The definition of a verse in the book of Genesis, that the world was created in six days, and it was related to the theories of Darwin, the theory of evolution, that everything changed by evolution. And we ended up with an idea that the theory supports that verse, that those six days could have been the six processes of evolution. Now, we’re not quite fixed about the definition. Can you just say, does it support the evolution? Well, evolution is a generally accepted idea applying to everything just excited the human mind in a certain direction, but the origin of the concept of evolution does not take root in Darwinianism alone.
This concept is quite old. Previously, many philosophers thought of some sort of evolution, and that evolution is very positively, clearly mentioned in the Holy Quran, applying not only to life, but to everything, the whole process of creation. The Holy Quran tells us that we took them from nothing and brought them to a higher existence, still higher and more organized and more organized things, and it will continue. And also the Holy Quran mentions degeneration as well at the same time. Things are either moving in the forward direction or falling back.
There is nothing stationary, according to the Holy Quran. And this is exactly the rational view, which is not only supported by the man of today, but it’s a rational view which cannot be altered. I mean, it has no bearing with the time. This rational view is a logical situation which can’t be altered. It has to be like that. There is nothing stationary. Neither time is stationary nor anything is stationary. Either it is progressing or degrading, either rising or descending. So, this is the general concept of evolution given in the Holy Quran. So, Darwinianism is not the source of the idea of evolution. Only it placed the concept of evolution in an orderly form. In scientific terms, he labored hard and long to prove his case.
And he organized the animal kingdom into various classes and orders and species and so on, one after the other. And tried to establish that the differences between the animals, as we observed, when you place them in order, don’t appear to be that big, as if one animal could not end up into another. That was the most horrendous effort which he made and for which all tributes are due to him. Things which appear to be impossible, like, for instance, a flower, a rose flower, for instance, turning into a thorn bush or a dead palm, the differences are so vast. One doesn’t feel any graduation in between.
What Darwin did, and in the animal kingdom, there are so big differences, like a hen turning into a monkey or a fish turning into a snake or maybe an elephant. So, all these differences are so marked and obvious that previously human beings thought that the evolution only meant progress of each species in its own limited line. There was some development, like they thought man developed. Earlier man and a later man and a man still earlier and that was all.
Similarly, they thought fish also developed and other animals also developed and the plants developed, but within their own narrow regions. They never crossed the barriers into others’ existence. What Darwin established was that evolution was all comprehensive. It applied to all species and each species can be shown to apparently have merged into the other. It was a very tall claim which he made and it should have taken more than a Darwin’s life to establish the entire claim effectively. But he did, to a very great degree, did perform that task and paved the way for the future investigation.
Also what he did was he produced or conceived of certain theories that could solve the riddle of evolution, that could be taken as motive forces working behind the evolution. Although these theories are now obsolete, new facts have appeared before mankind. The Darwinianism is not held to be good now as it was. But the concept of evolution which Darwin generated in a scientific form, an orderly form, that state, some of Darwinianism has been proved wrong, some of Darwinianism has been proved correct. But all that was proved correct or was proved wrong, even if everything was good and correct, still it could not explain all the difficulties and riddles of evolution.
Man had to travel further in investigation to find out clues to every dilemma that was faced by evolutionists. So they are still at it. They are finding certain solutions but also finding certain more obstacles. According to the Holy Quran, evolution is of course an established fact. But it is a guided evolution, not a blind evolution. The scientists, the so-called scientists, try to prove that it is a blind evolution. It does not require a conscious separate organizer. It’s a development, gradual development as if it is taking place of itself like the flow of rivers. But even the flow of rivers requires some gravitational forces, some design, some planning, which is not seen by a shallowly observing eye.
So these forces which are working behind evolution are either not seen by the scientists or conveniently they avoid to notice them. Otherwise they will enter the region of religion, the region of God. So they try to avoid. But by doing so, they are creating such obstacles for themselves that they can’t find an answer to them. All the modern evolutionist scientists who have experimented on various possibilities, I mean worked on various possibilities, have always ended up in a closed road. And they can’t find a way through because it’s impossible for them to find a way through without believing in a God who gave guidance and energy and direction to the evolution.
So when you look at it from the Quranic point of view, then everything is clear. There is no riddle left. An evolution, of course, but a guided evolution with an end in view and with all the forces at the command of Allah to direct and keep the evolution directed throughout its course. No, you must stick to the days. Well, I understand the point. The fact is that the days mentioned in the Bible are also mentioned in the Holy Quran, lest the problems concomitant to the days mentioned in the Bible.
So why not refer to the fresh revelation instead of the old revelation which has been changed and manipulated by man? This is why I avoided that question. The Holy Quran also mentions days, but in a more scientific way, more orderly way. In the biblical mention of days, the sunrise and setting of night is also mentioned, as if the days confined to 24 hours, while the days in the Holy Quran are not mentioned with that definition. In fact, a different definition is given to days in the Holy Quran where Allah says that there are some days which in the sight of Allah, in the reckoning of Allah, may extend to 5000 years.
Or at one place it says may extend to 50,000 years. Now you know what it means? If a day is as big as 5000 years, the ratio between our time and the time of God would be 1 to 1825,000. 1825,000. And if you refer to the day mentioned in the other verse which says a day of your reckoning is 50,000 years by Allah’s reckoning or Allah’s day, let’s say, call it. One day by Allah’s reckoning is 50,000 years by your reckoning. That means the ratio between our day and Allah’s day, in the time as we know it, would be 1 to 1825,000 or 50,000. 1.8 crore, how many millions? No, no, no, 1.8 million, much more than that. In the first case it was 1.8 million. It would be 18 million and 18.82 million. 18.825 million. So 1 to 18.25 million. But that is not the end of it. That is the relationship which we will be able to understand ultimately.
At this stage we cannot because that is a prophecy that man’s time would be extended ultimately to a degree or fastened up to a degree where man will be able to achieve or conceive things which would normally require, if he lives for 70 years, 70 years into 18.825 million. You know? That extension is given and prophesied in this. That man would progress to a degree where he will know, he will witness, that Allah’s days are that big too. Beyond that man cannot reach. This is the ultimate limit given to man.
So why not talk in the terms of these days instead of talking in the terms of those days which are confused with ordinary days of 24 hours. So now conceiving this to be a day, how the whole concept of days is extended. So the evolution must have taken place over billions of years, billions of years. Because as I have explained in the terminology of the Holy Quran, so days only mean now periods. So the evolution extended to six periods. That’s all what is said.
