Think of this evolution stuff in a different manners.
People were taller, stronger, healthier, thinner & had longer life span in older times. With the passage of time , comfortable environment evolved them to smaller, weaker, fatsome with lower life span human. This is the basic evolution. if someone consider that due to our wishful thinking of flying will evolve us in human with wings is just absurd. (or one must wait for million years)
Thinking of Monkeys as close cousin is suitable only for those who like to act like a monkey.
It is clear to Muslims that there were all kind of biological beings on earth before Adam A.S (fire was already there at that time, as holy scriptures from jews, christians & Muslims states that He was trained by Gabriel A.S to cultivate, create cloth etc, not make fire) but they were devoid of any evovled thinking patterns or Mind as we call it today.
Lizard is evolving according to its habitat. But it cannot transform into a full fledge Eye Candy whom a man can marry. but my evolution struck friends can still put thier bucks on her as they did with monkeys :) and helped spread the AIDS