The reception of the theory of evolution by Muslims took place in a setting that differs entirely from the reception by Western Christians and Jews. Because the Islamic world had not participated in the Scientific Revolution, other concepts such as post-Copernican astronomy had become known only slightly earlier (Riexinger 2004, 372–84, 392–410). In many countries, the curricula for religious scholars consisted of the traditional branches of scholarship alone (Riexinger 2009, 246–47). Because the rates of illiteracy remained high in most countries well into the twentieth century, scientific concepts did not find a large audience. And unlike Japan, other East Asian countries that followed Japanese models, and, to a lesser degree, India, the Islamic countries failed to establish institutions of higher education and research capable of producing significant scientific output (United Nations Development Programme 2003).

Furthermore, whereas research on the reception of modern scientific concepts is still at an initial level in much of the Muslim world, for some regions, including North and sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, even basic studies are still lacking. Hence, this overview on the reception of the theory of evolution, the religious context in which it occurred, the religious responses, and its practical consequences has to be considered preliminary.