The Qur’an and Human Evolution By Dr Dildar AhmedHow man has come into being, is one of the most baffling questions. Religion, philosophy and science all have to say something on the topic. The question fascinates both an expert and a layperson. Wherefrom have I come? How have I been created? Are evolution and creation contradictory to one another? Or, they are two facets of the same coin. Was Darwin the first who propounded the theory of evolution or there were other philosophers and scientists who put forward the idea long before him? Is the ‘story of Adam’ a history or an allegory? In The Quran and Human Evolution, Dr Dildar Ahmed attempted to answer these and other related questions on the basis of his in-depth study of the relevant verses of the Qur’an. He tried to explore the scientific meaning underlying some of the Qur’anic verses pertaining to human creation. Dr Ahmed, who is a PhD in Organic Chemistry, has searched for the chemical meaning of the Qur’anic terms such as turab, teen, salsaal, hama, sulala and others and, on the basis of his study, he attempted to understand and explain the Qur’anic concept of the creation of human beings. The basic question is: is the bringing into existence of man an outcome of an arbitrary act of God or it is a result of an organized and systematic process? Dr Ahmed believes that God created man, and the universe, through a systematic process governed by the laws of nature ordained by God in the universe. He came up with the idea of ‘evolutionary creation’ according to which God has created humans through a long evolutionary process. According to him the Qur’anic term takhliq describes the overall or end product, while rabubiyyah illustrates the process through which a thing is created.Dr Dildar Ahmed has also discussed some of the common objections raised against the concept of evolution of man. The Qur’an and Human Evolution also deals with the Qur’anic story of Adam, and discusses how it can be taken as an allegory of human destiny. It is not a history of a couple but the story of entire human race described in an allegorical form.The book is published by Paramount Publishing Enterprise, 152/O, Block-2, PECHS, Karachi, Pakistan. Tel. 92-21-4310030. E-mail: paramount@cyber.net.pk