Editing Islamic philosophy (section)

====Struggle for existence====
The [[Mu'tazili]] scientist and philosopher [[al-Jahiz]] (c. 776–869) was the only known medieval Arab philosopher to write on topics related to [[natural selection]].<ref>Conway Zirkle (1941). Natural Selection before the "Origin of Species", ''Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society'' '''84''' (1), pp. 71–123.</ref><ref>Mehmet Bayrakdar (Third Quarter, 1983). "Al-Jahiz And the Rise of Biological Evolutionism", ''The Islamic Quarterly''. London.</ref> Al-Jahiz's ideas on the struggle for existence in the ''Book of Animals'' have been summarized as follows:

{{Blockquote|Animals engage in a struggle for existence; for [[Natural resource|resources]], to avoid being eaten and to [[breed]]. Environmental factors influence [[organism]]s to develop new characteristics to ensure survival, thus transforming into new species. Animals that survive to breed can pass on their successful characteristics to offspring.<ref>Ehsan Masood, [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/feb/27/islam-religion-evolution-science "Islam's evolutionary legacy"], ''[[The Guardian]]''</ref>}}

However, according to Frank Edgerton (2002), the claim made by some authors that al-Jahiz was an early evolutionist is "unconvincing", but the narrower claim that Jahiz "recognized the effect of environmental factors on animal life" seems valid.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/20168700 |journal=Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America |volume=83 |issue=2 |date=2002 |title=A History of the Ecological Sciences, Part 6: Arabic Language Science: Origins and Zoological Writings |last=Edgerton |first=Frank N. |pages=142–146|jstor=20168700 }}</ref> Rebecca Stott (2013) writes of al-Jahiz's work:

<blockquote>Jahiz was not concerned with argument or theorizing. He was concerned with witnessing;...Jahiz was not trying to work out how the world began or how species had come to be. He believed that God had done the making and that he had done it brilliantly...He also understood what we might call the [[survival of the fittest]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WzY_kGjRCXkC |title=Darwin's Ghosts |date=2013 |publisher=Bloomsbury |isbn=9781408831014 |last=Stott |first=Rebecca |pages=50}}</ref></blockquote>

In Chapter 47 of ''India'', entitled "On Vasudeva and the Wars of the Bharata," [[Abu Rayhan Biruni]] attempted to give a [[Natural history|naturalistic explanation]] as to why the struggles described in the ''[[Mahabharata]]'' "had to take place." He explains it using [[Nature|natural]] processes that include [[Biology|biological]] ideas related to evolution, which has led several scholars to compare his ideas to [[Darwinism]] and [[natural selection]]. This is due to Biruni describing the idea of [[artificial selection]] and then applying it to nature:<ref>{{citation|title=On the Presumed Darwinism of Alberuni Eight Hundred Years before Darwin|author=Jan Z. Wilczynski|journal=[[Isis (journal)|Isis]]|volume=50|issue=4|date=December 1959|pages=459–66 [459–61]|doi=10.1086/348801|s2cid=143086988}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|The agriculturist selects his corn, letting grow as much as he requires, and tearing out the remainder. The forester leaves those branches which he perceives to be excellent, whilst he cuts away all others. The bees kill those of their kind who only eat, but do not work in their beehive. Nature proceeds in a similar way; however, it does not distinguish for its action is under all circumstances one and the same. It allows the leaves and fruit of the trees to perish, thus preventing them from realising that result which they are intended to produce in the economy of nature. It removes them so as to make room for others.}}

In the 13th century, [[Nasir al-Din al-Tusi]] explains how the [[Classical element|element]]s evolved into [[mineral]]s, then [[plant]]s, then [[animal]]s, and then [[human]]s. Tusi then goes on to explain how [[Heredity|hereditary]] variability was an important factor for biological evolution of living things:<ref name=Alakbarov>Farid Alakbarov (Summer 2001). [http://azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/92_folder/92_articles/92_tusi.html A 13th-Century Darwin? Tusi's Views on Evolution], ''[[Azerbaijan International]]'' '''9''' (2).</ref>

{{Blockquote|The [[organism]]s that can gain the new features faster are more variable. As a result, they gain advantages over other creatures. [...] The bodies are changing as a result of the internal and external interactions.}}

Tusi discusses how organisms are able to [[Adaptation|adapt]] to their environments:<ref name=Alakbarov/>

{{Blockquote|Look at the world of animals and birds. They have all that is necessary for defense, protection and daily life, including strengths, courage and appropriate tools [organs] [...] Some of these organs are real weapons, [...] For example, horns-spear, teeth and claws-knife and needle, feet and hoofs-cudgel. The thorns and needles of some animals are similar to arrows. [...] Animals that have no other means of defense (as the gazelle and fox) protect themselves with the help of flight and cunning. [...] Some of them, for example, bees, ants and some bird species, have united in communities in order to protect themselves and help each other.}}