My second doubt is that the research and fossil states that human like creatures existed in the earth about 4 million on the other hand , The Shajra (family tree) of Adam to Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) is so small if we calculate to get it in years? And there are also many hadiths regarding years between prophets - The period between Adam and Nuh (peace be upon them both): it was narrated from Abu Umaamah that a man said: “O Messenger of Allaah, was Adam a Prophet?” He said, “Yes, and Allah spoke to him.” The man asked, “How much (time) was there between him and Nooh?” He said, “Ten centuries.” Narrated by Ibn Hibbaan in his Saheeh, 14/69; and by al-Haakim, 2/262. He said it is saheeh according to the conditions of Muslim, and al-Dhahabi agreed with him. Ibn Katheer said in al-Bidaayah wa’l-Nihaayah (1/94): this is (saheeh) according to the conditions of Muslim, even though he did not narrate it.
The period between Nuh and Ibraaheem (peace be upon them both): our evidence is in the continuation of the hadeeth of Abu Umaamah (may Allaah be pleased with him) quoted above: … He said, “And how long was there between Nuh and Ibraaheem?” He said, “Ten centuries.” (Narrated by al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak, 2/288. He said: this hadeeth is saheeh according to the conditions of Muslim, although he did not narrate it. And it was narrated by al-Tabaraani in al-Mu’jam al-Kabeer, 8/118. It was reported that some of the narrators of this hadeeth were da’eef (weak), but al-Albaani classed it as saheeh on the basis of corroborating reports.
Some of the reports that were narrated include the following: The period between Moosa and ‘Eesa (peace be upon them both). Al-Qurtubi said: there was some difference of opinion as to the length of this period. Muhammad ibn Sa’d mentioned in his book al-Tabaqaat that Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “between Moosa ibn ‘Imraan and ‘Eesa ibn Maryam (peace be upon them both) there were one thousand and seven hundred years, and there was no fatrah (interval when no Prophet was sent) between them, for one thousand Prophets of the Children of Israel were sent between them, apart from other Prophets who were also sent (to other nations). And between the birth of ‘Eesa and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) there were five hundred and ninety-nine years.” (Tafseer al-Qurtubi, 6/121). Ibn Hajar said: “The narrators are agreed that the period of the Jews until the coming of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was more than two thousand years, and the period of the Christians until the coming of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was six hundred years.” (Fath al-Baari, 4/449)
IS THIS NOT VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME ?
My third doubt is that - Quran states the story of two brothers habeel and kabeel , in which one was hunter and one was farmer , but according to scientific researches, the humans learned Farming after only 8000 BC. so if Adam was the first human how did they learn farming 4 million years ago ?
PLEASE HELP ME TO CLEAR OUT MY DOUBTS BECAUSE SOMETIMES I THOUGHT THAT I AM ON A VERGE OF BECOMING AN ATHEIST PLEASE SAVE MY FAITH , YOU WILL BE MUCH THANKFUL JAZAK ALLAHU KHAIRA
Answer
Short Answer: I suggest, brother, that you start to seek knowledge of Qur’an, hadith, and the Arabic language, in order to fortify your faith and remove your doubts. You have done well to ask us your questions and to reach out for help before losing your faith. Also, do bring to mind the numerous contradictions and fallacies, abrogations and rebuttals that established academics as well as their scientific researches have endured during bygone years. There have been more contradictions in science than there have ever been in religion! This is because science is still, by and large, a work-in-progress (and always will be), because it is purely a man-made effort, and hence prone to error.
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Asalaamu alaykum, and thank you for sending in your question to our website.
I ask Allah to grant you conviction and knowledge that strengthens your faith, brother. You are still very young, in both, age as well as your journey of seeking knowledge of Islam.
Please keep in mind that doubts and questions arise in every Muslim’s mind at some point in life, once they hit and pass the threshold of young adulthood. This is all a part of the test of the life of this world. Desires are from the base self, and doubts are from Satan, who vowed to Allah that he will lead mankind astray. The cure for doubts lies in seeking answers through authentic knowledge of Islam, based on a correct and sound belief in the heart..
Your First Doubt: Prophet Adam as First Man vs Evolution Theory
The truth is that the human race did not descend from apes. We descended from the first human being, Prophet Adam (peace be upon him). Indeed, some fossils that have been discovered might indicate that a neanderthal creation existed thousands of years ago. However, it is more probable that this race descended from Prophet Adam, and not vice versa, since the Quran has also mentioned how Allah turned some human beings into apes.
Brother, scientific researches are always a work-in-progress, and it is true that many a time, new research abrogates previous ones. The Muslim believes that whenever scientific findings appear to contradict the Quran and saheeh ahadith, it is the Quran and hadith that are ultimately true. And that the scientific findings must be false, even if they appear to hold weight. The Muslim remains firm in the face of any such man-made “findings”, even if they are lauded by academics around the world.
Second Doubt: The Time Period Since the Creation of Man
Brother, the hadith that you have quoted mentioning time periods between Prophets are indeed authentic. However, did it ever occur to you to question whether the Arabic word that is used to supposedly denote the time period in these ahadith, “Qarn”, which is usually translated as “years”, actually denotes the same time periods in length as the years that we refer to (365 solar days)? The Arabic language of ahadith is very in-depth. Translations do not always do it justice.
For a detailed response to this issue, please click here.
Third Doubt: When Did Farming Originate on Earth?
Brother, once again, whenever there is any scientific “evidence” that apparently contradicts some aspect of Islam, we should give Islam the benefit of the doubt. Even if we dig deeper into what science says, we should remember that we are talking about things that happened thousands of years ago. It is just not possible, that each and every detail of what happened back then, can be corroborated by modern science! And whenever any supposed ground-breaking theory is put forth, just remember, it could be wrong, since nothing besides the word of Allah and His Prophets is infallible.
Even if we assume that science is right, and that farming was discovered in 8000 BC, how can we not accede that it is very easy for Allah to have taught the sons of Prophet Adam to till a field and reap some crops?
Did Allah not teach one of them how to bury a dead body, by sending a crow? And did Allah also not teach Prophet Noah how to build the first ever boat that could carry many species across turbulent seas?
Conclusion: Give Islam the Benefit of the Doubt
The problem is not that modern scientific findings are apparently successfully contradicting Islam. The problem is that Muslims’ lack of knowledge of Quran and hadith leads to their youth faltering in their Islamic faith when they encounter atheism. This trend is sadly arise among most young, educated Muslims today. Especially more so now that atheistic discourse is becoming more and more common via media.
So I suggest, brother, that you start to seek knowledge of Qur’an, hadith, and the Arabic language, in order to fortify your faith and remove your doubts. You have done well to ask us your questions and to reach out for help before losing your faith.
Also, do bring to mind the numerous contradictions and fallacies, abrogations and rebuttals that established academics as well as their scientific researches have endured during bygone years. There have been more contradictions in science than there have ever been in religion! This is because science is still, by and large, a work-in-progress (and always will be), because it is purely a man-made effort, and hence prone to error.
I hope that this answers your questions.
Salam. Please stay in touch.
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