Evolution

superme wrote: We are all evolving, some faster than th other. My father and mother were shorter than me by at least 3 cm, how did I gain the extra height when by right as far as genetic is concern I should be their exact copy.

Huh, since when in genetic you are suppose to be an exact copy of your parents ?

From what I know, you can have genes pop up in you from past generations, not necessarily the one before you as in your parents.

And please tell me how can you be an exact copy of your parents if one has dark hair and dark eyes and the other parent blonde and blue eyes  

Think of yoursel how the apes evolve into human. Don't ask anyone dude you are on your own. No book no tv no teacher. Is it possible and how? Why the apes are still here. How did they change from walking on four to walk on two. How about the speech, the emotion, the ability to sense the time etc etc.

Actually I believe all animals can sense what time it is  they don't need a clock with numbers to tell them, the have the sun, shade, light and other factors that come in it. Can you tell why my cat knows when its dinner time when I don't have food out ?  

And animals can feel emotions, they mourn when a partner or offspring is lost/died. Get agressive when attacked.

And about the apes, it is common knowledge now that we haven't evolved from apes. 

But that was already yesterday. How about before yesterday, before the apes.

Yes indeed what about before

salman wrote: Allah ordered the angels to bring different colours of clay from earth. at that, the angels went to earth, but the Allah, and then the angels took different colours and types of clay from different parts of earth. hence, we now have different colours of people on earth, some are white, some black and some light brown like indians.

i would like to correct my statements.

after the earth started to cry saying to angels that there will be bloodshed on earth if humans were created, the angels went back to Allah and told Allah what the earth had said to angels. Allah said that Allah knows what they knew not. this is mentioned in one of the verses of the Qur'an which sister mishmish has posted in this topic. insha Allah please read. after Allah's reply to angels, the angels went back to the earth.

the angels told to the earth that Allah ordered the angels to bring different colours and types of clay from earth. then the angels took different colours and types of clay from different parts of earth. hence, we now have different colours of people on earth, some are white, some black and some light brown like indians.

Al Salaam Alaikom,

Sisters and brothers,

Please visit this site: stone age

Salaam,

It seems that "evolution" has not even been addressed yet.

Please excuse my writing . . . I�m in a bit of a rush and am basically conscious because of caffeine.

After much browsing, especially in the thread "Creation vs Chance" (or something like that) in the Religion and Science section, it seems a lot of people put 'Creationism' and 'Evolutionism' as two entirely unmixable ideas, or beliefs. The reasoning presented by those who advocate this is still unclear to me . . . perhaps if you are one of those people, you would be so kind as to explain it?

To start with, let me quote Albert Einstein -- "My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind." The quotation is self-explanatory, and is in response to many people who claimed that science is for atheists.

First, let's define evolution. This is my definition with which I am going to gear the remainder of this post around: the accumulation of inherited changes within populations over time. ("Population" refers to a group of one species that lives in the same geographical area at the same time.)

Evidences of evolution:

1) Artificial Selection. Farmers and breeders are able to develop varieties of a single species by breeding members of that species who possess the desired characteristic. For example, cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, and kohlrabi are distinct vegetable crops of the same species. Each one of these, however, possesses distinguishable differences from the rest. All seven of these distinguished vegetables was produced from a single plant -- wild cabbage -- by artificial selection. Brussel sprouts, for example, were produced by breeding two wild cabbage with unusually large axillary buds.

These changes happen very quickly, over few generations, because breeders specifically take two individuals of a species -- who have that specific characteristic that the breeders are looking for -- and mate them. An unlikely event in nature. Eventually, however, it is inevitable that new traits will appear, consistently more and more pronounced in future generations. These traits eventually lead to two members of originally the same species classified as two separate species because enough differences have accumulated that scientists now classify them separately by the rules of taxonomy and systematics.

I base this assertion -- the inevitability of new traits appearing -- on sexual selection. Many species, especially more "intelligent" ones, choose their mates. And, in almost every instance (two exceptions if I'm not mistaken), the female chooses. The female generally chooses the mate with the "best," or most adapted traits. For example, female deer tend to mate more often with males who have larger antlers; many male fishes are often bright colored (a defense mechanism -- "warning coloration"), and the females will more often choose the brighter colored male; the female will often choose a male with the best ornamental traits; etc, etc.. This sexual selection allows for the "best," or more adapted traits to be consistently passed on. In the next generation, a similar cycle of sexual selection occurs. And again, and again, and again . . . skip a thousand years . . . and you potentially have a new species.

2) The fossil record. It shows a -- sometimes slow and sometimes fast, depending on a lot of factors -- progression of unicellular to multicelluar organisms, simple multicelluar to more complex multicelluar organisms, etc, etc..

Some transitional (one species becoming another) fossils have indeed been found. Less than an evolutionist would expect to find, but there are some nonetheless. The blue whale, for example, is one of the species which they have found four transitional fossils of.

There are other evidences, but those two, in my opinion, are the most important. From this, think about it logically. Among a species, there are genetic variations (people are tall, short, fat, skinny, etc). Humor me on this one. There are ten members of species A. All of them have horns, but two of them possess horns that are larger than usual and two possess horns that are smaller than usual. In that particular region, larger horns are more beneficial. Eventually (I'm not a fan of math, so you calculate the probability), the two with large horns will mate -- faster than you would think due to sexual selection. As this process continues, more and more of this species begin to possess large horns. Now species A has 1000 individuals, and a couple genetic mutations occur. A couple species have large horns and large mouths while a couple have large horns and small mouths. In this area, large mouths are better suited for the environment, so by sexual selection, the few that have large mouths eventually will come across one another and mate. See what I�m getting at? Five hundred generations later, after a hundred or even fifty of these changes has occurred, multiple different and distinct species have now evolved from a single species -- A) the original species; B) the species descending from �large horns� and �large mouths�; C) the species descending from �large horns� and �small mouths�; D) the species descending from �small horns� and �large mouths�; E) the species descending from �small horns� and �small mouths�. Since they were less adapted for the environment, however, it may be that species E became extinct over time. Also realize that I have only listed two changes in one species from which five new species (potentially) have sprouted. If you have fifty changes, a lot of new species will (potentially) sprout, not just five or six.

This is evolution in terms of Science. Now, evolution in terms of religion. I�m still thoroughly confused as to why it�s unfathomable to believe in evolution and believe in Allah.

Allah created pregnancy. This is how he wanted new people to come into the Earth. If He wanted to, He could make people pop out of the mountains or hills, but He chose not to. Everything in the world is so perfect in every way; meaning, the way everything comes together and interacts is spectacular. As a science fanatic, I can tell you that not all scientists are atheists; on the contrary, the more science I learn, the more convinced I am of Allah�s existence. I think, although I may be mistaken, that Einstein shared similar sentiments (read the quotation at the beginning of this entry).

What I�m trying to say is Allah created evolution. Just like He made people born as babies over a period of nine months; just like He made tectonic plates in the Earth�s surface; just like He made every living thing in the world composed of cells; just like He made the feces of an animal stimulate plant growth; and you can go on for days. Evolution is not as tangible a scientific phenomenon as those I have listed, but that doesn�t mean it�s nonexistent.

Evolution doesn�t contradict religion, except perhaps in a few points. The reason for the discrepancy is simple -- a scientist�s job is to come up with a natural, non-religious solution to every problem. Sometimes, they have to be a bit presumptuous. At these moments, when people can�t find the answer in science, I think Allah�s miracles are evident. He has given us the means to obtain a fair amount of natural knowledge, perhaps to show us the magnificence and the divinity behind His creation, God knows best, but He�s also kept from us the areas where He has indulged His miracles.

For example, chemical evolution. It goes:

Inorganic compounds => Organic compounds => Complex polymers => Protobionts => Prokaryotes

A protobiont is a nonliving cell precursor. It exhibits many characteristics of life; for example, it can move on its own. Scientists have shown that this process is possible up until Protobionts. They have absolutely no idea how a Protobiont becomes a prokaryote. And, in my opinion, they never will . . . because that is Allah�s miracle.

Realize that although this post is lengthy, it is an extreme oversimplification of many ideas -- chemical evolution, sexual selection, artificial selection, fossil record, and religion -- each of which deserves an entire 10 page essay on its own for an adequate explanation.

Also, I�m only human, so if I�ve made any mistakes please correct me.

Salaam,

Ali