Assalamu Alaikum, According to Quran, God created earth for mankind. Scientists have discovered based on fossil records that dinosaurs were living in the earth even before humans. How could we reconcile what is mentioned in the Quran and what science have discovered and explain that God created earth for mankind?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

First of all, we would like to mention a general rule, which is that the texts of the Quran that are Qati' Ad-Dilaalah (i.e. definitely clear without any ambiguity) can never contradict a confirmed scientific truth.

If something appears to be a contradiction, then it is just an illusion, or the text is not Qati’ Ad-Dilaalah, or that what is claimed to be scientific evidence is just a theory and it is not confirmed in reality.

In regard to the verse which you mentioned, it does not imply that there were no living beings before the existence of humans. Rather, what it means is that Allaah bestowed His bounties on humans by creating the earth and whatever it contains so that man could benefit from it, and it [the verse] does not mean that this is exclusively for humans. Other creatures from before (or contemporary) may also benefit from it. So, where is the confusion?

Allaah Knows best.