Some points raised from muslims to show that Islam is in line with evolution, at least to some degree:
-Allah is Al Bari (the Evolver)
-"Who perfected everything which He created and began the creation of man from clay." 32:7
-And this quote from some forum that I don't remember link to, which mixes Zakariiya as Isa's grandfather but what ever:
Let's read some ayats from Quran to see how Allah "creates" things:
خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَأَنزَلَ لَكُم مِّنْ الْأَنْعَامِ ثَمَانِيَةَ أَزْوَاجٍ يَخْلُقُكُمْ فِي بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ خَلْقًا مِن بَعْدِ خَلْقٍ فِي ظُلُمَاتٍ ثَلَاثٍ ذَلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ فَأَنَّى تُصْرَفُونَ
He created you from one soul(*). Then He made from it its mate, and He produced for you from the grazing livestock eight mates. He creates you in the wombs of your mothers, creation after creation, within three darknesses. That is Allah , your Lord; to Him belongs dominion. There is no deity except Him, so how are you averted?
Zumer 6 (39/6)
(*)The word "soul" in this translation is a mistake. "Soul" means "ruh" in arabic, but the true word in the ayat is "nefs" which means physical body.
So, what/who is this first nefs? It can be Adam (alaihis salam), or it can be a one-celled organism in prehistoric era.
However, something is for sure. In this ayat, Allah says that the development of us in our mothers womb is a kind of creation. In the ayat, the word "خلق" is used. It is a natural fact that no babies instantaneously exist out of nowhere in his/her mother's womb.
Let's see another ayat for understanding the meaning of "khalk":
قَالَ كَذَلِكَ قَالَ رَبُّكَ هُوَ عَلَيَّ هَيِّنٌ وَقَدْ خَلَقْتُكَ مِن قَبْلُ وَلَمْ تَكُ شَيْئًا
Said, "Thus [it will be]; your Lord says, 'It is easy for Me, for I created you before, while you were nothing.' " Maryam 9 (19/9)
The one who speaks in the ayat is (we understand from previous ayats) Zekaria (who is the father of Maryam, who is the mother of Isa (Christ)). Allah says him that once he was created (with the word "khalk") before he was nothing.
OK, what is the meaning of "creation" here? Instantaneously existing all of a sudden?
Zekeria was a human like us. He was created the way we were.
This ayat is the second reference to the meaning of "creation".
اللَّهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ ۖ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَكِيلٌ
Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is, over all things, Disposer of affairs.
Zumer 62 (39/62)
This ayat tell us that Allah is creating ("khalk" again) everything. By everything, it means actually everything. Everything you know, everything you see and imagine. There is nothing instantaneously coming out of nowhere in this Universe. This is a fact no one can deny. Everything comes to existence after a circulation in the Nature. Allah crated rain, clouds, mountains, human race, animals, plants and everything else. This is how Allah creates.
قُلْ سِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَانظُرُوا كَيْفَ بَدَأَ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ اللَّهُ يُنشِئُ النَّشْأَةَ الْآخِرَةَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Say, "Travel through the land(*) and observe how He began creation. Then Allah will produce the final creation. Indeed Allah , over all things, is competent."
Ankabut 20 (29/20)
Allah wants us to travel on the Earth ("ارض" means "Earth", not "land")(*) and observe how he create things. Every one of us travel on Earth. We go to our jobs, holidays, picnic, walk in forest, walk in the streets, etc. Did any one of you see Allah creates anything in an instant from nothing? Everything is being created with a circulation of matter, nothing is created in an instant. And, Allah states that this is how he creates. This is the way of his creation.
اِنَّمَا اَمْرُهُ اِذَا اَرَادَ شَيْپًا اَنْ يَقُولَ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ
His command is only when He intends a thing that He says to it, "Be," and it is.
Yaseen 82 (36/82)
In this ayat, it is said that when Allah wants something, He just says "be (كُنْ / kuun)", then it "becomes (فَيَكُونُ / feyekuun)". This and some other ayats like this make some people think and claim that Allah instantaneously creates things. However, the secret key point is the conjunction word "فَ (fe)" in the ayat. It is different from "وَ (ve)" which means "and". "Fe" means "after this", and implies "a forming of events afterwards". It doesn't necessarily or absolutely mean an instantaneous happening.
I ask many stupid questions frequently.
I am curious, that's why I ask many questions.
I am overly curious, that's why I ask stupid questions.
I lack patience, that's why I ask frequently.
So forgive me and answer me