INTRODUCTION

Our Holy Ginans are full of details about evolution. Following are some points written by Alwaez Abualy Alibhai Aziz.

EVOLUTION

“Lakh Chorasi” mentioned in our Ginans is nothing else but the theory of evolution. If you read “Moman Chitwaini” by our Holy Pir Sadruddin, you will get the full explanation about evolution and the process of creation. This book contains 630 stanzas but the language is difficult. It requires an expert to understand it. Some knowledge of Sanskrit and Prakrit is absolutely necessary.

Lakh Chorasi means 8,400,000 stages or forms of life on earth. It means a form of a species. For example, there are more than 3,000 species of snakes known today. But many more species might have been living in the past, and are now extinct.

It has taken 4,313,000 years of evolution from the amoeba to man of today. Some details:

It took the amoeba 432,000 years to evolve into a fish.

It took the fish 432,000 years to evolve into a tortoise.

It took the tortoise 432,000 years to evolve to a mammal like water hog.

It took the water hog 432,000 years to evolve to a higher form of mammal like a lion.

It took the lion 432,000 years to evolve to an ape such as a chimpanzee or sometimes known as the missing link.

It took that ape 432,000 years to evolve to the first man with intelligence. He was actually the ADAM known as ABUL BASHR.

Modern man and his immediate ancestors have been living on earth for the past 7,000 years during which the Biblical Prophets have appeared. The Great Flood perhaps came in this period.

Between the two major stages of evolution such as amoeba and fish, there were thousands of developing and evolving stages which produced hundred of thousands of species. Most of them are now extinct.

DAS AWTAAR

Our theory of Das Awtaar is not Hindu mythology though it is found in Hindu Scriptures. It is in fact the explanation of the process of evolution in a simple manner, and understanding its relation to the Divine Guidance.

The Sanskrit word “awtaar” is generally misunderstood by most of us. It means to descend or descended; to change shape; the span of life; preface; one after another etc. So you see it does not mean God. It means descended, the Arabic equivalent of which is “naazil” or “munazzil”. These words have been extensively used in the Holy Quran where Allah mentions His Noor or His message.

Our Holy Imam Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah once explained the existence of the MACHHA-AWTAAR in these words:

“When there was nothing but fish on earth, God stood as Witness and you must have no doubt to that kind of witness from above.”(Mission Conference, Dar-es-Salaam, 1945)

KHAAN

In Sanskrit, Khaan means store or evolution. The Holy Pir has also mentioned that there were four divisions of the process of evolution. These are: Shitage Khaan, Jadage Khaan, Indage Khaan, and Udrbhud Khaan (see chart for explanation):

Shitage (or Sitej): Growth by fission; multiplication of living cells, ameba, germ, bacteria, etc. In other words, creation from the earth, for example metal, minerals, mountains. Jadage (or Jjrej): Growth from seed or twig such as trees, plants, vegetation. In other words, creation on the earth for example trees, plants. Indage (or Indej): Growth from an egg such as birds, reptiles, fish, etc. Udr-Bhud (or Udhboj): Growth in a womb such as animals and human beings.

SOUL

The human soul has crossed the vast ocean of Lakh Chorasi and now appears in human stage. There is enough evidence that the soul is developing and progressing all the time. Everything that Nature has produced is progressing. If there is any deterioration or destruction, it is for reproduction in a better form.

Normally a soul will not turn back to an animal stage; but, of course, in some exceptional cases a soul may be retarded or degraded to lower stages as a punishment and for improvement. Otherwise it is created and is meant for development. It may make progress during its human life on earth as well as in the Hereafter.

A human being is given several chances in his lifetime to improve and develop. He is also given many lives to make progress enough to reach nearer and nearer to his Creator.

EVOLUTION IN GINANS

The following is an interesting chart about evolution and the Das Awtaar explaining: the four yugs (jugs); the names and meanings of Das Awtaar and their ten devilish opponents; the number of various species; the percentage of sin and virtue in different times, and many other details.

According to our Holy Ginans, the Wonderful Tradition, life started on earth thousands of million years ago. It was destroyed after a certain evolution for many millions of years. After the elapse of some millenniums, life reappeared on earth. There were many such cycles of life and destruction.

The present cycle of life on earth started about 3,985,000 years ago. According to Hazrat Pir Sadruddin (1300-1415 A.D.), life on earth started with the amoeba. It evolved and divided into 1870 million species (varieties) of life in water, in the air, and on the ground.

In the beginning, the earth was not so far away from the sun. Life started first in the north, perhaps in the arctic region because this was the first part of the earth to cool down. As the north became unbearably cold, the creatures moved down toward the tropical zone. One-third of the species became extinct in the process of evolution.

In the beginning of the second Yug Treta, man evolved from ape. This phenomenon occurred about 2.2 million years ago. Scientists are gradually discovering now what Hazrat Pir Sadruddin had told us six hundred years ago.

The Torah (Taw’ rat), Zabboor (Jam’ bur), Injeel (Ingil) and Quran appeared during the last seven thousand years. The first three Holy Books (revealed to Prophets Moses, David, and Jesus respectively) are actually the parts of the Divine Message that the Quran contains. Similarly, the Message in the Scriptures of Rigg Veda (Rug Vedh), Yajur Veda (Jujr Vedh), and Saam Veda (Sham Vedh) in the first three Yugs was briefly repeated in the Athir Veda (Athar Vedh), which appeared in the beginning of the fourth Yug, the Kal Yug, but before the Great Flood. That is why the Holy Pir said that Athir Veda is the Holy Quran.

About seven thousand years of the Kal Yug have passed so far, during which the Biblical Prophets lived. The ninth Awtaar, the Manifestation of Noor of Allah, was Hazrat Buddh (not the Buddha who was Prince Sidharatha in 500 B.C.). He was Prophet Adam but not he Abul Bashr.