Becoming Bani Adam: Exploring Twelver-Shii Discussions on Human Ancestry - Mizan Institute

In this tenth and final episode, we will wrap up the discussion on human evolution and discuss further considerations to the subject. A few topics that will be touched on are questions with regards to consciousness which cannot be studied through empirical science as well as how the language of evolution can evoke a sense of godlessness. Finally, we will end with a discussion on the true purpose of human beings and how this discussion should not impact our faith and the important answers that Islam does give us. References: Quranic verses referred to: Q.15:28-30, Q.30:7, & Q.59:19 Haider Hobbollah, “Brief Overview of the Relationship Between Rationality and Revelation – Iqra Online,” ed. Muhammad Jaffer, Iqraonline.net, 2020, https://www.iqraonline.net/brief-overview-of-the-relationship-between-rationality-and-revelation/. Shoaib Malik’s “Does Belief In Human Evolution Entail Kufr (Disbelief)? Evaluating The Concerns Of A Muslim Theologian” Sayyid Muneer al-Khabazz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK0rVfy9pMs Christof Koch, “What Is Consciousness?,” Nature.com, 2018, https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05097-x. Oliver Burkeman, “Why can’t the world’s greatest minds solve the mystery of consciousness?” The Guardian, modified January 21, 2015, http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jan/21/-sp-why-cant-worlds-greatest-minds-solve-mystery-consciousness. Jared Diamond, “Evolution, consequences and future of plant and animal domestication” Nature 418 (8 August 2012), http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v418/n6898/full/nature01019.html, 700-707. William C. Chittick, Science of the Cosmos, Science of the Soul: The Pertinence of Islamic Cosmology in the Modern World (Oxford: Oneworld, 2008), 83. Ibn Bābawayh (Shaykh al Ṣadūq), Muḥammad b. ʿAlī. ʿIlal al Sharāʾi. Vol. 1. Qom: Davari Bookstore, 2006 Seyyed Hossein Nasr, “On the Question of Biological Origins,” Islam & Science 4, no. 2 (2006), http://www.cis-ca.org/jol/vol4-no2/nasr-f-prn.pdf.

This episode continues to discusses the scriptural evidence for the idea that Adam (a) is the forefather of all of humanity today. Various Twelver-Shii scholars opine that the literal meaning of this verse, or its dhuhur, indicates that all of humanity today are the offspring solely of Adam and Eve with no third-parties involved. However, there are some mufassirin who posit that though this is the dhuhur or more likely prima-facie meaning, there is still room for other literal possibilities. As such, even though we know that Adam (a) was created in a miraculous unique process outside of evolution, it is possible that there were other Homo sapiens which his offspring mated with, and this idea would explain the existence of the DNA in the current human population showing genetic markers and indicating that we have a mixed ancestry. This possibility however should only be taken in the case that we have definitive empirical data that shows the impossibility that we are only from Adam and Eve if we are to remain true to the hermeneutical principles that we established earlier. We will also discuss what some possible explanations are for the genetic data that we see in the human population today. References: Ayatullah Nasir Makarim Shirazi, Tafsire Nemune, Volume 3, accessed with NOOR Software: Jami al-Tafasir. ʼAyātullah Jawādī ʼĀmulī , Tafsir Tasnīm, Volume 17, accessed on Nashre Esra CD. Ayatullah Jawadi Amuli, Recorded and Transcribed Lectures of the Commentary of Surah al-Nisa, accessed February 20th, 2015, http://www.portal.esra.ir/Pages/Index.aspx?kind=2&lang=fa&skinid=66&id=Nzk4-nik5IJYu24s%3d. “Punctuated Equilibrium,” www.fossilmuseum.net, accessed April 4, 2020, http://www.fossilmuseum.net/Evolution/punctuated_equilibrium.htm. See Allamah Majlisi, Hayat al-Qulub, v. 1 Q.15:28 وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ إِنِّي خَالِقٌ بَشَرًا مِّن صَلْصَالٍ مِّنْ حَمَإٍ مَّسْنُونٍ ﴿٢٨﴾ “When your Lord said to the angels, ‘Indeed I am going to create a human out of a dry clay [drawn] from an aging mud.”

This episode discusses the scriptural evidence for the idea that Adam (a) is the forefather of all of humanity today. The answer to this question from a scriptural perspective is multi-fold. The ahadith are pretty clear that he is, however the Qur’an does not include much in a literal way, except for in the first verse of Surat an-Nisa. Various Twelver-Shii scholars opine that the literal meaning of this verse, or its dhuhur, indicates that all of humanity today are the offspring solely of Adam and Eve with no third-parties. However, in the event that there is definitive evidence otherwise, this dhuhur is not binding to a literal understanding of the verse. This is possibly the most crucial question in the series and this episode will break it down in detail. References Qur’anic References: Q.4:1 Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, “Genetics,” The Smithsonian Institution’s Human Origins Program, March 2010, http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/genetics. “Behind the Science” The Genographic Project: National Geographic, accessed February 20, 2015, https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/science-behind/ Dennis R Venema, Adam and the Genome: Reading Scripture after Genetic Science (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2017). Dennis Venema, “Adam, Eve, and Human Population Genetics Part 4: Signature in the SNPs” The Biologos Forum: Science and Faith in Dialogue, modified January 16th, 2015, http://biologos.org/blog/signature-in-the-snps. “Modern Human Diversity- Genetics” Smithsonian Natural Museum of Natural History, accessed February 20, 2015, http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/genetics/skin-color/modern-human-diversity-genetics Lin Edwards, “Humans were Once an Endangered Species” phys.org, modified January 21st, 2010, http://phys.org/news183278038.html. Nature Research Ecology & Evolution Community, “Adam and Eve: A Tested Hypothesis?,” Nature Research Ecology & Evolution Community, October 28, 2017, https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/users/24561-richard-buggs/posts/22075-adam-and-eve-a-tested-hypothesis. Ewen Callaway, “Genetic Adam and Eve did not live too far apart in time” Nature, modified August 6th, 2013, http://www.nature.com/news/genetic-Adam-and-eve-did-not-live-too-far-apart-in-time-1.13478#/b2. Douglas L. T. Rohde, Steve Olson & Joseph T. Chang, “Modelling the recent common ancestry of all living humans” Nature 431, 562-566 (30 September 2004). http://www.nature.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/nature/journal/v431/n7008/full/nature02842.html

This episode discusses the scriptural evidence or lack thereof for Adam having biological parents. In other words, is it possible that Prophet Adam (a), though the first full human being with all of humanity’s metaphysical qualities, had biological parents or could have descended from an evolutionary tree? The main evidence against this lies in the discussion about the dhuhur or prima-facie meaning of the Qur’anic verse that compares Prophet Adam (a) to Prophet Isa (a) i.e. Jesus and his miraculous conception. References: Qur’anic References: Q.15:28-30, Q.7:11, Q.3:59, Q.2:117 Dr. Yadullah Sahebi, Quran Majid: Takamol va Khelqat Ensan (Iran: Sherkat Sehami Enteshar, 1387). ʿAllāmah Ṭabātābaʾī trans. Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi, Tafsir al-Mizan, Volume 6, (Tehran: WOFIS, 1986). 1 ʿAllāmah Ṭabātābaʾī trans. Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi, Tafsir al-Mizan, Volume 6, (Tehran: WOFIS, 1986), 39. ʼAyātullah Jawādī ʼĀmulī , Tafsir Tasnim, Volume 14, accessed February 20, 2015, http://www.aviny.com/quran/tasnim/jeld-14/tasnim-06.aspx#59. 1 Ayātullah Jawādī ʼĀmulī, Ṣūrat va Sīrat ʼInsān Dar Qur'an, accessed February 20, 2015, http://malakooti313.tebyan.net/post/7. Sayyid Mahmud Taleqani, Portoye az Qur'an, accessed February 20, 2015, http://library.tebyan.net/newindex.aspx?pid=102834&ParentID=0&BookID=78609&MetaDataID=2464&Volume=1&PageIndex=113&PersonalID=0&NavigateMode=CommonLibrary&Content=#p71, Shaykh Al-Ṣadūq aka Muhammad b. Husayn b. Babawayh al-Qummi, Al-Khiṣāl. Edited by Ali Akbar Ghaffari. Vol. 2. Qom: Jami’ah Mudarrisin, 1983 https://hadith.inoor.ir/hadith/316190?SourceID=0&PageType=ViewTranslate&HadithID=316190&FilterGroupID=0

This episode discusses the scriptural evidence for whether or not Adam (a) was the first human being. This question is crucial because it helps us to understand the existence of previous hominids. Unlike other traditions, the Twelver-Shi’I hadith corpus includes traditions that explicitly mention the existence of non-Adamic human-like creatures, called the nasnas. However, these traditions also mention their extinction. References: Qur’anic references: Q.2:30, Q.2:65, Q.7:166, Q.17:70, Q.36:71 Q.7:27 (This verse comes after God’s address to Adam and Eve for their disobedience. At first glance, one could argue that Banī Adam meant Adam and Eve, but with the third person reference to ‘your parents,’ it becomes clear this is an address to all of mankind.) “Fossil Hominids, Human Evolution: Thomas Huxley & Eugene Dubois, Understanding Evolution, accessed February 20, 2015, http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/history_17. Muḥammad b. Mas’ud al-’Ayyāshī,. Tafsīr Al-ʿAyyāshī. Translated by Nazmina Dhanji. Vol. 1. Birmingham: AMI Press, 2020. ʿAllāmah Ṭabātābaʾī trans. Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi, Tafsīr al-Mīzān, Volume 1, (Tehran: WOFIS, 1983), 201. Makārim Shīrāzī, Āyatullah Naṣir. Tafsīr Nemūne. Vol. 3. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1995. Ibn Bābawayh (Shaykh al Ṣadūq), Muḥammad b. ʿAlī. ʿIlal al Sharāʾi. Vol. 1. Qom: Davari Bookstore, 2006. ʿAlī b. Ibrāhīm al-Qummī, Tafsir al-Qummi, https://www.noorlib.ir/View/fa/Book/BookView/Image/11288. Al-Khalīl b. Aḥmad al-Farāhīdī, Kitāb Al-ʿAin (The Arabic Lexicon, 2020), http://arabiclexicon.hawramani.com/%d8%b3%d9%86/#f7f48c. “The Human Family’s Earliest Ancestors,” Smithsonian, 2010, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-human-familys-earliest-ancestors-7372974/.

Delve into the intriguing timeline of Prophet Adam with two main hypotheses: 200,000 years ago as the first Homo sapiens or 10-12,000 years back. The discussion assesses the fossil record, scriptural references, and anthropological insights. Explore the interplay between religious narratives and scientific evidence, particularly regarding Adam’s sons, Habil and Qabil. This examination raises challenging questions about human ancestry, evolution, and the alignment of ancient texts with archaeological findings.

In this engaging discussion, Justin Mashouf, the narrator of 'Becoming Bani Adam,' delves into the intersection of evolution and Twelver-Shi’i beliefs. He outlines the fundamental differences between fact and theory in evolution. The conversation raises intriguing questions about Adam’s place in human ancestry. What does the timeline of Adam look like? Was he the first Homo sapiens? The podcast explores whether Adam could have had biological parents and considers the idea that all humans might be descendants of this pivotal figure.

Delve into the fascinating interplay between theology and human evolution. The conversation tackles common misconceptions about faith and evolution coexisting. Discover hermeneutical principles for interpreting the Qur’an, exploring when to read verses literally or figuratively. Engage with rich theological reflections on creation narratives, examining how different Islamic schools of thought understand humanity's origins in light of modern science. This insightful discussion encourages a deeper contemplation of scriptural meanings and their relevance today.

Justin Mashouf, the narrator of the audiobook 'Becoming Bani Adam', delves into the complex relationship between science and religion. He addresses how advancements in science challenge traditional beliefs, particularly in the context of Qur'anic interpretation. The discussion highlights the significance of metaphorical readings of the Quran and how Twelver-Shii scholars reconcile Islamic teachings with scientific understandings of human ancestry, focusing on creation and the timeline of Adam. Mashouf emphasizes the relevance of these discussions for modern believers.

This engaging discussion introduces the exploration of human ancestry from a Twelver-Shii perspective. The host shares their academic journey into human evolution, highlighting the challenges and insights gained along the way. They delve into the fascinating intersection of faith and science, inviting listeners to navigate the complexities of evolution while upholding human dignity and scriptural beliefs. With upcoming discussions promised, the stage is set for a deep dive into understanding our origins.