The Origin
of Life on Earth: The Qur’anic Version
By Dr. Bashir Ahmad
Wildwood, MO
Currently
in America, endless controversies over the creation
of life are raging between believers of the theory
of “evolution” and those who believe
in the theory of “intelligent design”.
The Qur’an covers the entire span of the
creative process pertaining to the evolution of
life. The guiding principles are mentioned in
the following verse:
Blessed is He whose hand is the Kingdom, and He
has power over all things. It is He who has created
death and life that He might try you - which of
you is best in deeds; and He is mighty, the most
forgiving. The same who created seven heavens
in stages (Tibaqan). No incongruity can you see
in the creation of Gracious God. Then look again:
Do you see any flaw?” Qur’an 67/2-4.
The Qur’an speaks of creation only in step
by step stages and rejects the concept of spontaneous
generation. The following verses enquire from
man remonstratively:
“What is the matter with you that you expect
not wisdom and staidness from Allah? While He
has created you in different forms and ever varying
states?” Qur’an 71/14-15.
The following verse addressing humans, promises
them that there is a continuous journey of moving
on from stage to stage.
“That you shall assuredly pass on from one
stage to another.” Qur’an
84/20.
It must be emphasized, that when the Qur’an
speaks of some earlier forms of creation, it refers
to them as the creation of man, while whatever
was created at that time had no semblance to him.
It is because from the very beginning it was man
alone who was the ultimate object and purpose
of the entire exercise of creation. It is here
that the Qur’an very openly parts company
with the biologists who believe in a haphazard
evolution without a preset design.
The Qur’anic vision of creation speaks of
a universally flawless operation system, controlled
to its finest details so that there is no chance
of flaws and defects into the scheme of things.
CREATION OF THE FIRST LIFE ON EARTH
Three to four billion years ago the very first
life was created. At that time in the history
of earth, there was no oxygen or ozone layer.
It was pounded by cosmic radiation and was extremely
hot. Its atmosphere was rich in sulfur and ammonia
compounds. All oxygen was found bonded like carbon
dioxide. Water and silicone dioxide. (Dickerson
R.E. (Sept. 1978) Chemical Evolution and the origin
of life. Scientific American P.80)
The Qur’an has shed light on the creation
of the first life on the earth. “And the
Jinn we created before that (The creation of man)
from the blast of fire.” Qur’an 15/28,
and also, “And the Jinn He created from
the flame of fire.” Qur’an 55/16.
These verses apply to the minutest organisms drawing
their energy directly from the blazes of lightening
and intense cosmic radiation, and also from the
sulfur and ammonia compounds.
These verses presented interpretational problems
to the commentators. They could not -- especially
the majority of them -- comprehend that fire or
cosmic radiation does give energy to these living
bacteria. They interpreted flame as hot air.
These earliest bacteria have been named “archaebacteria”
by WOESE(Ref. WOESE (C.R., June 1981) Archaebacteria
. Scientific American, p. 104)
THE ROLE OF DUST, WET AND DRY CLAY IN THE CREATION
OF LIFE
In the Qur’an, dry dust, wet clay and dry
clay are repeatedly mentioned as stages through
which the life passed in the distant past.
“He created him (Adam) out of dust (Turah).”
Qur’an 3/60.
“He created you from clay (humid or moist
earth). Qur’an 6/3.
In Surah Al-Rahman, clay is mentioned but this
time it is not wet clay but dry ringing clay:
“He created man from dry ringing clay like
pieces of pottery.” Qur’an 55/15
Again in Surah AL-HIJR it is mentioned three times
with the qualification that man is created from
dry ringing clay, formed out of dark fermenting
mud. Qur’an 15/27,29,34.
THE IMPORTANCE OF WET CLAY
The stagnant, fermenting black mud containing
mineral and dead bacteria take the shape of plates.
These plates enlarge the areas of chemical interactions.
Mica and clay comprise laminated sheets of silicates
with a layer of water separating them. They are
only 0.71 nanometers apart. This increases the
surface area for adsorbing molecules enormously.
Hence a cube of dry clay of this formation as
small as one centimeter square can provide a total
surface area of around two thousand eight hundred
square meters, about three quarters of an acre.
1. Coyne, University of California, discussing
the role of Kaolinite clay in the early stages
of evolution, argues that they can gather energy
from the environment (by radio active processes),
store it and then release it when the clay is
suitably disturbed, by wetting and drying.(Ref.
Carins-Smith A.G. (June 1985) The First Organism.
Scientific American p. 100)
2. Noam Lahav, David White and Sherwood Chang’s
research illustrates the importance of clay as
playing a pivotal role in the synthesis of organic
material. They showed how clay subjected to cycles
wetting and drying can link molecules of the amino
acids glycine. The cycling transfers energy from
the environment to the organic molecules. (Ref.
Carins-Smith A.G.(June 1985) The First Organism.
Scientific American p. 100)
3. John Bernard in his book “The Physical
Basis of Life” (1951), writes “---the
adsorption of clay, mud and inorganic crystals
are powerful means to concentrate and polymerize
organic molecules -----” (Ref. Barbieri,
M. (1985) The Semantec Theory of Evolution. Harwood
Academic Publications. P. 86.)
THE IMPORTANCE OF DRY RINGING CLAY
All the amino acids - the brick of life are formed
from aldehydes by a mechanism called Strecker
Synthesis. This involves a two-step sequence.
The first step is the reaction of aldehydes with
a mixture of ammonia and HCN to yield aminonitrile.
Further hydrolysis of the aminonitrile results
in amino acid.
The problem is that both steps of the Strecker
Synthesis are reversible. As long as the preliminary
remains in water, the transfer of hydrogen atom
to the newly born chemical would be broken down
into their earlier simpler forms perpetually.
Somehow a dry stage has to be envisioned to make
unstable organic chemicals develop into more advanced
irreversible organic compound.
What a marvelous chemical reaction this is in
the creation of amino acids - the bricks of life
which the Holy Qur’an has so beautifully
described by referring it to wet clay turning
into dry ringing clay!
In my next article I shall give details of the
complex biochemical interactions that occur in
the wet and dry clay, IN SHA-ALLAH.
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