Are creatures that reproduce by asexual spores contrary to verse 49 of the chapter of adh-Dhariyat?

I have questions about verse 49 of the chapter of adh-Dhariyat and other verses:
Question 1: It is half male, half female. One side of its body is a full male while the other side is a full female. This condition is commonly known as gynandromorphism. These living beings cannot fertilize themselves.
 - It is stated in verse 49 of the chapter of adh-Dhariyat that “everything was created in pairs”.
- How should we understand the fact that a single living being has two pairs of characteristics and cannot continue its generation?
- How can we associate living beings that reproduce with asexual sports, etc. with adh-Dhariyat 49?
Question 2: How should animals that reproduce asexually be evaluated?
- Allah makes them reproduce without partners. Can we understand the division into 2 in mitosis as a partner, according to adh-Dhariyat 49?
Question 3: I think the following is stated in a verse: “I created you from a single person.”
- How should it be understood that Maryam (Mary) gave birth to the Prophet Isa (Jesus) without a father though it is stated that Allah creates in pairs in adh-Dhariyat 49?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Answer 1:

First of all, we should state that there are spores with both negative and positive characteristics in fungi, which are living beings that reproduce by spores.

It means that living beings that reproduce by sports are not contrary to verse 49 of the chapter of adh-Dhariyat. On the contrary, it proves that the verses in the universe and the owners of the verses in the Quran are one and the same.

There is a creation in pairs in flowers too. For example, an apple, plum, apricot or almond flower contains both pollen grains, that is, male organs and female organs.

The meaning of verse 49 of the chapter of adh-Dhariyat is as follows:

“And of every thing We have created pairs: That ye may receive instruction.”

In the verse, Allah does not describe creatures created in pairs as masculine and feminine in living beings. He states that everything is created in pairs. When you say “every thing”, there is no being excluded by this expression. In other words, both animate and inanimate beings are included in this definition of being created in pairs.

From such an expression, we can understand the creation of living beings as male and female, as well as the creation of beings in the inanimate realm as alternatives to each other. For example, electricity has both negative and positive poles, and magnets have both negative and positive poles. Plains are alternatives to mountains. The sea is like the opposite of the land. Ugliness is the opposite of beauty, warmth is the opposite of cold, poverty is the opposite of wealth and darkness is the opposite of light; they form pairs. You can find more examples...

Answer 2:

Allah has placed both sexual and asexual reproduction in certain living beings. For example, there is both sexual and asexual reproduction in a grapevine. The grape flower has both male and female organs. With the development of the zygote, which is formed by fertilization, grape seeds are formed in it. When you throw the seeds in the grapes into the ground, Allah creates the grapevine from them. It is sexual reproduction.

On the other hand, if you bury a branch of the vine in the ground, Allah creates a grapevine from it, too. Reproduction from the seed is an example of sexual reproduction, and the vine plant obtained by directly burying the vine branch into the soil is an example of asexual reproduction.

Some good characteristics obtained by breeding studies are maintained through asexual reproduction.

For example, there is a good quality grapevine. If you produce it sexually, that is, from the seed, this vine returns to the characteristics of its old wild ancestor. It is called genetic expansion. Suppose that you obtained high-yielding and high-quality apples with some genetic crosses. You wanted to reproduce this quality apple. If you threw the seed into the soil, you would get the inefficient or less productive fruit types of its ancestors with genetic expansion. The way to prevent is to graft a small piece of branch from the apple tree with high yield onto that seedling. In other words, the preservation and continuity of existing good characteristics is provided by asexual reproduction.

What you mention above is cell division. It has nothing to do with reproduction. Living beings grow and develop as cells are divided. Reproduction is something different.

Answer 3:

Humans’ being created from a single person means the creation of Hawwa (Eve) from Adam and the creation of all humans from them. The first creation is from a single person. After that, all humans were created from a mother and father except for the Prophet Isa (Jesus).

The father of all humans is Adam; therefore, the name of humans is Sons of Adam:

“O Sons of Adam! Wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer: eat and drink: But waste not by excess, for Allah loveth not the wasters” (al-Araf, 7/31)

In that case, Jesus is also descended from Adam, who is the first man.

On the other hand, the fact that humans were created from a single person, Adam, is not contrary to the verses mentioning the creation of Eve from Adam and the creation of all humans from them. The first creation is from a single person. After that, all humans were created from a mother and father except for Jesus.

When the verses are considered alone, some shifts in meaning can be seen. It is necessary to consider various verses about the creation of humanity together. For example, the verses describing the creation of Adam, the first human, the creation of Eve and the creation of Jesus are not contradictory to one another. The creation of the first man and the people after him are mentioned together in the first verse of the chapter of an-Nisa as follows:

“O mankind! Reverence your Guardian-Lord, who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, His mate, and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;- reverence Allah, through whom ye demand your mutual (rights), and (reverence) the wombs (That bore you): for Allah ever watches over you..”

What is mentioned in the verse above is that Adam was created first, that our mother Eve was created from him and then humans were created from them (as them being the mother and the father) just like humans reproduce today.

On the other hand, attention is drawn to the creation of Jesus as follows in verse 59 of the chapter of Aal-i Imran:

“The similitude of Jesus before Allah is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: ‘Be!’ And he was.”

Allah, who created Adam from soil without a mother and father created Jesus without a father. Attention is drawn to the infinity of Allah’s power in the verse and to the fact that His power permeates everything.

The descriptions of this creation in these verses of the Quran are not contrary to the verses stating that everything is created in pairs because in terms of creation, there is also a dual creation in the first creation. That is, the creation of Adam and the creation of Jesus also mean dual creation in direct creation because soil acted like a mother for Adam by Allah’s permission and command and became a means of his creation. Similarly, Mary acted like a mother for Jesus just like the soil of her ancestor Adam by the permission and command of Allah.

On the other hand, the creation of Adam is similar to the creation of Eve, but one is male and the other is female. That is, their creation is an example of dual creation of everything. Adam did not have a father, and Eve did not have a father, either. Allah made the body of Adam act like a mother for Eve.

In conclusion, there is neither a deficiency nor an excess in the verses of the Quran. All of them are proper and reinforce and confirm one another.

Internal and external enemies try to use the meanings of the verses that are seemingly contradictory as a trap in order to mislead the young people from the right path and to alienate and distance them from the religion of Islam.

What we need to do is to learn our religion from its source and from competent people. Otherwise, religion cannot be learned through some negative and misleading messages on the internet.

May Allah Almighty help young people like you and keep you attached to Islam, which is the path of truth, in this age of mischief and sedition! Amin.

Questions on Islam