Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Research Seminar Series: Shoaib Malik In brief Date - 23 September 2026Venue - Room LG.09, 40 George SquareSpeakers - Dr Shoaib Malik (University of Edinburgh)Title - Adamic Exceptionalism and the Jinn: From Principle to Precedent Email an IMES colleague to join online About the eventIslam and evolution remains one of the most contested areas in contemporary Muslim thought. One recent proposal for reconciling evolutionary science with the traditional Islamic account of human origins is Adamic exceptionalism.This view maintains that Adam and Eve were miraculous creations and that all human lineages ultimately go back to them, thereby preserving the central theological claims associated with Adamic descent. Where Adamic exceptionalism goes further, however, is in allowing the possibility that Adam’s descendants interbred with other hominins, thereby establishing a wider genealogical connection between the Adamic line and the rest of the biological world.A major criticism of this proposal is that the idea of such interbreeding may appear theologically unsettling, morally offensive, or conceptually strange. This seminar asks whether Islamic thought contains any classical precedent for thinking about interbreeding across different kinds of beings. It argues that classical discussions of human-jinn interbreeding, while obviously not identical to modern evolutionary questions, provide a valuable conceptual precedent for examining how Muslim theologians and jurists negotiated questions of lineage, humanity, descent, and theological identity.In doing so, the seminar uses this classical material to assess whether Adamic exceptionalism can preserve a traditional account of Adam and Eve while remaining open to evolutionary accounts of human biological history.About the speakerShoaib Ahmed Malik is Lecturer in Science and Religion at the School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh. His research focuses on the intersection of Islamic theology, philosophy, and the natural sciences, with particular interests in evolution, theological anthropology, artificial intelligence, and classical kalām.He is the author of Islam and Evolution: Al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm (Routledge, 2021) and the editor of Islamic Theology and Extraterrestrial Life (Bloomsbury, 2023). He is also Chief Editor of Palgrave Macmillan’s Islam and Science book series.His current research explores how resources from classical Islamic thought can illuminate contemporary questions concerning human origins, human uniqueness, and the boundaries between different kinds of intelligent beings.About the seminar seriesThe IMES Research Seminar for this first semester of 2026/27 will showcase some of the latest research across the broad field of Islamic and Middle East Studies, both within the department and beyond, setting it within the context of IMES as it moves towards its 50th year.How to attendEvents are free and everyone is welcome. No booking is required. If you wish to join online, you can email a colleague in IMES for joining information.All talks are followed by a small reception. Email an IMES colleague to join online Are you interested in studying with us?We are the only university in Scotland to offer courses in the Muslim world's three main languages, placing Arabic, Persian and Turkish in the context of history, literature, culture, religion and politics, past and present.Choose from a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, including PhD programmes. Find out more about Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at Edinburgh Tags Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Sep 23 2026 17.15 - 18.30 Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Research Seminar Series: Shoaib Malik Join us for a hybrid seminar by Dr Shoaib Malik (University of Edinburgh) exploring Adamic exceptionalism, and how it reconciles evolutionary science with the traditional Islamic account of human origins. Room LG.09 40 George Square University of Edinburgh EH8 9JX Find the venue: 40 George Square Email an IMES colleague to join online This article was published on Tuesday 30 September 2025
Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Research Seminar Series: Shoaib Malik In brief Date - 23 September 2026Venue - Room LG.09, 40 George SquareSpeakers - Dr Shoaib Malik (University of Edinburgh)Title - Adamic Exceptionalism and the Jinn: From Principle to Precedent Email an IMES colleague to join online About the eventIslam and evolution remains one of the most contested areas in contemporary Muslim thought. One recent proposal for reconciling evolutionary science with the traditional Islamic account of human origins is Adamic exceptionalism.This view maintains that Adam and Eve were miraculous creations and that all human lineages ultimately go back to them, thereby preserving the central theological claims associated with Adamic descent. Where Adamic exceptionalism goes further, however, is in allowing the possibility that Adam’s descendants interbred with other hominins, thereby establishing a wider genealogical connection between the Adamic line and the rest of the biological world.A major criticism of this proposal is that the idea of such interbreeding may appear theologically unsettling, morally offensive, or conceptually strange. This seminar asks whether Islamic thought contains any classical precedent for thinking about interbreeding across different kinds of beings. It argues that classical discussions of human-jinn interbreeding, while obviously not identical to modern evolutionary questions, provide a valuable conceptual precedent for examining how Muslim theologians and jurists negotiated questions of lineage, humanity, descent, and theological identity.In doing so, the seminar uses this classical material to assess whether Adamic exceptionalism can preserve a traditional account of Adam and Eve while remaining open to evolutionary accounts of human biological history.About the speakerShoaib Ahmed Malik is Lecturer in Science and Religion at the School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh. His research focuses on the intersection of Islamic theology, philosophy, and the natural sciences, with particular interests in evolution, theological anthropology, artificial intelligence, and classical kalām.He is the author of Islam and Evolution: Al-Ghazālī and the Modern Evolutionary Paradigm (Routledge, 2021) and the editor of Islamic Theology and Extraterrestrial Life (Bloomsbury, 2023). He is also Chief Editor of Palgrave Macmillan’s Islam and Science book series.His current research explores how resources from classical Islamic thought can illuminate contemporary questions concerning human origins, human uniqueness, and the boundaries between different kinds of intelligent beings.About the seminar seriesThe IMES Research Seminar for this first semester of 2026/27 will showcase some of the latest research across the broad field of Islamic and Middle East Studies, both within the department and beyond, setting it within the context of IMES as it moves towards its 50th year.How to attendEvents are free and everyone is welcome. No booking is required. If you wish to join online, you can email a colleague in IMES for joining information.All talks are followed by a small reception. Email an IMES colleague to join online Are you interested in studying with us?We are the only university in Scotland to offer courses in the Muslim world's three main languages, placing Arabic, Persian and Turkish in the context of history, literature, culture, religion and politics, past and present.Choose from a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, including PhD programmes. Find out more about Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at Edinburgh Tags Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Sep 23 2026 17.15 - 18.30 Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Research Seminar Series: Shoaib Malik Join us for a hybrid seminar by Dr Shoaib Malik (University of Edinburgh) exploring Adamic exceptionalism, and how it reconciles evolutionary science with the traditional Islamic account of human origins. Room LG.09 40 George Square University of Edinburgh EH8 9JX Find the venue: 40 George Square Email an IMES colleague to join online This article was published on Tuesday 30 September 2025
Sep 23 2026 17.15 - 18.30 Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Research Seminar Series: Shoaib Malik Join us for a hybrid seminar by Dr Shoaib Malik (University of Edinburgh) exploring Adamic exceptionalism, and how it reconciles evolutionary science with the traditional Islamic account of human origins.
