إِنَّ مَثَلَ عِيسَىٰ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ كَمَثَلِ ءَادَمَ ۖ خَلَقَهُۥ مِن تُرَابٍۢ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ ﴿٥٩﴾
Indeed, the example of Jesus to Allah is like that of Adam. He created Him from dust; then He said to him, "Be," and he was.
Short answer
Muslims hold that God created the universe and life, and that Adam was the first human, created directly by God. Most scholars reject human evolution from non-human ancestors, while some accept evolution of other species and a few accept it more widely.
The fuller answer
The Quran says that God created Adam from clay and breathed into him of His spirit, and that Adam and his wife were the parents of humankind, and the Quran compares Jesus' creation to Adam's. For this reason, the mainstream view among scholars is that humans did not descend from other animals, though they may accept change within species.
Some Muslim thinkers argue that the Quran is silent on how long creation took and on the details of how species formed, and so it allows room to consider evolution as God's method, with Adam as the first being with a soul. Others reject it completely. Muslims generally do not read the Quran as a science textbook, and do not feel a need to settle every question about the details of creation.
From the Quran
ٱلَّذِىٓ أَحْسَنَ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ خَلَقَهُۥ ۖ وَبَدَأَ خَلْقَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنِ مِن طِينٍۢ ﴿٧﴾
Who perfected everything which He created and began the creation of man from clay.
ثُمَّ سَوَّىٰهُ وَنَفَخَ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِهِۦ ۖ وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلسَّمْعَ وَٱلْأَبْصَٰرَ وَٱلْأَفْـِٔدَةَ ۚ قَلِيلًۭا مَّا تَشْكُرُونَ ﴿٩﴾
Then He proportioned him and breathed into him from His [created] soul and made for you hearing and vision and hearts; little are you grateful.
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱتَّقُوا۟ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍۢ وَٰحِدَةٍۢ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًۭا كَثِيرًۭا وَنِسَآءًۭ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِى تَسَآءَلُونَ بِهِۦ وَٱلْأَرْحَامَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًۭا ﴿١﴾
O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women. And fear Allah, through whom you ask one another, and the wombs. Indeed Allah is ever, over you, an Observer.
وَقَدْ خَلَقَكُمْ أَطْوَارًا ﴿١٤﴾
While He has created you in stages?
Please note
This answer follows the mainstream Sunni understanding and is general learning, not a fatwa. Where Muslims differ, the answer says so. Have a question of your own? Write to us.