Tafsir of Al-Hijr 15:19

(And the earth We have spread out): We have extended it. Al-Hasan said: "Allah the Exalted took clay and said to it, 'Expand,' and so it expanded." It is related from Qatadah that he said: "It has been mentioned to us that the Mother of Cities (Makkah) is the place from which the earth was spread out and extended." It is related from Ibn Abbas that he said: "We spread it out upon the surface of the water." It has been said that it is possible the intended meaning is that We made it extend in three dimensions: length, width, and depth. The apparent meaning is its spreading and expansion so that those who inhabit it may benefit from it; this does not necessitate denying its sphericity, for a sphere of such vastness, due to its enormity, is perceived as a flat surface.

The accusative case of al-ard (the earth) is based on the omission of a verb (governed by a concealed verb), as is the condition in explanation (the construction ishtighal). In such cases, this is more preferable than the nominative case (as an initial noun), so that it may be coordinated with the preceding verbal sentence—meaning the words of the Exalted: "And We have certainly placed..."—and so that it corresponds with what follows, namely, the words of the Exalted: (And We have cast therein firm mountains), meaning stable mountains, plural of rasiyah, which is the feminine of rasin, according to what has been said.

The wisdom behind casting them therein has been explained in His words, the Exalted: (And He has cast into the earth firm mountains, lest it shake with you). Ibn Abbas said: "When Allah the Exalted spread the earth upon the water, it swayed like a ship, so He anchored it with heavy mountains so that it would not sway with its inhabitants." This has been discussed previously. Some have claimed it is possible that the intended meaning is that the Exalted did this so the mountains might serve as guides to the paths and regions of the earth, so that people do not stray from the straight path and fall into error. Then he said: "This view is clearly plausible." You know, however, that it is not permissible to adopt this when there are reports that reject it, such as "like mountains."

(And We have caused to grow therein): That is, in the earth. The pronoun either encompasses the mountains—because they are considered part of it—or is specific to that which is not the mountains, because the majority and the best of vegetation is in the latter. It is also permissible that the pronoun refers to the mountains and the earth by interpreting the aforementioned things, or to the earth in the sense of that which is opposite to the sky, by way of istikhdam (using a word to cover two meanings), or that it returns to the firm mountains because of their proximity; however, interpreting anbatna (caused to grow) as the extraction of minerals is far-fetched.

(Of everything balanced): Meaning, measured with a specific measure dictated by wisdom. It is therefore a trope used for the implication of its meaning, or a metonymy. Or, it means "of everything beautiful and proportionate," from the saying "balanced speech." Al-Murtada recited for this meaning the verse of Umar ibn Abi Rabi’ah: “And a discourse I find delightful, which is of what souls desire, balanced in weight.” Its usage has become common in the speech of the non-Arabs and the moderns, who say: "a balanced structure," meaning proportionate and moderate, or that which has value and consideration among people in terms of grace and benefit. Ibn Zayd said: The intended meaning is that which is literally weighed, such as gold, silver, and others. The particle min (of), as stated in al-Bahr, is for partiality (partitive). Al-Akhfash said: It is superfluous; that is, "everything."