Intelligent Design: Islam's Friend or Foe? with Dr. Shoaib Ahmed Malik

Intelligent Design was a movement created in the 1980s to argue that a designer must exist because the universe is finely tuned. Advocates for this movement included Christians, Muslims, Agnostics, and even Atheists. Theists, including Muslims, have wholeheartedly accepted this movement to prove the existence of God; however, adopting this position comes with its weaknesses. 

In this podcast, we are joined by Dr. Shoaib Ahmed Malik to discuss the origins of Intelligent Design, the premises of its argument, and why Muslims should prefer the contingency argument over Intelligent Design.

For more information about Intelligent Design, please see Chapters 6 and 7 in Dr. Shoaib's book, "Islam and Evolution: Al-Ghazali and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm."

*Disclaimer: We believe the universe is finely tuned. Our criticism is against the Intelligent Design movement. 

Timestamps: 

0:00 Intro

3:54 What is Intelligent Design?

8:31 Intelligent Design Argument

15:34 Contingency & Design

34:07 Why Muslims following Intelligent Design is problematic

52:08 Philosophy of Science

1:01:07 Advice for Students Learning Islam and Science

1:12:49 Conclusion