of doing that.
THE IDEA OF SCIENCE IN ISLAM
In the Qur’an, Allah summons humanity to investigate and reflect upon the heavens, the earth, mountains, stars, plants, seeds, animals, the alternation of the night and the day, the creation of man, the rain and many other created things. Examining these, man comes to recognize the artistry of Allah’s creation in the world around him, and ultimately, to know his Creator, Who created the entire universe and everything in it from nothing.
“Science” offers a method by which the universe, and all the beings therein, may be examined to discover the artistry in Allah’s creation, thereby communicating it to mankind. Religion, therefore, encourages science, adopting it as a tool by which to study the subtleties of Allah’s creation.
Islam is the religion of reason and conscience. A person recognizes the truth proclaimed by religion through the use of his wisdom, and derives conclusions from the world around him through the use of his conscience. A person using the faculty of his reason and conscience, upon examining the features of any given object in the universe, even though he is not an expert in such matters, would understand that it was created by a Possessor of great Wisdom, Knowledge and Might.
In the Qur’an, Allah calls on people to reflect upon and examine the signs of creation around them. Everyone who probes the inner-workings of the universe, living and non-living things, and considers and investigates what he sees around him, will come to know Allah’s superior wisdom, knowledge, and eternal power. In Surat al-Gashiyah, for instance, Allah invites man to ponder and investigate with the following words:
Do they not look at the Camels, how they are made? And at the Sky, how it is raised high? And at the Mountains, how they are fixed firm? And at the Earth, how it is spread out? (Surat al-Ghashiyah: verse 17-20)
The way to explore all these is, as we previously mentioned, through science. Scientific observation introduces man to the mysteries of creation, and ultimately, to Allah’s eternal knowledge, wisdom and power. Science is a way to achieve a just estimate of Allah, for which reason, throughout history, a great number of the scientists who have been of great service to humanity were devout believers in Allah.
RELIGION HELPS SCIENCE TO BE RIGHTLY GUIDED
Religion is also of great importance from the point of view of the direction taken by science. As is known, the first step in scientific investigation is the formulation of a “hypothesis”. Then, this hypothesis is tested through scientific experimentation. If observations and experiments verify the hypothesis, the “hypothesis” is called a “theorem” or theory. If the hypothesis is disproved, then new hypotheses are tested, and the process continues.
The formulation of the hypothesis, which is the first step of the process, is often dependent on the scientists’ basic viewpoint. For instance, scientists, if committed to a certain outlook, could base their work on a hypothesis that “matter has a tendency to self-organize without the involvement of a conscious agent”. Then, they would conduct years of research to verify that hypothesis. Yet, since matter has no such capability, all these efforts are bound to fail. However, had the point of assumption been the idea that “it is impossible for matter to self-organize without conscious planning”, that scientific research would have followed a more expeditious and productive course.
This issue, that is, the issue of establishing a proper hypothesis, requires an entirely different source than mere scientific data. Correct identification of this source is critical, because, as we explained in the above example, an error in the identification of this source may cost the world of science years, decades, or even centuries.
The source sought here is Allah’s revelation to mankind. Allah is the Creator of the universe, the world and of living things, and therefore, the most accurate and indisputable knowledge about these subjects derives from Him. In accordance, Allah has revealed to us important information about these matters in the Qur’an. The most fundamental of these are as follows:
1) Allah created the universe from nothing. Nothing came into being as a result of random occurrences, or of its own accord.
2) The universe, and predominantly, the Earth we live in, is specially designed to allow human life.
3) Allah created all living things. Moreover, these creatures act through the inspiration of Allah, as quoted in the Qur’an in the example of the honeybees, with the verse that begins with, “Your Lord inspired the bees…” (Surat an-Nahl: verse 68)
These are absolute truths communicated to us by Allah in the Qur’an. An approach to science based on these facts will inevitably lead to remarkable progress and serve humanity in the most beneficial manner. We find numerous examples of this in history. It was only possible with the placement of science on a proper foothold that Muslim scientists, who were then helping to forge the greatest civilization in the world, contributed to major achievements in the 9th and 10th centuries.
MUSLIM SCIENTISTS
When we look at the history of Islam, we see that science was introduced into the Middle East along with the Qur’an. Pre-Islamic Arabs believed in all sorts of superstitions and hearsay, and conducted no investigation of the universe or nature. With Islam, this community became civilized, and, beginning to hold knowledge in high regard, and by observing the commands of the Qur’an, began to examine the world around them. Not only Arabs, but many other nations, such as the Iranians, Turks, and North Africans, became enlightened after embracing Islam. The use of reason and observation commanded in the Qur’an gave rise to a great civilization in the 9th and 10th centuries. Many Muslim scientists living during that period made significant discoveries in a number of disciplines, such as astronomy, mathematics, geometry, and medicine.
Playing an important role in the transfer of scientific knowledge to Europe, as well as producing many Muslim scientists of her own, Andalusia was a crucible of revolutionary discoveries and scientific progress, particularly in the field of medicine. Muslim physicians did not specialize in a single subject, but conducted studies in a wide range of fields, including pharmacology, surgery, ophthalmology, gynecology, physiology, bacteriology and hygiene. One of the most noted Andalusian physicians was Ibn Juljul (?-992), who conducted extensive studies on medical herbs, and produced works on the history of medicine and medical herbs. Another distinguished Muslim physician of the time was Abu Ja’far Ibn al-Jazzar (?-1009), who mastered the science of drug therapy for the treatment of specific symptoms and diseases, and authored more than 30 books.
The works in anatomy of Zakariya Qazwini, Hamdullah al-Mustaufi al-Qazwini (1281-1350), and Ibn al-Nafis, laid the foundation of modern medicine. The first volume of Ali Bin Isa’s (?-1038) three-volume work on the ophthalmologic diseases, called the Tezkiratu’l Kahhalin fi’l Ayn and Emraziha, is entirely devoted to the anatomy of the eye and includes very detailed information.
Al-Biruni, who lived in the 11th century, knew that the earth rotates about its own axis, some 600 years prior to Galileo, and determined the earth’s circumference some 700 years prior to Newton. Ali Kushchu, a 15th century scientist, was the first to make a map of the moon, and a region of the moon has been named after him. Thabit ibn Qurrah (Thebit), who lived in the 9th century, invented differential calculus centuries before Newton. Battani, a 10th century scientist, was the first developer of trigonometry. Abul Wafa Muhammad al-Buzjani introduced the “tangent-cotangent, secant-cosecant” to trigonometry for the first time. Al-Khwarizmi wrote the first book on algebra, in the 9th century. Al-Maghribi invented the equation known today as the Pascal triangle, some 600 years prior to Pascal. Ibn al-Haitham (Alhazen), who lived in the 11th century, was the founder of optics. Kindi (Alkindus) introduced relative physics and the theory of relativity some 1100 years prior to Einstein. Shams al-din, who lived some 400 years prior to Pasteur, was the first to discover the existence of germs. Ali ibn al-Abbas lived in the 10th century and was the first to perform cancer surgery. In the same century, Ibn el Jessar introduced the reasons for and treatment methods of leprosy. These Muslim scientists, only some of whom I have mentioned here, made important discoveries that laid the foundation for modern science.
This truth which we have seen in the world of Islam also applies to the Western world. In the West, too, all the foremost names in such fields as physics, chemistry, astronomy, biology and palaeontology have been great scientists who believed in the existence of Allah, who carried out their research with the aim of observing His creations. Among these, we can count such names as Copernicus, Newton, Cuvier, Owen or Linnaeus.
SCIENCE’S MOVE AWAY FROM ITS DIVINE BASIS
Since the middle of the 19th century, however, the scientific community has divorced itself from this divine source, and come under the influence of materialist philosophy. Materialism, an idea that dates back to ancient Greece, maintains the absolute existence of matter and denies Allah.
This materialistic outlook gradually made its way into the scientific community, and, beginning in the middle of the 19th century, a considerable portion of scientific investigation was initiated to support it. To this purpose, many theories were formulated, such as the “infinite universe model” suggesting that the universe has existed since infinite time, Darwin’s evolutionary theory claiming that life is the work of chance, or Freud’s views holding that the human mind consists of the brain alone. It was Marx, the founder of communism, who led the adaptation of materialist philosophy to the social sciences.
At that point in time, scientific development and progress in the Islamic world was frozen, and it was therefore unable to oppose this materialist view as it needed to be opposed. In the face of this situation, a number of Muslim thinkers opposed this materialist science at the same time as they opposed materialism and atheism. However, this opposition gave birth to the false impression that religion was in contradiction to science, and that men of religion were opposed to the very science itself. As a result of this, in the Christian world as much as in the Islamic one, scientists and intellectuals moved away from religion, and men of religion came to keep their distance from science.
At the bottom of this contradictory situation lies a confusion between science and materialism. For this reason, we must distinguish the one from the other.
THE DISSENSION OF THE CENTURY; MATERIALIST THOUGHT AND THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION
At this point, I would like to touch on materialism and Darwinism, which became so influential in the 19th century, eventually dominating the world of thought and science, and in particular I wish to stress their damaging effects on society.
In our time, the broadest and most widespread current of thought to declare war on the existence of Allah and creation is materialist philosophy. The so-called scientific basis that this philosophy is based on is the ‘theory of evolution.’ Although it is completely irrational and unscientific, and based on no scientific or logical evidence, certain materialist circles throughout the world are trying to impose this nonsense on society by various forms of propaganda, falsehood and deception. The only important current of thought today that is destroying peoples’ belief in Allah and making atheists out of them is the theory of evolution, or Darwinism by its other name.
The British zoologist Professor Richard Dawkins, who is known as a ‘militant atheist’ and one of the foremost defenders of the theory of evolution, sums the situation up in the words, “before Darwin, it was difficult to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist and Darwin made it easy to become an intellectual atheist”
Today, there is almost no home that the theory of evolution does not enter, whether by means of the press or of television, just as there is almost nobody who has not heard of it. This applies to all Muslim countries, as well as to the Western world. This theory, which has even forced its way into schoolbooks, is now inculcated in people from an early age, with countless lies and much sleight of hand, and people are being led astray with such nonsense as that they came about as a result of coincidences and evolved from apes. Society is being brainwashed with these evolutionist lies, from primary schools to universities.
Our prophet, peace be upon him, may have been referring to this situation when he said, “There will be mischief (fitnah) from which no one will escape and it will spread everywhere” And truly, the sophistry of the theory of evolution has spread as widely as it has through such means as the press, broadcasting, the Internet, satellite communications etc. The like, perhaps, of this ideological system of rejection, which has declared war on the existence of Allah, creation and religion has never been seen in the world so far.
For all these reasons, it is clear that the greatest enemy of faith in our time is Darwinism, and those ideologies inspired by Darwinism. When we examine the matter in some detail, it can be seen that Darwinism is the most important source of the irreligious and immoral culture that prevails in society today. At the root of all the pressure, the lack of belief, the avalanche of immorality and social degeneration lies, at the level of ideas, Darwinism.
The root of twisted value judgements; Darwinism
Darwinism claims that ‘Living things evolve as a result of coincidences and thanks to the struggle for life.’ For this reason, the most important message that Darwinism sends people is the message that ‘You are not responsible to anyone, you owe your life to coincidences, you need to struggle<, and if needs be to crush others, in order to live, this world is world of conflict and self-interest.’ That is the social message, the incitement in such biological Darwinist concepts as ‘natural selection,’ ‘the struggle for life,’ and ‘the survival of the fittest.’
In order to see just how effective this Darwinist incitement is, it is sufficient to have a look at common value judgements in our time. When we look at contemporary societies, we see that most people live solely to carry on with their daily lives, have a good career, make money and possess property and enjoy themselves, and thus ‘win the struggle for life.’ Most peoples’ greatest ambition is to have a luxury car and house and spend unrestrictedly. People with such ideas never question the reason for their existence. They never think about the existence of Allah. They live as if they have not been created, as if they have no responsibility to Allah, their creator. Most of these people have perhaps never even heard of the claims of the theory of evolution or the ideas of Darwin. However, they still look at life with the Darwinist logic imposed on them by certain quarters.
The reason for this is ‘the inculcation of covert Darwinism.’ Darwinism, even if its name is not actually mentioned, has come to be the dominant ethical view in society due to its inculcation by particular circles.
This ethical understanding counsels people to be selfish, ruthless, cruel, and self-interested, destroys such virtues as affection, compassion, sacrifice and humility, and portrays all this as being necessary under the ‘laws of life.’ It is evident that such a cruel outlook will ruin the whole world.
Those who have fallen under the influence of this twisted moral view think that Darwinism is a scientific fact, and stubbornly believe in it. They view true religion as ‘A traditional belief among the lower orders.’ In fact, in the Qur’an, when the deniers were asked “What has your Lord sent down?” it is known that they replied “Myths and legends of previous peoples”. (Surat an-Nahl: 24)
Whereas the true religion, in other words Islam, is a manifest and definite truth, which has nothing to do with tradition. It is the turning of people to their creator, Allah. But those who have been deceived by Darwinism, or who have fallen under that religion’s influence, have lost so much awareness that they are unable to grasp this reality. In order for this superstitious religion to be done away with and for the curtain of heedlessness that has fallen over society to be lifted, it is essential that scientific methods be employed to tear down Darwinism and materialist philosophy.
Darwin’s theory of race
Heading the list of the disasters that Darwinism has inflicted on the world, alongside moral collapse, comes racism. In 1871, Darwin published The Descent of Man, in which he outlined his theory of the origin of man, claiming that man and ape evolved from a common ancestor. Darwin showed no evidence whatsoever to support this claim, but merely produced some imaginary assumptions. He asserted that some races were more evolved and therefore, more advanced than others. Some races, on the other hand, were almost still at the same level as apes.
Darwin asserted that the concept of "struggle for life" also held true among human races. Even the subtitle in his book "The Origin of Species: by means of Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life", explicitly reveals his racial views.
According to Darwin, favoured races were the European white man, and Asian or African races had simply remained behind in this struggle for life. Darwin went further and suggested that these races would completely lose out in this struggle:
At some future period, not very distant as measured by centuries, the civilised races of man will almost certainly exterminate, and replace, the savage races throughout the world. At the same time the anthropomorphous apes… will no doubt be exterminated. The break between man and his nearest allies will then be wider, for it will intervene between man in a more civilised state, as we may hope, even than the Caucasian, and some ape as low as a baboon, instead of as now between the negro or Australian and the gorilla.
As these predictions explicitly reveal, Darwin was a real racist, believing in the superiority of the white man over other races in the world. He believed that the white man would first enslave and then eradicate these so-called inferior races over time.
Indeed, Darwin’s theories flourished, because just at that time, the European white man was in search of a theory to legitimize his offences.
Nazi ideology and the theory of evolution
Another disaster visited on mankind by Darwinism was Nazism. The scientific foundation for Hitler’s dream of an empire founded by the Aryan race and his racist theories was Darwin’s theory of evolution.
The title of his famous book “Mein Kampf” (My Fight) was a mere expression of the influence Darwin's "Struggle for life" had made on Hitler. Just like Darwin, Hitler gave non-European races the status of monkeys, and said, “Take away the Nordic Germans and nothing remains but the dance of apes.”
The policy of eugenics, which was officially begun shortly after Hitler came to power, was also rooted in Darwinism. As a necessity of this policy of Hitler’s, the mentally ill, the disabled, the blind from birth, and those with genetic diseases in German society, were rounded up in special “sterilisation centres.” These people were regarded as parasites harmful to the purity and evolutionary progress of the German race. A while later in fact, these people who were removed from society began to be killed by secret order of Hitler.
Another reason for the great importance Hitler attached to the theory of evolution was his seeing the theory as a weapon against religious belief. Hitler had a great hatred of divine religions. Moral virtues such as compassion, mercy, and humility, ordered by divine religions, represented a great obstacle to the ruthless and warrior Aryan type the Nazis wanted to create. This belief, suggesting that man is exalted through struggle and violence, was actually the source of communism, too, which seemed entirely contrary to Nazism.
The true foundation of communism; Darwinism
The most outstanding characteristic of the two founders of communism, Marx and Engels, was the importance they attached to Darwin’s theory of evolution.
Engels immediately read Darwin's book and wrote to Marx: "Darwin, whom I am just now reading, is splendid.” In response to him, Marx wrote:"This is the book which contains the basis in natural history for our view."
Engels was so influenced of Darwin’s theory that he wrote an article titled “The Role of Labour in the Passage from Monkey to Man.” Later on, Engels compiled all his evolutionary ideas in the book “Dialectics of Nature.”
Vladimir Ilyic Lenin, who made Marx’s dream of communist revolution come true, was also a fervent evolutionist like his mentors Marx and Engels. He often stressed that Darwin's theory was the fundamental basis of the dialectic materialist philosophy he advocated.
Following Lenin’s death in 1924, Joseph Stalin, widely regarded as the bloodiest dictator in the history of the world, passed to the leadership of the Communist Party. Apart from his personal psychological state, the main influence which led him to become such a ruthless killer was the materialist philosophy he believed in. In Stalin’s own words, the fundamental basis of this philosophy was Darwin’s theory of evolution. He explained the importance he attached to Darwin’s ideas in these words:
There are three things that we do to disabuse the minds of our seminary students. We had to teach them the age of the earth, the geologic origin, and Darwin’s teachings.”
While Stalin’s totalitarian regime was going on, another communist regime was set up by Mao in China. Mao established a bloody and repressive regime, just like his ally Stalin. In one of his speeches, Mao openly announced the foundation of the savagery he committed by saying, "Chinese socialism is founded upon Darwin and the theory of evolution."
Communism led to guerilla wars in many other countries, bloody terrorist attacks and civil wars. The communist ideology that stained the world with blood for 150 years has always been interconnected with Darwinism. Today, communists are still the foremost advocates of Darwinism. In almost all countries, the advocates of the theory of evolution have primarily been Marxists.
That is simply because, as Karl Marx said, the theory of evolution contains the basis in natural history for communist ideology.
TOGETHER WITH THE COLLAPSE OF DARWINISM AND MATERIALISM, A NEW UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE AND SOCIETY IS EMERGING
Today, the materialist and Darwinist picture that emerged in the 19th century is changing rapidly. One after the other, discoveries in the last years of the 20th century and now in the 21st century are revealing to people the scientific invalidity of the materialist, Darwinist view. This is a most important development from the point of view of securing peace and security in the world of science as well as the world in general. Because together with the collapse of materialist, Darwinist thought, Qur’anic morality will be able to prevail. In order for this to happen, in other words, for Qur’anic morality to prevail and Darwinist materialist thought to collapse, there are three main points to be emphasized.
The first of these consists of informing and educating people as much as possible regarding the scientific discoveries that have proved the scientific invalidity of Darwinism and materialism.
The second important matter is explaining to people the evidence for the existence of Allah in nature. As the proofs of Allah’s creation are put forward, people will turn to Allah and religion, and the religious strength of those who already do so will grow.
The third and most important subject consists of knowing that the solution to all social problems lies in the spread of Qur’anic morality. People who are freed from the selfishness and aggressiveness of the Darwinist materialist mentality must be taught Qur’anic morality, and particular importance must be attached to this work.
I would now like to briefly dwell on these three fundamental subjects.
SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES THAT HAVE PREPARED THE COLLAPSE OF MATERIALISM
Let us first consider some of the scientific discoveries that have prepared the collapse of materialism.
The collapse of the materialists’ claim of the ‘infinite universe’
Until the early 20th century, the conventional opinion of the scientific community, which was then under the influence of the materialists, was that the universe has infinite dimensions, that it exists in infinite time, and will exist infinitely. According to this view, called the ‘static universe model’, the universe had neither a beginning nor an end, and was simply a limitless conglomeration of matterç. Denying that the universe was created, this view laid the groundwork for the materialist philosophy.
The Belgian scientist, Georges Lemaître, was the first to recognize the inaccuracy of the “infinite universe” model, and postulated a scientific alternative to it. Lemaître declared that the universe actually had a beginning, and that it has been expanding since that initial moment. He also asserted that it must be possible to detect the remnants of radiation from that initial moment.
Here, it should be noted that Georges Lemaître was also a cleric. Lemaître strongly believed that “the universe was created by Allah from nothingness”.
The years to come confirmed the correctness of the assumption put forth by Lemaître. Firstly, the American astronomer Edwin Hubble discovered with his huge telescope that the stars were moving away both from us and from each other. This meant that the universe was expanding, and thus was not static, as materialists assumed.
There was another important truth that the expansion of the universe pointed to: if the universe was getting larger as time went on, then, following it backward in time meant that it would become smaller; and if one went back far enough, everything would shrink and converge to a single point. Calculations showed that this single point should have zero volume. Our universe came into being as the result of the explosion of this point, an explosion which has come to be called the "the Big Bang".
In fact, the statement that this exploding point had zero volume is but a theoretical expression. The expression of zero volume simply suggests “nothingness”. The whole universe was created from “nothing”.
Therefore the Big Bang theory clearly demonstrated that the universe was created from nothing. Nevertheless, further scientific evidence was required in order for the theory to be widely accepted. In 1948, George Gamov proposed that if the universe was formed in a sudden, cataclysmic explosion, as Lemaître had suggested, there ought to be a definite amount of radiation left over from that explosion, and that this radiation must be uniform throughout the universe.
Scientific confirmation of Gamov's postulate was forthcoming. In 1965, two researchers by the name of Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson discovered the remnants of that radiation. Called "cosmic background radiation", it was not localized but distributed equally everywhere in the universe. It was soon realized that this radiation was the echo of the Big Bang, still reverberating since the first moments of that great explosion. Penzias and Wilson were awarded a Nobel prize for their discovery.
In 1989, NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, launched the COBE (Cosmic Background explorer) satellite into space, for the purpose of research into cosmic background radiation. Within minutes, the satellite’s sensitive scanners confirmed the measurements of Penzias and Wilson.
Discovery of the evidence confirming the creation of the universe from nothing in the “Big Bang” staggered materialist scientists. They witnessed the collapse of their extensive research, their hypotheses, and unsubstantiated theories, one after the other. The renowned atheist philosopher Antony Flew made this confession about the Big Bang:
Notoriously, confession is good for the soul. I will therefore begin by confessing that the Stratonician atheist has to be embarrassed by the contemporary cosmological consensus. For it seems that the cosmologists are providing a scientific proof of what St. Thomas contended could not be proved philosophically; namely, that the universe had a beginning. So long as the universe can be comfortably thought of as being not only without end but also without beginning, it remains easy to urge that its brute existence, and whatever are found to be its most fundamental features, should be accepted as the explanatory ultimates. Although I believe that it remains still correct, it certainly is neither easy nor comfortable to maintain this position in the face of the Big Bang story.
The Sunday Times - Britain December 12, 2004
Investigation of DNA, he said, “has shown, by the almost unbelievable complexity of the arrangements which are needed to produce life, that intelligence must have been involved”.
Darwin’s theory of evolution does not explain the origin and development of life to Flew’s satisfaction. “I have been persuaded that it is simply out of the question that the first living matter evolved out of dead matter and then developed into an extraordinarily complicated creature,” he said.
Flew finds the conventional explanation that life arose out of a complex chemical brew or primordial soup “improbable”. So he is emulating Socrates and “following the argument wherever it leads. The conclusion is — there must have been some intelligence”.
The collapse of the claim that ‘There is no design in the universe’
Materialists not only proposed that the universe existed since infinite time, but also claimed that there is no design or purpose in the universe. They argued that the entire equilibrium, harmony, and order in the universe is the work of chance. This claim, which dominated the world of science beginning in the second half of the 19th century, dictated the subsequent course of scientific investigation.
For instance, certain scientists put forth an assumption called “chaos theory” to show that there is no design in the universe. According to this theory, it was claimed that order may spontaneously form from chaos.
Every new discovery, however, further denied the chaos and chance theories, revealing that there is an enormous design in the universe. Research conducted since the 1960s consistently demonstrated that all the physical equilibriums in the universe are intricately designed to render life possible. As research proceeded, it was discovered that each and every one of the laws of physics, chemistry, and biology, of the fundamental forces such as gravity and electromagnetism, and of the details of the structure of atoms and the elements of the universe, has been precisely tailored so that human beings may exist. Scientists refer to this extraordinary design as the "anthropic principle". This is the principle by which every detail in the universe has been carefully arranged to make human life possible.
With these discoveries, the dictum formerly imposed on the scientific community by the materialist philosophy, touting that “the universe is a heap of matter with no meaning and purpose working according to chance”, was exposed to be an unscientific fallacy.
SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES THAT HAVE PREPARED THE COLLAPSE OF THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION
Despite all the research conducted and all the expenditure made in the last 150 years, no evidence to support the theory of evolution has yet been uncovered. However, if evolution had really taken place, millions of pieces of evidence should have been found.
These “evidence” that the evolutionists should have found by the millions are the fossils of beings called “intermediate transitional forms”. According to the evolutionary theory, living things have evolved from each other. For example, according to this claim, man evolved from apes. Since according the evolutionists this evolutionary period did not last only one day, but millions and even hundreds of millions of years, millions of half ape-half man creatures should have existed. The same principle applies also to transition from water to land or from land to air. Millions of half fish-half reptile or half reptile-half bird creatures should have lived. These “fantastic” creatures that allegedly display transformations in the evolutionary process are called intermediate transitional forms.
If evolution had occurred, hundreds of thousands of these transitional forms should have reached our day by being fossilized.
This is the deadlock of evolution: evolutionists have been making feverish investigations in order to find the fossils of these transitional links for more than a century, however there is not even a single trace of the fore-mentioned transitional forms. Some confessions by evolutionists on the subject are very striking. For example, the famous nature scientist A. H. Clark says, “Since we do not have the faintest clue hinting transition among large species, we have to accept that such transitional forms never existed.”
In our day, all living species have been seen to emerge suddenly in the fossil record. Evolutionist palaeontologists admit this as follows:
Taxa recognized as orders during the (Precambrian-Cambrian) transition chiefly appear without connection to an ancestral clade via a fossil intermediate. This situation is in fact true of most invertebrate orders during the remaining Phanerozoic as well. There are no chains of taxa leading gradually from an ancestral condition to the new ordinal body type. Orders thus appear as rather distinctive subdivisions of classes rather than as being segments in some sort of morphological continuum (Valentine, Awramik, Signor, and Sadler, 1991).
Evolutionists also accept the meaning of the absence of transitional forms. Living things emerged “suddenly” and it is evident that to “emerge suddenly” means to be created.
As a result, fossil science definitively refutes the theory of evolution and offers proof of the fact of creation.
Molecular research also reveals that the imaginary family tree of the theory of evolution is incorrect.
The well-known imaginary family tree that evolutionists have invented by using their own imaginations and prejudices to interpret fossil discoveries has been torn down by research at the molecular level in recent years. As the results of the Genome project in particular are revealed, the contradictions within that imaginary family tree are becoming even more evident. In fact, even evolutionists are beginning to admit these contradictions with articles such as ‘The tree of life has gone wrong,’ ‘Rebuilding the tree of life,’ and ‘contradictions in the tree of life’ in their own scientific publications.
IRREDUCIBLE COMPLEXITY
Another fact that has disproved the theory of evolution is the flawless design and irreducible complexity seen in living things.
When proposing his theory, Darwin also put forward a number of concrete criteria suggesting how it might be disproved. In his book ‘The Origin of Species,’ there are many passages which begin ‘If my theory be true,’ and in these Darwin describes the discoveries his theory requires if it is to be proven correct.
Darwin referred to one of the subjects which he thought could break down his theory in these words:
"If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down." Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species: A Facsimile of the First Edition, Harvard University Press, 1964, p. 189.
We must examine Darwin’s intention here very carefully. As we know, Darwinism explains the origin of life with two unconscious natural mechanisms: Natural selection, and random changes (in other words, mutations). According to Darwinist theory, these two mechanisms led to the emergence of the complex structure of living cells, the anatomical systems of complex living things, their eyes, ears, wings, lungs, bat sonar, and millions of other complex system designs.
However, how is it that these systems, which possess incredibly complicated structures, can be considered the products of two unconscious natural effects? At this point, the concept Darwinism applies is that of ‘reducibility.’ It is claimed that these systems can be reduced to very basic states, and that they may have then developed by stages. Each stage gives a living thing a little more advantage, and is therefore chosen by natural selection. Then later there will be another small, chance development, and that too will be preferred because it presents an advantage, and the process will go on in this way. Thanks to this, according to the Darwinist claim, a species which originally possessed no eyes will come to possess perfect ones, and another species which was formerly unable to fly, will grow wings and be able to do so.
This story is explained in a very convincing manner in evolutionist sources as if it is a reasonable one. But when one goes into it in a bit more detail, a great error appears. The first aspect of this error is that mutations are a destructive mechanism, not a constructive one. In other words, chance mutations that occur in living creatures do not provide them any ‘advantages,’ and furthermore the idea that they could do this thousands of times, one after the other, is a dream that contradicts all scientific observations.
But there is yet another very important aspect to the error. Darwinist theory requires all the stages from one point to another – for instance, from a winged creature to a non-winged one – to be individually ‘advantageous.’ In an evolutionary process from A to Z, all the ‘intermediate’ stages, such as B,C,D, …V,W,X,Y, have to provide advantages for the living thing in question. Since it is not possible for natural selection and mutation to consciously establish their targets in advance, the whole theory is based on the hypothesis that living systems can be reduced to small advantageous stages.
That is why Darwin said, "If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down."
Given the primitive level of science in the 19th century, Darwin may have thought that living things possess a reducible structure. But 20th century discoveries have shown that many systems and organs in living things cannot be reduced to simplicity. This fact, known as ‘irreducible complexity,’ definitively destroys Darwinism, just as Darwin himself feared.
The Bacterial Flagellum
The most important person to bring the concept of irreducible complexity to the scientific agenda is Michael J. Behe of Lehigh University in the United States. In his book ‘Darwin’s Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution,’ published in 1996, Behe examines the irreducibly complex structure of the living cell and a number of other biochemical structures, and reveals that it is impossible to account for these by evolution. According to Behe, the real explanation of life is intelligent design.
One of the interesting examples of irreducible complexity that Behe gives in his book is the bacterial flagellum.
This organ is used by some bacteria to move about in a liquid environment. This organ is embedded in the cell membrane, and enables the bacterium to move in a particular direction and speed.
Scientists have known about the flagellum for some time. However, its structural details, that have emerged over the last decade or so, have come as a great surprise to them. It has been discovered that the flagellum moves by means of a very complicated “organic motor,” and not a simple vibratory mechanism as was earlier believed.
The filament-propeller of the bacteria works on the same mechanical principles as other rotary devices. There are two main parts to it: A rotating element (rotor), and a stationary element (stator).
Unlike other systems that generate mechanical motion, the bacterial motor does not directly use energy that is stored in a “carrier” molecule such as ATP. Rather, to move the flagellum it uses the energy generated by a flow of acid through the bacterial membrane. The inner structure of the motor is extremely complex. The bacterial flagellum requires about 240 proteins for function. Each one of these is precisely tailored. The scientists determined that they include signals to turn the motor on and off; “bushing” proteins to allow the flagellum to penetrate through the cell membrane and cell wall; proteins to assist in the assembly of the structure; and proteins to regulate the production of the proteins that make up the flagellum. The models suggested for the motor are enough to depict the complexity of the system.
Even the complicated structure of the bacterial flagellum on its own is sufficient to demolish the theory of evolution since the flagellum has an irreducibly complex structure. If one single molecule in the flagellum were to disappear, or become defective, the flagellum would neither work nor be of any help to the bacteria. The flagellum must have been working perfectly from the first moment of its existence. This fact once again reveals the nonsense in the assertions of “phase by phase development” by the theory of evolution. In fact, no evolutionist scientist has ever published a model to account for the gradual evolution of this extraordinary molecular machine.
The flagellum is clear evidence that even in those organisms assumed by scientists to be “primitive” there is an extraordinary design. As humanity learns more about the details, it becomes increasingly obvious that the organisms considered to be the simplest by the scientists of the 19th century, including Darwin, are in fact the most complex.
We have so far been looking at some scientific evidence which has prepared the scientific collapse of Darwinism and materialism. If you remember, we listed three ways for mankind to be freed from the effects of the materialist and Darwinist view and for Qur’anic morality to prevail. One of these was that the scientific collapse of materialism and Darwinism should be widely broadcast. The second way was for people to be taught to see proof of the existence of Allah in nature.
THE IMPORTANCE OF TELLING ABOUT THE PROOFS OF THE EXISTENCE OF ALLAH IN NATURE
The most effective way of combating the theory of evolution, which bases the existence of every living thing, man included, on coincidences is to learn and inform people of the proofs of the existence of Allah, who created the entire universe and controls everything in it, in nature. Because by completely destroying evolutionists’ beliefs based on the logic of coincidences, the proofs of the existence of Allah in the universe conclusively demonstrate that there is an intelligent design and they reveal Allah’s superior and matchless creation.
For example; The eye is one of the proofs of creation that has been an insoluble problem for evolutionists ever since Darwin said "the thought of the eye makes me cold all over" When one examines the structure and workings of the eye it is easier to see the reason for evolutionists’ flight. The eye possesses a complex structure made up of various organelles and parts. It has amazingly detailed and complex workings. All of these take place as a result of the harmonious functioning of all the organelles and parts that comprise the eye. The absence of just one of these parts means that the eye is unable to function. That is an inescapable dilemma from the point of view of evolution. Because evolution proposes that all existing organs came about by themselves over time. The fact that the eye has to exist in a complete and flawless manner with all its different organelles means that a process based on coincidences could never have taken place.
An eye that cannot secrete tears will soon dry up and go blind. Furthermore, tears protect the eye from germs with their antiseptic properties. Evolutionists do not even want to think about the question of how the eye, which dries up in a few hours without tears, could have lasted for millions of years until tear glands formed in the so-called evolutionary process. It remains that for the eye to function properly, a body with all its organs and systems in place also needs tissues and organelles such as the cornea, the conjunctiva, the iris, the pupil, the lens, the retina, the choroid, the eyebrows and eyelids. In addition to these, it is also impossible for us to see without a magnificent neural network which provides a link between the eye and the brain, and also an astonishingly complex visual field within the brain. All of these possess particular and complex structures that could never have come about by chance.
If just one of these organelles, the lens for instance, is absent then the eye will serve no purpose. Furthermore, if the lens and the pupil had changed places the eye would again be unable to function. In short, the structure of the eye is the work of very special planning. There is only one valid and logical explanation for the fact these organelles and layers, not even one of which could have come about by itself as the result of coincidences, are found together at the same time and place, in a specific plan and harmony. That is that Allah, the Lord of infinite wisdom and might, created all the organelles that go to make up the eye.
As can clearly be seen in this example of proof of the existence of Allah in nature, it is impossible for even one eye to emerge as the result of chance, and therefore even more so for living things to have done so. It is obvious just what fabricated and mindless ideas the theory of Darwinism is based on.
As a result, explaining and telling everyone about the evidence for the existence of Allah in nature will destroy the superstitious system of Darwinism. In the words of the Qur’an, it will cut right through it:
We hurl the truth against falsehood and it cuts right through it and it vanishes clean away! Woe without end for you for what you portray! (Surat al-Anbiya: 18)
THE SOLUTION IS QUR’ANIC MORALITY
We must understand that the tearing down of unbelieving and atheist ideologies in the world will at the same time be a means of doing away with unjust and cruel social structures.
In our world, millions of people, including large numbers of Muslims, are living in suffering, poverty, fear and cruelty. Even as we speak here, who knows how many Muslims in Palestine, Chechnya, Ethiopia, Kashmir, Algeria, East Turkistan and hundreds of other places, how many innocent and helpless children, old people, men and women are suffering and looking fear and death in the eye? Again, who can say how many people in how many places are living nightmarish lives, trapped in drugs and moral collapse?
Moral virtues taught by religion, such as brotherhood, peace, tolerance, humility, unselfishness, and compassion have to a great extent been abandoned, to be replaced by a ruthless culture that sees only self-interest as important and believes that conflict and competition are the only rules. The basis of this culture, as I made clear earlier, are the deceptions such as materialist philosophy and Darwinism that are imposed on people under a scientific cloak.
That is why I attaches such great importance to revealing the true face of these deceptions and to rescuing ‘faith’, the basis of religion, and gives priority to this subject in his works. His own view is that the greatest danger to the Islamic world and the whole of mankind are lack of belief and lack of religion. It is easy to explain the truth of Islam to someone who believes in Allah and invite him to live by Qur’anic morality. Because living by a morality that is pleasing to Allah is a condition of the belief that he already holds. Even if he remains indifferent to religion, behaves loosely and becomes caught up in heedlessness, he can still be brought back to the true path by advice. But it is hard to expect someone who denies Allah to experience such feelings as honesty, affection, justice, humility, respect, love and sacrifice. Because since that person has no fear of Allah he can easily be turned to cruelty and ruthlessness. Because he does not accept that he will have to give account in the hereafter he can always behave cruelly to other people. So for that reason, someone who does not believe in Allah and the hereafter brings turmoil, defeatism, suffering, evil and cruelty to the world, instead of goodness.
CONCLUSION
The truths we have examined so far, at this crucial point in history, show that we Muslims have important responsibilities. Thanks to globalisation, the world is turning into an arena of ideas where all frontiers have been lifted, and in this environment we Muslims, the representatives of the true religion, need to wage a great cultural and scientific struggle in order to defend and spread the truths of Islam.
Muslims must not appear as at odds with the world, as inward-looking and hard people. On the contrary, they must lead the way for the whole world in morality, science, thought and art.
The subjects I have been discussing in this address form the methods and the frontiers of this ideological struggle. Since the only solution is Qur’anic morality, a great and important responsibility falls to people of good conscience to explain the Qur’an to everybody and to wage a scientific fight and make a great effort to do away with the Darwinist, materialist thought that opposes the Qur’an.
Of course it is only our Lord Allah who can bring this fight to a successful conclusion. We are only responsible for living, explaining and representing Islam. As our Lord revealed in a holy verse:
We are only responsible for clear transmission. (Surah Yasin: verse 17)
Religion is the primary source for providing man with the most accurate knowledge regarding the creation of the universe and of life. When we say "religion", however, we refer to the "Qur'an" and the Sunnah of our Prophet, peace be upon him, as the true source of information. The holy books of other religions have been altered over time and can no longer be considered as Divine Books.
The Qur'an, on the other hand, is definitely the word of God and contains no contradictions. It is the book God has sent down to His servants as guidance. With many verses, God stated that the Qur'an is the ultimate revelation, and that it is under His protection. A verse in Surat al-Hijr reads:
"It is We Who have sent down the Reminder (the Qur'an) and We Who will preserve it." (Surat al-Hijr: 9)
Therefore, science will advance speedily only if it is guided by the Qur'an, adopting its revelations, for only then may science adhere to way of God. When a way opposite to religion is adopted, scientists waste both time and resources, and impede the progress of science.
As in all other fields of endeavor, the way to be followed in the scientific field is again the "way" commanded by God in the Qur'an. As God proclaims, "This Qur'an guides to the most upright Way..." (Surat al-Isra': 9)
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