Intellectual Dialogue between a Darwinist and a Muslim
From Chance to Certainty
This is a true story with some adaptations
Prepared by: Raji Redha-Allah
Darwinist: I adopt the material Darwinian explanation of existence. Evolution and natural selection are sufficient—in my view—to explain life and its complexity, without the need to assume the existence of a Creator.
Muslim: Before we disagree, let us agree on a methodological point: Do you think that the theory of evolution explains everything, or does it only explain some phenomena within life?
Darwinist: It explains the diversity of living beings and their changes over time.
Muslim: So you admit that it does not explain:
The origin of matter
The origin of life
The origin of laws
The origin of information
The origin of consciousness
Is that correct?
Darwinist (hesitating): Yes, these are questions that science is still investigating.
Muslim: Let us start with information. Do you agree with me that DNA is not just a chemical substance, but a precise information system carrying specific instructions?
Darwinist: Yes, it contains genetic instructions.
Muslim: A direct question: Do you know a single example in the history of science where meaningful information arose from random interactions without an intellect or design?
Darwinist: No… in programming there is always a programmer.
Muslim: Exactly. Text requires an author, Code requires a programmer, And an algorithm requires a designer.
For this reason, contemporary scholars—such as researchers at the Discovery Institute—argue that information is always the effect of an intellect, not chance, and they critique Darwinism from a purely scientific perspective, especially in information theory and complexity. ???? https://www.discovery.org
Darwinist: But evolution operates after the information exists.
Muslim: And this is an important acknowledgment. You are saying that evolution modifies what exists, But it does not explain where the information originally came from.
Muslim: Let us use an example that is beyond dispute: ChatGPT.
Did it arise:
By chance?
By mutations?
By natural selection inside computers?
Darwinist (smiling): Of course not. Engineers designed the system.
Muslim: Excellent. If a limited artificial intelligence requires:
Intellect
Design
Will
Purpose
Then how can you deny that:
The human intellect
DNA
Consciousness
The cosmic laws
require a greater Creator?
Darwinist (silent for a moment): The analogy is logical… and cannot be ignored.
Darwinist: But random mutations, over long periods, might build complexity.
Muslim: Let us be precise: mutations are copying errors. Even if some mutations are relatively beneficial, they do not create new, meaningful information, but only modify what exists.
Have you ever seen an operating system improve and become more complex solely due to copying errors?
Darwinist: No, errors usually destroy the system.
Muslim: This is what scholars like Michael Behe discuss in the concept of irreducible complexity: Biological systems do not function unless they are 100% complete. So how could an error build a system that does not work unless it is complete?
Darwinist: This indeed weakens the Darwinian claim.
Muslim: Let us move to consciousness. Does evolution explain why we:
Seek the truth?
Distinguish between good and evil?
Ask about the meaning of existence?
Darwinist: Consciousness remains a mystery in science.
Muslim: This is because inert matter—even today— has no empirical explanation proving it produces consciousness. Just as silicon does not “feel” no matter how complex it becomes, Consciousness is not only a necessity for survival, but transcends matter.
Muslim: Summarize with me what we have reached:
Information does not arise without an intellect
Order does not emerge from chaos
Laws do not explain themselves
Consciousness cannot be reduced to matter
What do these results imply?
Darwinist (honestly): They imply the existence of a non-material, intelligent, capable, and willing cause.
Muslim: And this is the definition of the Creator.
Darwinist: But why specifically Islam?
Muslim: Because Islam:
Does not deify nature
Does not make God a part of the universe
Does not teach the Trinity or Incarnation
Does not nullify reason
But it presents a God who is:
Necessary Being
Self-sufficient
Creator of the laws
(There is nothing like Him) Surah Ash-Shura (42:11)
And it addresses reason directly in the Qur’an: (Were they created out of nothing, or were they the creators?) Surah At-Tur (52:35)
Darwinist (humbly): I used to search for the mechanism and forget the Actor. Evolution explains change, but it does not explain existence. Just as artificial intelligence did not create itself, The universe cannot exist without a Creator.
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, And I bear witness that Muhammad is His Messenger.
(Ashhadu anna la ilaha illa-Allah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan rasul-Allah
Muslim: Praise be to Allah who guided you. You followed the path of reason sincerely, And it led you to faith.
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