Topic
Muslims differ on evolution: many accept it for animals, and most hold that Adam was created directly.
What it means
The Quran says that God created people “in stages” (71:14) and “from clay” (38:71). Medieval writers such as al-Jahiz and Ibn Khaldun described a gradual ranking of living things, which some modern writers have called a forerunner. In recent times Muslim opinion has been divided: some accept evolution, some reject it, and some, like many Christians, accept it and hold that God guided it.
What the sources say
Many scholars hold that the Quranic account of Adam as a distinct creation, an honoured one, is to be taken as it stands. Others point out that the Quran does not say how long the creation of people took.