CREATION OF OTHER LIVING THINGS

The composition of all living things on earth should be divided into two types: (1) the creation of human beings and (2) the creation of other living things. Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu) provided clear information in the Quran regarding the creation of human beings in terms of Who created, Why formed, and How created. However, about the creation of the other living things we can find in the Quran clear information about Who created and Why created. The following lines will shed more light on the composition of the other living things.

Fixed Facts (Constants):

Who created the other living things?

Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu) is the Creator of everything: “Allah is the Creator of everything and He has charge over everything” (Quran 39: 62). Therefore, He is the Creator of all the other living things such as the animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria ... etc., the ancient and the current ones.

Why did Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu) create the other living things?

Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu) created the other living things for a purpose and thus there is no coincidental existence: "And We created not the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, for mere play" (Quran 44: 38). By reading the Quran we can see that one of the general purposes behind creating the other living things on earth is to make the life of mankind successful on earth. In several places in the Quran, we read the following expression: "Allah has subjected to you" followed by the name of a living or a non-living thing. We all know that human beings get many direct and indirect benefits and services from other living things. Some of these benefits are mentioned in the Quran:

"Do you not see that Allah has subjected to you whatever is on the earth and the ships which run through the sea by His command? And He restrains the sky from falling upon the earth, unless by His permission. Indeed Allah, to the people, is Kind and Merciful" (Quran 22: 65).

"Do you not see that Allah has made subject to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth and amply bestowed upon you His favors, [both] apparent and unapparent? But of the people is he who disputes about Allah without knowledge or guidance or an enlightening Book [from Him]" (Quran 31: 20).

"And the cattle, He has created them for you; in them, there is warmth (warm clothing), and numerous benefits, and of them you eat" (Quran 16: 5).

"And Who has created all the pairs and has appointed for you ships and cattle on which you ride" (Quran 43: 12).

“And verily! In the cattle, there is a lesson for you. We give you to drink of that which is in their bellies, from between Farth and blood, pure milk; palatable to the drinkers” (Quran 16: 66).

"And Allah has made for you in your homes an abode, and made for you out of the hides of the cattle (tents for) dwelling, which you find so light (and handy) when you travel and when you stay (in your travels), and of their wool, fur, and hair (sheep wool, camel fur, and goat hair), a furnishing and articles of convenience (e.g. carpets, blankets, etc.), a comfort for a while" (Quran 16: 80).

"And the two seas (kinds of water) are not alike, this fresh sweet, and pleasant to drink, and that saltish and bitter. And from them both, you eat fresh tender meat (fish) and derive the ornaments that you wear. And you see the ships cleaving (the seawater as they sail through it), that you may seek of His Bounty, and that you may give thanks" (Quran 35: 12).

In short, the Quran tells us who created the other living things and why they were created.

Changing Knowledge (Variables):

How did Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu) create the other living things?

To my knowledge, it was not mentioned in the Quran how the other living things were created by Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu). There is a verse in the Quran in which Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu) orders the people who believe in Him to travel through the earth and see how He originated the creation: “Say: Travel through the earth and see how Allah did originate creation; so will Allah produce a later creation, for Allah has power over all things” (Quran 29: 20). Thus, human beings can discover parts of the knowledge on how Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu) created the other living things by exploration, research, and using the scientific method. Accordingly, scientists who believe in Allah (Jalla Jalalulu) need to study the past life forms (fossils) and the current life forms to gain knowledge on how Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu) created early non-human living things on earth. However, this knowledge will be incomplete and change over time because:

1. We are talking about billions of years, a large number of creatures, and many interacting factors affecting their existence. Thus, we will always have speculations and assumptions.

2. The exact number of the creation methods of all living things is known only by Allah (Jalla Jalalulu). In other words, the “one-size-fits-all” approach does not work here because in the Quran Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu) mentioned that He:

- Created Adam (peace be upon him) from the dust (soil) of the earth (i.e. creating a living thing from a non-living thing).

- Created Adam’s wife from the body of Adam (peace be upon him).

- Created the offspring of Adam (peace be upon him) and his wife via sexual reproduction.

- Created the Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) as a human being from a mother (without having a father).

- Sent down to earth eight pairs of cattle: "He created you (all) from a single person (Adam); then made from him his wife [Hawwa' (Eve)]. And He has sent down for you of cattle eight pairs. He creates you in the wombs of your mothers, creation after creation in three veils of darkness, such is Allah your Lord. His is the kingdom, La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He). How then are you turned away?" (Quran 39: 6).

- Created some creatures in methods that are not known to mankind and not mentioned in the Quran because Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu) stated in the Quran that He creates what we do not know: "And [He created] the horses, mules and donkeys for you to ride and [as] adornment. And He creates that which you do not know" (Quran 16: 8).

After considering the different methods by which Allah (Jalla Jalalulu) creates the living things, and after seeing the huge diversity among the living things on earth, we can answer the question of how Allah (Jalla Jalalulu) created the other living things on earth by saying He created them by many creation methods. The complete knowledge about these methods and their number is only known by Allah (Jalla Jalalulu). However, scientific discoveries will always try to reveal some of the details of some of these creation methods. To me, the more we know, the more we should praise Allah (Jalla Jalalulu), the Creator of all things.

A person who does not know the Quran may think that as long as it is a divine holy book then what is known about other divine holy books applies to it. This generalization is not fair and incorrect. Thus, I have put this section to highlight part of the uniqueness of the Quran. More can be learned in section four regarding the Quran and science.

The Uniqueness of the Quran

I can say that the Quran is a unique divine holy book because:

1. The Quran is the last message from Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu) to mankind until the Day of Judgment.

2. The Quran is an everlasting challenge and a miracle from Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu) to all mankind. Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu) gave every prophet miracles affirming his prophethood. However, one problem is that people who have not seen a prophet and his miracle(s) by themselves, will not believe in him or have doubts about his message. But, this is not the case with the Prophet Muhammad (Salla Allahu alay-hi wa-sallam), because he was given the Quran, which is an everlasting miracle. This is because the Quran has precise scientific evidence in some of its verses, which are discovered gradually over time by successive generations of mankind. In addition, Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu) challenged all mankind to write a book like the Quran and no one did. Therefore, every generation of mankind sees that no one could write a book like the Quran and that modern sciences are in overwhelming agreement with the scientific facts of the Quran. Based on this unique feature of the Quran, every human being at any time bears witness by him-/herself that the Quran is the word of Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu), the Creator of everything. This miracle of the Quran is timeless and will last until the end of time.

3. The Quran has been memorized by heart, as a whole, by many Muslims. At any given period of human history (since the revelation of the Quran) thousands and thousands of Muslims memorized it by heart. They can recite and write it entirely word for word and letter by letter verbatim. I am not aware of any divine holy book that is memorized entirely by thousands of people, except the Quran. This unique feature of the Quran occurs with the help of Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu): "And We have certainly made the Qur'an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?" (Quran 54: 22).

4. The Quran is a stand-alone divine holy book. It does not need any other holy book to support or supplement its content. This is why Muslims use the Quran without referring to other holy books.

5. The Quran is one complete book (volume). Its revelation was completed during the life of the Prophet Muhammad (Salla Allahu alay-hi wa-sallam). Therefore, his death was not a sudden end to the revelation of the Quran. Muslims knew the entire Quran by heart during the life of the Prophet Muhammad (Salla Allahu alay-hi wa-sallam). No part of the Quran was missing then to be rediscovered later. No change has been applied to it since the time of its revelation, and in fact, any change can be discovered easily by the many Muslims who memorize it by heart. Thus, Muslims do not dig and search for old copies of the Quran in the hope of discovering new verses.

6. The Quran, as a divine holy book, is protected by Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu) and thus it has been kept intact since the time of its revelation and will remain in this state until the end of time. Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu) stated in the Quran that He shall protect it from being lost or corrupted: “Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian” (Quran 15: 9).

1. Only Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu) knows the complete and absolute meanings of each and every verse of the Quran. Thus, when we talk about a scientific aspect in one of the verses of the Quran we do this based on the state of knowledge in our time. More and deeper knowledge will be discovered in the future.

2. The Quran is the last holy book revealed from Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu) to mankind as guidance and as an everlasting miracle. Since it is an everlasting miracle, then every generation of human beings will discover new meanings in it according to the state of science and technology in their time, so they witness by themselves that the one who revealed the Quran is the Creator of the universe. Therefore newer and deeper levels of knowledge, in the Quran, will keep unfolding until the end of time.