Am I a Disbeliever by Believing in Evolution?

Answered by Ustadh Salman Younas

Question: Assalam aleykum

Am I a disbeliever by believing in the evolution theory?

1. Does believing that human beings (homo sapiens) evolved from other species (other hominids) entail disbelief?

2. If one believes that we are not just the descendants of one couple (Adam and Eve, peace be upon them), but that through an evolutionary process it would have been multiple pairs/couples, would this constitute kufr?

Answer: assalamu alaykum

Yes, you are still considered a Muslim and a believer. However, the belief itself – as it currently stands – is considered contrary to orthodox Islamic doctrine.

As for your other questions:

1. As mentioned in the previous answer, this does not necessarily entail disbelief. It would depend on whether one’s understanding of evolution involves clearly disavowing (takdhib) an aspect of faith that one is required to believe in. Therefore, if someone’s belief in evolution leads him to deny the prophethood of Adam (blessings upon him) or that this process occurred causally independent of God, this would be considered disbelief.

2. The same considerations mentioned above would apply here as well.

You should note though that a particular belief not rendering an individual outside the fold – which is for the main part a judgment belonging to a judge or a group of qualified scholars – does not mean that the belief is acceptable.

[Ustadh] Salman Younas

Checked and approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Salman Younas  graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in Political Science and Religious Studies. After studying the Islamic sciences online and with local scholars in New York, Ustadh Salman moved to Amman where he spent five years studying Islamic law, legal methodology, belief, hadith methodology, logic, Arabic, and tafsir. He is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Oxford and continues his traditional studies with scholars in the United Kingdom.