Human Evolution Plus Fitra And Khalifa – OpEd

Around 1.6 million years ago, the first large-brained hominin appeared on the evolutionary landscape. Known as Homo ergaster, this hominin had a more modern skeleton and employed advanced food-gathering methods. According to the fossil evidence, it was the first hominin to make it out of Africa, its remains having been found as far as Dmanisi, in the Republic of Georgia, as well as in several places in southern Europe.

Homo ergaster gave rise to Homo erectus, which then dominated the landscape. By 700,000 years ago, Homo erectus could be found from the river valleys in Indonesia to the open savannas in Africa. The resourceful Homo erectus had mastered fire, stone tool technology, and incorporated hunting and eating cooked food into its daily life.

Then, about 700,000 years ago, the Neanderthal-Denisovan ancestors migrated from Africa into Eurasia where they encountered the previous pre-humans and interbred with them. Finally, modern Homo Sapiens humans crossed into Eurasia from Africa about 50-70,000 years ago where they interbred with the Neanderthals and Denisovans.

A cave in Malaga, Spain, famous for containing over 1,000 paintings and engravings made by prehistoric people, as well as artifacts and Homo Sapiens human remains that were used by ancient humans as a burial place for over 50,000 years, said a study published June 1, 2022 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by José Ramos-Muñoz of the University of Cadiz, Spain, and colleagues.

Since the time of Aristotle philosophers thought that mankind’s ability to use tools was what made human nature unique. However, we now know that several different species (including birds) use and make tools. Chimps also use tools in different ways in various locations, so tool use must also have a cultural factor and not just be a genetic factor. 

Chimps also can be taught simple sign language and are able to make up simple sentences in sign language.

So if tool making, culture, and simple language do not distinguish human nature from our nearest primate relatives, what makes humans what we are?

Religious spirituality is one answer. Religion; like art, music and advanced language capabilities are found universally among all human tribes, ethnic groups and nations in the world.

There is a Muslim concept that every child is born with a natural belief in God; and an inborn inclination to worship  only one God. This is called in Arabic; “Fitra”.

Religion is part of human nature (fitra). As Prophet Muhammad taught, ” “No babe is born but upon Fitra. It is his parents who make him a Jew or a Christian or a Polytheist.” (Sahih Muslim, Book 033, #6426)

Children are not born out of any sin, original, inherited or derived. They are all born with the natural ability to believe in a polytheistic religion as part of their nature, just as they are born with the capability to learn any human language.

Abu Mu’awiya said Prophet Muhammad said:” Every child is born only with this Fitra, so long as he does not express himself with his tongue.” (Sahih Muslim, Book 033 Hadith #6427)

Thus, according to Islamic scholars, every (normal) human baby is naturally endowed by its creator with the ability to speak a language; and to believe in a religion of unseen spiritual beings and ritual practices; and in monotheism. 

Judaism, the first on-going monotheistic religion realizes how hard it is to maintain an ongoing-monotheistic religion in a polytheistic world. Islamic scholars whose Prophet was at the end of the Abrahamic prophets never expected that even more than a thousand years later; believers in monotheistic religions would still be less than half of the world’s population.

It is true that parents provide the specific language content (words, grammar, syntax, etc.) and the specific religious content (polytheism, idolatry, trinitarianism, monotheism, etc.) Thus, “It is his parents who make him a Jew or a Christian or a Polytheist.” This does nor occur because parents cannot rationally convince their children that their own beliefs are true.

Children believe what their parents teach them because during the last 5-10.000 generations, the importance of human culture became increasingly important, and young children who ignored what their parents and society taught them, had a lower survival rate than those who believed their parents.

All sentient beings are able to respond to the challenges of life. In each species some individuals respond to new environmental challenges better than others do; and their descendants increase. All sentient beings that are conscious, are capable of learning from the challenges of life. They can improve themselves.

A few species are even able to show others in their species what they have learned; and thus improve their group and their descendants’ chances of survival. These species have developed cultural ways of meeting life’s challenges. Our species has mostly developed the God given ability to believe in our parents and our society’s religion with great skill.

For almost all of the last 200,000 years Homo Sapiens were small group, hierarchically organized, social primates. Although biological evolution occurs in individuals, any genes that enable the group (extended family and/or band) to function better as a group, will contribute to individual survival rates and reproductive success within the group.

Increasing mental capacities were  productive from a tool making perspective; but these same increasing mental capacities sometimes had negative side effects such as anxiety, stress, self imposed tension and neurosis. Any genetic adaptation that increased individual and community levels of  social and individual trust, confidence, and optimism would in turn help correct or ameliorate individual mental disabilities due to negative mental states.

Such genes would be selected for, and would spread throughout that population. If that gave the group better survival rates and increased population growth the genes would keep spreading.

Spiritual activities among our species have evolved over the last 80-120,000 years. 

If one takes seriously the Biblical claim that humanity was created in the Divine image, and the Qur’an’s statement that humans were created to be vice-regents with God, spiritual evolution testifies to the creation by God, of creatures who are social co-creators of purpose driven, non-material religious responses to environmental and social challenges.

You might think that if children were left alone, they would all worship Allah the right way, but that  cannot happen because all children must be raised by other people or they would die.
Even if they could be raised by Godless robots, all children are affected by all the things around them, seen or unseen.

The only known exception to this universal situation is a Hadith from Ubayy b. Ka’b, who reported that Allah’s Messenger said: “A young man whom Khadir killed was a non-believer by his very nature, and had he survived he would have involved his parents in defiance and unbelief.”  (#6434)

The evolution of spiritual activities that enhance the successful survival of humanity is not only concerned with enhancing the survival of our own species. With the recent domestication of plants and animals and the very recent industrial revolution, humans acquired a great deal of responsibility for the evolution of most of the species on the planet itself.

Thus, the behavior of religious people themselves now becomes a factor in the evolution of life on earth. Since the days of Prophet Adam humans have had the responsibility of Khalifa; but it has never been so important as it is now. All human beings need to connect to our Fitra and our Khalifa; so we can accept our duty to help heal our planet and our society before it is too late. Always remember that Armageddon is also a warning of humanity’s need to change greatly to avoid Armageddon. 

The Qur’an states: “‘Believers, be steadfast in the cause of God and bear witness with justice. Do not let your enmity for others turn you away from justice. Deal justly; that is nearest to being God-fearing.” (5:8) And the Qur’an states: “Good and evil deeds are not equal. Repel evil with what is better; then you will see that one who was once your enemy has become your dearest friend…”  (41:34)

As Prophet Zechariah states: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6)