The Kalamic Critique of the Theory of Evolution: Ḥusayn Al-Jisr as a Model

Abstract

Renewal is an indispensable feature of kalām, as it must constantly address the ever-emerging objections raised by thinkers in every age. Thus, it is not sufficient for later scholars to rely solely on what earlier authorities recorded in their works, since objections, though often reducible to fundamental principles, are formulated—and consequently answered—according to the intellectual contexts of each era. Among the most prominent contemporary objections is the claim that divine intervention in creation is unnecessary, based on the theory of evolution. This objection, however, reflects a profound epistemic conflation, which prompted some mutakallimūn to clarify and refute it through the tools of kalām, without engaging in the highly specialized domain of evolutionary biology. Among the most notable figures in this regard is Ḥusayn al-Jisr, who, in his al-Risālah al-Ḥamīdiyyah, addressed numerous intellectual objections and outlined a systematic method of response. This study aims to analyze al-Jisr’s engagement with the claim that evolution suffices without divine creation, and to extract general features of his kalām methodology that remain valuable in addressing contemporary objections.