Re: Evolution?
Personally, I don't see any contradiction. The Quran clearly states that everything was created in 6 days (11:7) , but also makes it clear that a day in the sight of Allah is far more than a day to mankind (22:47, 32:4, 70:4)
Before going on, the one exception that I believe is man since it is absolutely clear that Adam was created from clay. To me, no room exists to suggest that mankind evolved from anything. Neanderthal man and the other species of "humans" were simply a separately created species of semi-intelligent creatures that died out.
On the other hand, we know that in earlier times, men lived for longer. Adam and Eve, and their children, lived for much longer than men do today. Therefore, humans have evolved to have shorter lifespans. Given that this provides no survival advantage, this must have been a change to us implemented by Allah SWT.
On the other hand, I have never come across anything in Islam to suggest that Allah SWT does not change other creatures over the years. Evolution occurs due to "random" genetic base pairing and we know that nothing at all happens without Allah SWT knowing and allowing it. It's perfectly within His power to nudge a few chemicals around over millenia to create new variations of life.
Indeed, the complexity of evolution is such that I truly do not believe it is even possible to have occured by simple random mutations providing certain creatures with advantages. You need to many consecutive generations of mutations to occur, and be passed on, that it boggle my mind to even try and grasp it all. For one species to evovle requires so many complex and interconnected activities to occur for so long that it could only be possible with direct intervention from Allah.
Quran 24:45 states , in the Yusuf Ali translation, that :* And Allah has created every animal from water: of them there are some that creep on their bellies; some that walk on two legs; and some that walk on four. Allah creates what He wills for verily Allah has power over all things. *
It says in this translation, and others that has created every animal. However, it also says that he creates things - present tense. This suggests to me that creation is still ongoing... that there could still be animals being created, or evolving.