How Can Darwinism Be Combatted?

Because Darwinism targets all societies and inflicts catastrophes on the whole of mankind, the intellectual campaign to be waged against Darwinism should be both comprehensive and global. In the face of the Darwinist propaganda intensively conducted through newspaper and magazine articles, documentaries and television programs, everyone must be made aware that this perverted ideology is actually worthless—and of the kind of threats it poses. The more people who realize that the theory of evolution is in scientific collapse and that Darwinist "facts" consist of hollow indoctrination, the less effect the scourge of Darwinism will have. With the intellectual elimination of Darwinism, which leads to atheism and loss of faith, religious moral values will spread rapidly, and peace and security will prevail on Earth.

In his own works, the great Islamic scholar Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (1878-1960) also emphasized the intellectual struggle to be waged against Darwinism and materialist philosophies. He drew particular attention to the fact that this intellectual campaign would assume even greater importance in the End Times. Bediuzzaman stated that the Dajjal (Antichrist), the greatest source of corruption of the End Times, would assume the leadership of Darwinist and materialist movements, and warned Muslims in the following words:

A tyrannical current born of Naturalist and Materialist philosophy will in time become strong and spread at the end of time by means of materialist philosophy, reaching such a degree that it denies God… And the greatest of them, the Dajjal, who will come to lead them, will manifest awesome wonders, a sort of spiritualism and hypnosis. He will go even further, and imagining his tyrannical, superficial rule to be a sort of dominion. He will proclaim his deity."54

As Bediuzzaman makes clear, Darwinism is the most important vehicle of the system of the Dajjal, and stands at the head of his philosophy. In leading people towards denial, atheism and immorality, the Dajjal will use Darwinism as a supposed scientific mask for atheism.

That being the case, some Muslims suggesting that the intellectual struggle against Darwinism is unnecessary is the equivalent of saying that struggling against the system of the Dajjal is unnecessary—which is something no Muslim should ever do. Asking, "Why do we need to fight Darwinism?" means "Let the Dajjal spread all the strife he likes; that's no concern of ours." Saying, "As an issue, Darwinism isn't all that important" means ignoring or concealing the plans of the Dajjal. No true Muslim can by his own efforts deliberately conceal the workings of the Dajjal. On the contrary, he will seek to eradicate them by exposing all their strategies and trickery.

Muslims' struggle against the organization of the Dajjal—and Darwinism, the weapon that organization uses—must be an absolutely intellectual one. Darwinism cannot be eradicated by means of arms, acts of violence or aggression, only by expounding the scientific facts. In one of the hadith, our Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) has revealed that in the End Times, the plans of the Dajjal will dissolve "like salt in water." The water referred to here is the understanding that will eradicate it on the intellectual plane: "When the Dajjal faces him [Jesus], he [the Dajjal] will begin to dissolve like salt in water…"55

The "water" that will dissolve the plans of the Dajjal in the End Times is knowledge. Burning or bombing salt cannot dissolve it; it dissolves only in water. Darwinism too will dissolve like salt in water when the invalidity of all the theory of evolution's claims are made clear in high schools, universities and other educational establishments. With the defeat of Darwinism, aggressive and radical movements such as communism, fascism, racism, terrorism and anarchism will lose their supporters. The philosophy of the Dajjal that leads to strife and corruption on Earth will thus be eliminated.

Every Muslim who wishes to neutralize the corruption of the Dajjal must take part in the intellectual struggle against Darwinism. To that end, it is essential to set out, copy and distribute all the evidence refuting the theory of evolution... For someone who has learned that not a single protein can come into being by chance—that life cannot emerge spontaneously from inanimate matter, that the complex structure of the cell and its organelles cannot be explained in terms of chance, that there exists not one single fossil to show that living things are descended from one another and that mutations and natural selection cannot produce a new species—it is impossible to be taken in by the deceits of Darwinism.

Such a wide-ranging, global intellectual struggle will, by God's leave, have a very rapid impact. By mustering all the means at their disposal for God's approval, the intellectual struggle that Muslims will wage will result in a most auspicious outcome for mankind. Efforts made in a spirit of union and unity, with complete sincerity, will be a means for truth to overcome superstition, as promised by God in the Holy Qur'an. This promise of Almighty God's is a source of great joy and enthusiasm for all believers:

Rather We hurl the truth against falsehood and it cuts right through its brain and it vanishes clean away! Woe without end for you for what you portray! (Surat al-Anbiya': 18)

All Muslims have a Responsibility to Strive against Darwinism on the Level of Ideas

The technological opportunities available in the present day are a great blessing for Muslims, making the intellectual struggle to be waged against Darwinism and materialism much easier and faster. The important thing is for no one to fall into the error of thinking, "What good can my efforts do?" What matters is how much people use their abilities, no matter what their scope, and how much sincere effort they make. At the end of the day, it is Almighty God Who will appreciate them.

God rewards the work of those who make sincere efforts in the finest possible manner. The Qur'an tells us that everyone will be fully recompensed for their efforts:

… that no burden-bearer can bear another's burden; that man will have nothing but what he strives for; that his striving will most certainly be seen; that he will then receive repayment of the fullest kind that the ultimate end is with your Lord. (Surat an-Najm: 38-42)

All people of faith and conscience have a responsibility to spread the moral values of the Qur'an. God has informed the faithful of this in these verses:

Let there be a community among you who call to the good, and enjoin the right, and forbid the wrong. They are the ones who have success. (Surah Al 'Imran: 104)

One important stage in communicating the moral values of the Qur'an is eliminating the intellectual elements that turn people away from them. When ideologies that prevent people living by religious moral values are eradicated, it will be much easier for them to see the truth. Another verse tells us:

... So compete with each other in doing good. Every one of you will return to God… (Surat al-Ma'ida: 48)

The intellectual defeat of materialism and atheism is one of the most auspicious actions that can be taken in our time. By God's leave, this work will put an end to atheism and be a means whereby religious moral values come to prevail on Earth. For that reason, all Muslims must work to the full extent of their means for the intellectual eradication of Darwinism and the communication of the moral values of the Qur'an.

Darwin examined life using the primitive means available in the 19th century, for which reason he was unaware of the complexity of life and made the mistake of thinking that it could be the work of blind chance.

One erroneous line of thinking on this subject is along the lines of, "Those who have the means are already doing all they can, so there's no need for me to do anything." In fact, everyone has a responsibility to apply the stipulations revealed by God in the Qur'an: to live morally, and to fulfill his responsibilities. In the same way that no one can be responsible for the errors of another or the sins that person commits, once the requisite warnings and reminders have been issued, so none should enjoy any reward from another's good behavior, unless they too have supported it. On the Day of Judgment, everyone will appear alone in the presence of our Lord and give account—again alone—for all their deeds of commission and omission.

This fact is also revealed in the Qur'an:

You have come to Us all alone just as We created you at first, leaving behind you everything We bestowed on you. (Surat al-An'am: 94)

As on other matters, all Muslims will have to account, alone, for the efforts that they made in the intellectual struggle against denial and for the propagation of religious moral values. That being so, they need to do all they can to put an end to atheism, without being misled by the excuses or by Earthly desires. God will guide and assist those who strive sincerely on His path. Our Lord has imparted these glad tidings to believers:

Those who were expelled from their homes without any right, merely for saying, "Our Lord is God." If God had not driven some people back by means of others, monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques, where God's name is mentioned much, would have been pulled down and destroyed. God will certainly help those who help Him – God is All-Strong, Almighty. (Surat al-Hajj: 40)

His command when He desires a thing is just to say to it, 'Be!' and it is. (Surah Ya Sin: 82)

Scientific Evidence Needs to Be Expressed Clearly and Distinctly

Darwinists claim that their theory is "scientific" and constantly engage in propaganda on its behalf. Therefore, Muslims' response to Darwinism should also be scientific, and it's important that all claims made in the name of science also be refuted by means of science.

It's essential to closely follow all the scientific developments that oppose Darwinism, to collect the facts these reveal, and to lay them out clearly and distinctly. Imagining that Darwinism can be overcome intellectually merely by citing a few familiar, tired counter-arguments such as, "Since human beings are descended from apes, why are apes still around? Why haven't they turned into human beings, too?", not submitting sufficient information and evidence stems from a failure to consider the scale of the problem. Obviously, anyone exposed to constant Darwinist propaganda from a variety of sources will not change his way of thinking in the face of a few facile, clichéd counter-arguments. Therefore, those who imagine that science supports the theory of evolution need to be shown why evolution is in fact unscientific, by presenting them with the facts revealed by science itself.

It must be revealed that natural selection is not an evolutionary force—with scientific evidence like this to back it up: The moths that supposedly darkened in the soot of the Industrial Revolution, depicted for years as proof of evolution, do not in fact support evolutionist claims at all. It is impossible to account for the Cambrian Period findings in terms of evolution. Mutations damage the structures of living things, rather than causing them to progress and develop.

People must be told, clearly and distinctly, that the fossil record shows that living things did not come into existence gradually, by one species developing into another. The fossil specimens indicated by evolutionists are all fakes. According to the fossil record, not even the slightest change has been seen in the structure of living things over millions of years. "Living fossils" represent an insoluble dilemma for the theory of evolution. The supposed family tree of man has been discredited by hundreds of pieces of evidence. It is impossible for proteins, the cell, DNA and RNA to have come into being by chance.

Rational examples must be cited to explain that life cannot emerge from collections of inanimate matter. Atoms cannot combine to give rise to human beings who think, love, take pleasure from being loved, are compassionate, laugh and possess the ability to make judgments. The flawless order in organs such as the eye and ear cannot have come into being by stages. Variation among subspecies constitute no evidence for evolution. Antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria exhibit no proof of evolution. There is no such thing as vestigial organs. Similarities between living things do not support for Darwinism. Molecular homogeneity is a groundless claim. The theory of evolution has no embryological basis. All these facts must all be set out with supporting evidence.

Since most people are unaware of the above facts, they are easily taken in by Darwinist indoctrination. But when these facts are laid out with explanatory examples, scientific findings and evidence, many will see the truth. Instead of offering superficial replies and vague explanations, Muslims must demolish Darwinism with evidence. It is impossible to defeat Darwinism on an intellectual basis using any other tactics, though it is easy to vanquish it once the evidence is set out.

Therefore it is also important for Muslims to educate themselves and improve their knowledge of these issues. Anyone with sufficient knowledge to refute the claims made by atheists, materialists, and Darwinists has no reason not to participate in the intellectual struggle against Darwinism. All grounds for a passive and helpless attitude, for defeatism, hesitation or unease, therefore will vanish. That person can then engage in an open, victorious intellectual campaign against Darwinism in a manner befitting a true Muslim. In the same way that the staff of the Prophet Moses (pbuh) swallowed up all the sorcerers' trickery, the evidence put forward will neutralize all the deceptions of Darwinism:

We revealed to Musa, "Throw down your staff." And [in the form of a serpent] it immediately swallowed up what they [Pharoah's magicians] had forged. So the Truth took place and what they did was shown to be false. (Surat al-A'raf: 117-118)

By the will of God, and as revealed by our Lord in the Qur'an, the truth will emerge and the deniers will suffer a terrible defeat.

Darwin examined life using the primitive means available in the 19th century, for which reason he was unaware of the complexity of life and made the mistake of thinking that it could be the work of blind chance.

Satan Seeks to Keep Muslims from Participating in the Fight against Darwinism

As a requirement of the tests created in the life of this world, satan constantly seeks to divert people away from the way of God, and does all in his power to weaken believers and draw the life out of them, to impair their excitement and enthusiasm, and thus reduce their eagerness. Satan's objective is to deceive people in this world by whispering into their hearts false concerns and worries and thus leads them to ruin. His activity in this regard is revealed in the following verse: "[Satan said,] 'I will lead them astray and fill them with false hopes.'" (Surat an-Nisa': 119) As he does with everyone, satan strives to approach believers in various ways and to portray good and auspicious things as evil. By making tasks appear difficult, he strives to make people apathetic and encourages them towards pessimism. By encouraging laziness, he seeks to slow people down and weaken their resolve.

One of the areas in which satan seeks to divert Muslims is in their intellectual struggle against Darwinism. He tries to prevent Muslims from taking part by depicting Darwinism as a scientific fact, suggesting that it is impossible to defeat it on the level of ideas, and causing Muslims to harbor unjustified fears.

However, it is noted in the Qur'an that all satan's endeavors and trickery are actually very feeble:

He [satan] makes promises to them and fills them with false hopes. But what satan promises them is nothing but delusion. (Surat an-Nisa': 120)

Those who believe fight in the way of God. Those who do not believe fight in the way of false deities. So fight the friends of satan! Satan's scheming is always feeble. (Surat an-Nisa': 76)

People of faith need to be aware of this and must refuse to allow satan's suggestions to influence them. For anyone who uses his or her mind and conscience to the full, there can be no question of avoiding the intellectual struggle against Darwinism. On the contrary, a devout believer wages this struggle using the most effective and rational methods, with great enthusiasm and determination.

Confronted by Darwinism's falsehoods, believers explain the existence and oneness of God, set out the proofs of His sublime creation, and undertake a most honorable service. In this intellectual struggle, therefore, Muslims must enthusiastically compete to perform good works, be determined and strong in the knowledge that inevitably they will be victorious, and never forget our Lord's promise:

Do not give up and do not be downhearted. You shall be uppermost if you are a believer. (Surah Al 'Imran: 139)

The Intellectual Struggle against Darwinism Requires Unity

For such a wide-ranging struggle to be effective, it is vital that Muslims act in a spirit of union and unity. God has revealed in the Qur'an that Muslims must act as one in the intellectual struggle against the moral values of atheism. We are told in one verse that if Muslims fail to act together, corruption will emerge on Earth: "Those who do not believe are the friends and protectors of one another. If you do not act in this way there will be turmoil in the land and great corruption." (Surat al-Anfal: 73)

At a time when atheism is widespread over much of the world, when terror and anarchy threaten everyone, and when many innocents are subjected to cruelty and oppression, true believers need to muster all their resources to wage an intellectual struggle against Darwinism, the touchstone of atheism. Muslims' inability to establish union on the grounds of differences of opinion among them will lead to their strength being diminished in this essential struggle. Under the current circumstances, it is vital that they set aside their differences of opinion and join forces to disseminate religious moral values.

In the Qur'an, God commands believers thus:

Obey God and His Messenger and do not quarrel among yourselves lest you lose heart and your momentum disappears. (Surat al-Anfal: 46)

God reveals that this is something that will weaken Muslims. In another verse He commands:

Do not be like those who split up and differed after the clear signs came to them. They will have a terrible punishment. (Surah Al 'Imran: 105)

Failure to live according to the moral requirements commanded by God lies at the heart of some believers' inability to join together in the intellectual struggle against atheism. This morality takes humility as its basis. Those who lose their humility inevitably regard themselves and their own ideas as being in the right, and look down angrily on those who think differently. Since they have absolutely no doubt that their own views are correct, they never doubt themselves—and thus never improve or progress. They want only their own ideas to be heard, spread and discussed. They fail to support others working towards the same ends, and ignore their best endeavors. They tend to belittle others' work and activities, and may even hinder them. However, the situation of those who have time for only their own interpretations is noted in another verse of the Qur'an:

But they disagreed and split up, dividing into sects, each party exulting in what it had. (Surat al-Muminun: 53)

Those who fear God and believe that they will have to account for themselves on the Day of Judgment must fastidiously avoid this. Those aware of the issue's importance must warn other believers against falling into that error and make sure that Muslims strengthen themselves in the moral values of the Qur'an and join in the struggle against atheism.

All Muslims must discharge their responsibilities in this intellectual campaign. All Muslim civil society organizations, foundations and associations must work together with a shared awareness, taking part in the intellectual struggle against Darwinism without thinking "This isn't a task for our organization" or "This has nothing to do with our group." Turning a blind eye to all activities apart from those of one's own foundation, society or organization, adopting the logic of "He's not from our group, so we attach no importance to his ideas," is an approach ill-suited to any Muslim.

The difficult situation facing Muslims all over the world—the conflict, suffering, and climate of fear and concern caused by anarchy and terror—all show the urgent need to spread religious moral values. Under these conditions, one may be held responsible both in this world and in the Hereafter for making excuses to avoid taking part in the intellectual struggle against Darwinism and failing to act in a spirit of unity. It is of the greatest importance for sincere Muslims to avoid falling into this error.

Bediuzzaman Also Emphasizes the Importance of the Intellectual Struggle Against Darwinism and Materialism

The great Islamic scholar Said Nursi Bediuzzaman devoted his life to the intellectual struggle against atheism. In his works, he states that atheism draws its strength from Darwinism and materialism. He therefore emphasizes the importance of the intellectual struggle against these ideologies.

In the following extract, he describes the influence of materialism in the snares set for him and those around him:

And thirdly: To corrupt them with the enticing vices and stupefying, pleasurable poisons of materialist philosophy and civilization; and destroy their solidarity; and disparage their leaders with treacherous lies; and discredit their ways with some of the principles of science and philosophy…56

As Bediuzzaman states, deniers sought to mislead believers with transitory and worldly desires, the product of materialist culture, in order to neutralize their struggle, and attempted to impair believers' union and unity—again using materialist indoctrination. They slandered Bediuzzaman in various ways. But these schemes were never successful.

Bediuzzaman also stated that Darwinism and materialism would grow in strength, particularly in the End Times, that denial would draw strength and spread, but that this corruption will come to an end with the intellectual struggles of the Mahdi and the Prophet Jesus (pbuh). As Bediuzzaman makes clear, the Mahdi will discharge his duty to the full and will be a means whereby humans are liberated by eliminating Darwinism and materialism:

Firstly: with the spread of the disease of Darwinism and materialism under the influence of science and philosophy, salvation lies in a faith of such a kind as to fully silence philosophy and materialism. 57

Bediuzzaman describes how Darwinism and materialism are the foundations of the methods of the Dajjal, and how the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) will wage a major struggle to neutralize this corruption:

At the end of time, Jesus (upon whom be peace) will come and will act in accordance with the Shari'ah of Mohammed (may God bless him and grant him peace), indicates that at the end of time the religion of Christianity will be purified and divest itself of superstition in the face of the current of unbelief and atheism born of naturalist philosophy, and will be transformed into Islam. At this point, the collective personality of Christianity will kill the fearsome collective personality of irreligion with the sword of heavenly revelation; so too, representing the collective personality of Christianity, Jesus (upon whom be peace) will kill the Dajjal, who represents the collective personality of irreligion, that is, he will kill atheistic thought...58

The Prophet Jesus (pbuh) will slay the Dajjal, along with the terrible materialism and the spiritual entity of atheism that he represents, with his sword and will demolish denial of God and the atheist movement...59

As we have seen, Said Nursi Bediuzzaman says that Darwinism and materialism lie at the heart of denial and the turning-away from religious moral values. He says that Muslims will wage a great intellectual struggle against these two perverted ideologies, under the leadership of the Mahdi and the Prophet Jesus (pbuh). By the will of God, these ideologies will indeed be eradicated under the leadership of the Mahdi and the Prophet Jesus (pbuh), and Islamic moral values will prevail on Earth.