A Study of the Origin of Life on Earth from the Perspectives of the Quran and Science

The question of the origin of life on earth has been one of the most fundamental questions of ontology throughout human history, and has been generally debated between experimental scientists and religious scholars. Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to examine the viewpoints of the Quranic exegetes and experimental scientists on the emergence of life on earth. In this regard, after examining the literal and technical meanings of some relevant terms such as life, experimental science and scientific exegesis, the viewpoints of the Muslim exegetes on the origin of life on earth were analyzed. Thereafter, some of the most famous theories and hypotheses of experimental scientists on this subject were discussed and analyzed. The research methodology used in this article is the descriptive-analytical method; whereby the collected data were presented and analyzed based on logical and textual evidences. The library research method was used for data collection. The findings indicate that the Quran did not explicitly discuss the origin of life on earth, but provided detailed reports about the creation and the origin of human beings. Also, many of the theories/hypotheses proposed by the ancient and contemporary experimental scientists on the origin and origin of life on earth are inconsistent with the Quranic accounts.