Say: "Do you verily disbelieve in Him Who created the earth in two Days? And you set up rivals with Him? That is the Lord of all that exists. (9)He placed therein firm mountains from above it, and He blessed it, and measured therein its sustenance in four Days equal for all those who ask (10)Then He rose over (Istawa ila) the heaven when it was smoke, and said to it and to the earth: "Come both of you willingly or unwillingly." They both said: "We come willingly. (11)Then He completed and finished their creation (as) seven heavens in two Days and He made in each heaven its affair. And We adorned the nearest (lowest) heaven with lamps (stars) to be an adornment as well as to guard. Such is the decree of Him, the Almighty, the All-Knower (12)
Some Details of the Creation of this Universe
Here Allah denounces the idolators who worship other gods apart from Him although He is the Creator, Subduer and Controller of all things. He says:
قُلْ أَئِنَّكُمْ لَتَكْفُرُونَ بِالَّذِي خَلَقَ الْأَرْضَ فِي يَوْمَيْنِ وَتَجْعَلُونَ لَهُ أَنْدَادًا ۚ
(Say: "Do you verily disbelieve in Him Who created the earth in two Days? And you set up rivals with Him?") meaning, 'false gods whom you worship alongside Him?'
ذَٰلِكَ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ
(That is the Lord of the that exists.) the Creator of all things is the Lord of all the creatures. Here the Ayah;
خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ
(Who created the heavens and the earth in Six Days)(7:54). is explained in more detail; the creation of the earth and the creation of the heaven are discussed separately. Allah says that He created the earth first, because it is the foundation, and the foundation should be built first, then the roof. Allah says elsewhere:
هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ لَكُمْ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَسَوَّاهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ ۚ
(He it is Who created for you all that is on the earth. Then He rose over (Istawa ila) the heaven and made them seven heavens)(2:29). With regard to the Ayat:
أَأَنْتُمْ أَشَدُّ خَلْقًا أَمِ السَّمَاءُ ۚ بَنَاهَا - رَفَعَ سَمْكَهَا فَسَوَّاهَا - وَأَغْطَشَ لَيْلَهَا وَأَخْرَجَ ضُحَاهَا - وَالْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ دَحَاهَا - أَخْرَجَ مِنْهَا مَاءَهَا وَمَرْعَاهَا - وَالْجِبَالَ أَرْسَاهَا - مَتَاعًا لَكُمْ وَلِأَنْعَامِكُمْ
(Are you more difficult to create or is the heaven that He constructed? He raised its height, and has perfected it. Its night He covers with darkness and its forenoon He brings out (with light). And after that He spread the earth, And brought forth therefrom its water and its pasture. And the mountains He has fixed firmly, (to be) a provision and benefit for you and your cattle.)(79:27-33)
This Ayah states that the spreading out of the earth came after the creation of the heavens, but the earth itself was created before the heavens according to some texts. This was the response of Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, as recorded by Al-Bukhari in his Tafsir of this Ayah in his Sahih. He recorded that Sa'id bin Jubayr said: "A man said to Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, saying: 'I find some things in the Qur'an which confuse me:
فَلَا أَنْسَابَ بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَلَا يَتَسَاءَلُونَ
(There will be no kinship among them that Day, nor will they ask of one another)(23:101),
وَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ
(And they will turn to one another and question one another)(37:27),
وَلَا يَكْتُمُونَ اللَّهَ حَدِيثًا
(but they will never be able to hide a single fact from Allah)(4:42),
وَاللَّهِ رَبِّنَا مَا كُنَّا مُشْرِكِينَ
(By Allah, our Lord, we were not those who joined others in worship with Allah)(6:23)
But in this Ayah they did hide something. And Allah says:
أَأَنْتُمْ أَشَدُّ خَلْقًا أَمِ السَّمَاءُ ۚ بَنَاهَا
(Are you more difficult to create or is the heaven that He constructed?) until;
وَالْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ دَحَاهَا
(And after that He spread the earth.)(79:27-30)
So He mentioned the creation of the heavens before the earth, then He said:
قُلْ أَئِنَّكُمْ لَتَكْفُرُونَ بِالَّذِي خَلَقَ الْأَرْضَ فِي يَوْمَيْنِ
(Say: "Do you verily disbelieve in Him Who created the earth in two Days?...") until;
طَائِعِينَ
(We come willingly.) Here He mentioned the creation of the earth before the creation of the heavens. And He says:
وَ كَانَ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا
(Verily, Allāh (Kāna) is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.)(4:96)
عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا
(Most Powerful, All-Wise)(4:56).
سَمِيعًا بَصِيرًا
(All-Hearer, All-Seer)(4:58). It is as if He was and is no longer.'
Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, replied:
فَلَا أَنْسَابَ بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَلَا يَتَسَاءَلُونَ
(There will be no kinship among them that Day, nor will they ask of one another)(23:101), this will happen when the Trumpet is blown for the first time.
فَصَعِقَ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا مَنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ
(And all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth will swoon away, except him whom Allah wills)(39:68), and at that time there will be no kinship among them, nor will they ask of one another. Then when the Sur will be blown again,
وَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ
(And they will turn to one another and question one another)(37:27). With regard to the Ayat,
وَاللَّهِ رَبِّنَا مَا كُنَّا مُشْرِكِينَ
(By Allah, our Lord, we were not those who joined others in worship with Allah)(6:23) and
وَلَا يَكْتُمُونَ اللَّهَ حَدِيثًا
(but they will never be able to hide a single fact from Allah)(4:42), Allah will forgive the sincere believers their sins, then the idolators will say, 'Let us say that we never joined others in worship with Allah.' Then a seal will be placed over their mouths, and their hands will speak. Then it will be known that not a single fact can be hidden from Allah, and at that point,
يَوَدُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا
(those who disbelieved will wish)(4:42). Allah created the earth in two days, then He created the heavens, then He (Istawa ila) the heaven and gave it its shape in two more days. Then He spread the earth, which means that He brought forth therefrom its water and its pasture. And He created the mountains, sands, inanimate things, rocks and hills and everything in between, in two more days. This is what Allah says:
دَحَاهَا
((He) spread (the earth))(79:30) And Allah's saying:
خَلَقَ الْأَرْضَ فِي يَوْمَيْنِ
((He) created the earth in two Days) So He created the earth and everything in it in four days, and He created the heavens in two days.
وَ كَانَ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا
(Verily, Allāh (Kāna) is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.)(4:96). This is how He described Himself, and this is how He still is. Whatever Allah wills comes to pass, so do not be confused about the Qur'an, for all of it comes from Allah.'" This was recorded by Al-Bukhari.
خَلَقَ الْأَرْضَ فِي يَوْمَيْنِ
((He) created the earth in two Days) means, on Sunday and Monday.
وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا رَوَاسِيَ مِنْ فَوْقِهَا وَبَارَكَ فِيهَا
(He placed therein firm mountains from above it, and He blessed it,) means, He blessed it and gave it the potential to be planted with seeds and bring forth produce.
وَقَدَّرَ فِيهَا أَقْوَاتَهَا
(And measured therein its sustenance) means, what its people need of provision and places in which to plant things and grow crops. This was on Tuesday and Wednesday, which together with the two previous days add up to four days.
فِي أَرْبَعَةِ أَيَّامٍ سَوَاءً لِلسَّائِلِينَ
(in four Days equal for all those who ask.) meaning, for those who want to ask about that, so that they might know. 'Ikrimah and Mujahid said concerning the Ayah:
وَقَدَّرَ فِيهَا أَقْوَاتَهَا
(and measured therein its sustenance): "He placed in every land that which is not suited for any other land." Ibn 'Abbas, Qatadah and As-Suddi said, concerning the Ayah,
سَوَاءً لِلسَّائِلِينَ
(equal for all those who ask): this means, "For whoever wants to ask about that." Ibn Zayd said:
وَقَدَّرَ فِيهَا أَقْوَاتَهَا فِي أَرْبَعَةِ أَيَّامٍ سَوَاءً لِلسَّائِلِينَ
(and measured therein its sustenance in four Days equal for all those who ask.) "According to whatever a person who is need of provision wants, Allah measures out for him what he needs." This is like what they said concerning the Ayah:
وَآتَاكُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ مَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُ ۚ
(And He gave you of all that you asked for)(14:34). And Allah knows best.
ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ وَهِيَ دُخَانٌ
(Then He rose over (Istawā ilā) towards the heaven when it was smoke,) i.e., steam which arose from it when the earth was created.
فَقَالَ لَهَا وَلِلْأَرْضِ ائْتِيَا طَوْعًا أَوْ كَرْهًا
(and said to it and to the earth: "Come both of you willingly or unwillingly.") meaning, 'respond to My command and be subjected to this action, willingly or unwillingly.'
قَالَتَا أَتَيْنَا طَائِعِينَ
(They both said: "We come willingly.") meaning, 'we will respond to You willingly and everything that You want to create in us – angels, Jinn and men – will all be obedient to You.'
فَقَضَاهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ فِي يَوْمَيْنِ
(Then He completed and finished their creation (as) seven heavens in two Days) means, He finished forming them as seven heavens in two more days, which were Thursday and Friday.
وَأَوْحَىٰ فِي كُلِّ سَمَاءٍ أَمْرَهَا
(and He decreed in each heaven its affair.) means, He placed in each heaven whatever it needs of angels and things which are known only unto Him.
وَزَيَّنَّا السَّمَاءَ الدُّنْيَا بِمَصَابِيحَ
(And We adorned the nearest (lowest) heaven with lamps) means, the stars and planets which shine on the people of the earth.
وَحِفْظًا
(as well as to guard.) means, as protection against the Shayatin, lest they listen to the angels on high.
ذَٰلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ
(Such is the Decree of Him, the Almighty, the All-Knower) means, the Almighty Who has subjugated all things to His control, the All-Knower Who knows all the movements of His creatures.
