Fussilat: (12) "Then He completed them as seven heavens..."

"...in two days." This is an explanation and detailing of the formation of the heaven, which was summarized [earlier] by the expression "the command and its response." It is not an act occurring after the formation of the two [earth and heaven], but rather it means He created them with a creative act, or perfected their affair according to what wisdom dictates in two periods.

The pronoun "them" (hunna) refers either to the heaven by way of meaning, since it [the word "sama'"] is synonymous with "heavens" (samawat), and for this reason, it is said: "It is a collective noun," so "seven" is a circumstantial qualifier (hal) from the pronoun. Or, it is an indefinite [noun] clarified by what follows it, acting as a specification (tamyiz), so it belongs to it even if it is delayed in wording and rank, as is permissible in specification, such as "His servant, a man" (rabbuhu rajulan), which is an Arabic construct.

Abu Hayyan said: "Seven" is accusative as a circumstantial qualifier, and it is a future/projected qualifier (hal muqaddarah). Some said it is a substitute for the pronoun, and it is said to be a direct object, with the implied meaning: "He completed from them seven heavens." Al-Hufi said it is a second object, based on the interpretation of "completed" (qada) as "making/rendering" (tas-yir). He did not mention the duration of the creation of the earth and what is within it, as mentioning it in the account of their estimation was deemed sufficient.

His saying, "And He inspired in each heaven its command," is conjoined to "He completed them," meaning: He created in each of them what it was prepared for, and what wisdom dictated to be within it—from angels, luminaries, and other things that no one knows except Allah, as the words of al-Suddi and Qatadah imply. Thus, "inspiration" (wahy) is an expression for creation, just as "the command" [is]. It is restricted by the time constraint placed on the conjoined verb, or it means He inspired the inhabitants of each heaven, or He commanded them and assigned them the obligations befitting them, as has been said. Thus, "inspiration" is used in its well-known sense among its meanings, and is either free from the aforementioned restriction or restricted by it, as I see it. The possibility of both restriction and absolute usage applies to His saying: "And We have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps," meaning: from the stars, which are within it, even if they differ in height and depth according to what the literal text dictates, or some are within it and others are above it. However, because they are all seen twinkling upon it, it is correct to say the adorning was done by them. The shift to the pronoun of majesty (the "We" in "We have adorned") is to highlight greater care.

As for His saying: "And as protection," it is an absolute object (maf'ul mutlaq) for an implied verb conjoined to His saying "We have adorned," meaning: "And We protected them with a protection." The pronoun refers to the heaven, and its protection is either from afflictions or from devils who steal a hearing, and the discussion on that has already passed. It is also said that the pronoun refers to the "lamps," which is contrary to the literal meaning. It is also permissible to consider it an object for a purpose (maf'ul li-ajlihi) based on the meaning, i.e., conjoined to an object of purpose implied by the previous speech: "as an adornment and a protection." It is not hidden that this is a far-fetched, forced interpretation that should not be adopted given the clarity and ease of the first, as indicated in [the commentary] al-Bahr.

"That" is a reference to everything mentioned in detail, meaning: that which was mentioned is "the estimation of the Almighty, the All-Knowing."

[That is, the One who is perfect in power and perfect in knowledge.]

Then the author of al-Irshad said, after what you have heard of what was narrated from him: According to this, there is no evidence in the noble verse for the ordering between the creation of the earth and the creation of the heaven; the ordering is only between the estimation—i.e., the estimation of creating the earth and what is in it, and the [estimation of] creating the heaven. However, assuming that "creating" and what is conjoined to it from the three verbs are in their literal meanings, then it indicates the precedence of the creation of the earth and what is in it, and this is the consensus of the majority of exegetes.

It is not hidden from you that interpreting those verbs as he has done is contrary to the apparent meaning, as he himself admitted. Furthermore, the lack of explicit mention of the creation of the earth and what is in it as an act, as opposed to the explicit mention of the creation of the heavens, does not align with the claim of "attention" (i'tina') to which he alluded in explaining the reason for specializing the statement regarding what pertains to the earth and what is in it. Moreover, the creation of what is in it as an actual event is not apparent from His saying: "So He said to it and to the earth, 'Come, willingly or by compulsion.' They said, 'We have come willingly,'" especially since the earth was mentioned earlier independently, and what is in it was mentioned independently. Thus, nothing is suggested by "the earth" here except that independent earth, not it [the earth] along with what is in it. The matter of the precedence and delay of the earth's creation will be discussed, God willing.

It is said: The "coming" of the heaven is its existence, and the "coming" of the earth is its becoming leveled/spread out (dahw). In this, there is a combination of two metaphorical meanings where the emergence from non-existence and the spreading and leveling of the earth are likened to coming from another place. There is a dispute regarding the validity of combining these two. Moreover, the claim that the leveling was delayed after the setting of the mountains is also a subject of debate, as you will know, God willing. It is also said: The intended meaning is "Let each of you come to the other in the creation of what is intended to be brought forth from you." This is supported by the reading of Ibn Abbas, Ibn Jubayr, and Mujahid: "Atiya" (Come both, in the dual) and "Qalata atayna" (They both said, 'We have come'), regarding it as a form of "muwatah" (concord/compliance). Al-Jawhari said: You say, "I complied (ataytuhu) with that matter (muwatan)" if you agree and obey him, because when two agree, each of them "comes to" the other. He considered this to be a metaphorical usage, and its relationship is necessity. Ibn Jinni said: It means hastening, which is also good. Most of the prominent scholars did not consider it to be "bringing" (ita') because it is not obvious. Ibn Atiyyah considered it to be so, and implied an object, meaning: "Give from yourselves the obedience that I wanted from you." What preceded is better, and what we have previously established in the first of the viewpoints regarding the speech will follow here, as is not hidden.

People have differed regarding the order of precedence and delay in the creation of the heavens and what is in them, and the earth and what is in it, due to the verses and narrations that appear to be contradictory. Some went to the view of the precedence of the creation of the earth, due to the literal meaning of this verse, as it mentions first the creation of the earth, the placing of mountains upon it, and the estimation of its sustenance. Then, the Exalted said: "Then He turned to the heaven..." etc. They refused to consider the command to "come" as a command of creation, and because of the literal meaning of His saying in the verse of al-Baqarah: "He created for you all that is in the earth; then He turned to the heaven and fashioned them as seven heavens."

And [due to] the first verse of al-Nazi'at, namely His saying: "Are you more difficult to create, or the heaven? He built it. He raised its ceiling and fashioned it. And He darkened its night and brought out its day. And the earth after that He spread out. He brought out from it its water and its pasture. And the mountains He set firm as provision for you and your cattle." Because its literal meaning indicates the delay of the creation of the earth and what is in it—the water, pasture, and mountains—because "that" (dhalika) is a reference to the preceding [act], which is the raising of the ceiling and the fashioning. "The earth" is accusative due to an implied verb under the condition of explanation (sharitat al-tafsir), meaning: "And He spread the earth after the raising of the heaven and its fashioning." Or, "the earth" is accusative due to an implied verb such as "remember" (tadhakkar) or "ponder" (tadabbar), or "remember the earth after that," not due to a verb under the condition of explanation.

"After that" is a reference to what was previously mentioned of the creation of the heaven, not the creation of the heaven itself, to indicate that it is delayed in mention—not in creation—to alert [the reader] that it is secondary in terms of origin, but it is a completion [of the account], just as you would say: "I did so-and-so, then I said after that, such-and-such." This is frequent in the usage of the Arabs and Persians. It is as if "after that" in this sense is its opposite when used for [indicating] delay in rank and magnification. Sometimes "then" (thumma) is also used in this sense, and likewise "and" (fa).

Some of them answer with what Ibn Abbas said: It was narrated by al-Hakim and al-Bayhaqi with a sound chain from Sa'id ibn Jubayr: A man came to Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with them both—and said: "I see things that contradict me in the Quran." He said: "Bring what contradicts you." He said: "I hear Allah saying: 'Do you indeed disbelieve in Him who created the earth...' until reaching '...willingly' (ta'i'in)." He began with the creation of the earth in this verse before the creation of the heaven. Then, the Exalted said in the other verse: "Or is the heaven more difficult? He built it," then said: "And the earth after that He spread out," beginning with the creation of the heaven before the creation of the earth. Ibn Abbas replied: "As for the creation of the earth in two days, the earth was created before the heaven, and the heaven was smoke. He fashioned them as seven heavens in two days after the creation of the earth. As for His saying 'And the earth after that He spread out,' he means He placed in it mountains, rivers, trees, seas, and bays."

Al-Khafaji said: He means that His saying "He brought out from it its water" is a substitute or an explanatory conjunction for "He spread it out" (dahaha), meaning: He laid it out; it explains what is intended by it. Thus, its delay in this verse is not a delay of its essence, but rather a delay of what is in it, its completion, its arrangement, and the creation of the enjoyment and benefit derived from it. For "afterness" (ba'diyyah), just as it can be regarding the object itself, can also be regarding its final part and its aforementioned constraint. As if you said: "I sent you a messenger, then I sent so-and-so to see what he would reach." You sent the second one, and even though it is later, the purpose for which he was sent is delayed from him, so he considered himself delayed.

If you say: "How is this consistent with what Ibn Jarir and others narrated and authenticated from Ibn Abbas that the Jews came to the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and asked him about the creation of the heavens and the earth?" He replied: "Allah created the earth on Sunday and Monday. He created the mountains and the benefits in them on Tuesday. On Wednesday, He created trees, water, cities, cultivation, and ruin." These are four. Then the Exalted said: "Do you indeed disbelieve in Him who created the earth in two days... and placed in it mountains... and blessed it and estimated its sustenance in four days equally for those who ask." And on Thursday, He created the heaven. On Friday, He created the stars, the sun, the moon, and the angels. This contradicts the first [account] because it requires the creation of what is in the earth—trees, rivers, and the like—before the creation of the heaven.

I say: The apparent meaning is to interpret it as him having created the material and sources of those things, for it is inconceivable that "cultivation and ruin" existed before the creation of the heaven. Conjoining it to [the previous acts] is evidence for that. Thus, there is no contradiction between the two narrations, just as there is no difference between the verses.

It is not hidden that the previous statement of Ibn Abbas is explicit that the placing of mountains on the earth was after the creation of the heaven, which is the apparent meaning of the verse of al-Nazi'at, since "after that" is taken into account in His saying: "And the mountains He set firm." And the verse of Ha Mim al-Sajdah is apparent that the placing of the mountains was before the creation of the heavens. Furthermore, the narration of Ibn Jarir from him contradicts the report of Muslim from Abu Hurayrah: The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—took my hand and said: "Allah created the soil on Saturday, created the mountains in it on Sunday, created the trees on Monday, created the loathsome [evil] on Tuesday, created the light on Wednesday, spread the beasts in it on Thursday, and created Adam after 'Asr on Friday, the last of creation, in the last hour of the day, between 'Asr and night." In the commentary on the Muhadhdhab, this report was used as evidence that Saturday is the first day of the week, not Sunday. It was transmitted from his Shafi'i companions, and authenticated by al-Asnawi and Ibn 'Asakir. Allamah Ibn Hajar said: This is what the majority are upon, and it is our school [Shafi'i], as in al-Rawdah and its original. Indeed, al-Suhayli said in his Rawd: No one said that the first day is Sunday except Ibn Jarir. Al-Nawawi followed in one place that which implies the first day is Sunday, saying: "It was called Monday because it is the second of the days." It was answered that he followed the [traditional] orientation of naming—which suffices with the slightest appropriateness—based on the weak view.

Al-Qaffal from the Shafi'is argued for Sunday being the first day on the grounds that the aforementioned report is unique to Muslim, and the scholars of hadith—Ibn al-Madini, al-Bukhari, and others—discussed it and considered it to be from the speech of Ka'b, and that Abu Hurayrah only heard it from him, but it was confused by some narrators who made it marfu' (attributed to the Prophet). It was answered that he who remembers it as marfu' is an authority over him who does not, and a reliable narrator's hadith is not rejected by mere suspicion. For this reason, Muslim turned away from what those said, relied on the marfu' status, and recorded its path in his Sahih, so it must be accepted. Ahmad ibn Ahmad al-Maqqari al-Maliki mentioned that Imam Ahmad also narrated it in his Musnad from Abu Hurayrah as marfu' with the wording "He interlaced my hand..." and said: "Allah created the earth on Saturday..." the hadith.

In al-Durr al-Manthur, there are several reports from Ibn Abbas stating that the beginning of the creation of the earth was on Sunday. Therein, Ibn Jarir also recorded from Abu Bakr—may Allah be pleased with him—that he said: The Jews came to the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and said: "O Muhammad, tell us what Allah created in these six days." He said: "Allah created the earth on Sunday and Monday, created the mountains on Tuesday, created cities, sustenance, rivers, cultivation, and ruin on Wednesday, created the heavens and angels on Thursday until three hours of Friday. In the first hour He created the life-spans, in the second the affliction, and in the third Adam." They said: "You have spoken the truth, if you die." The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—knew what they wanted, so he became angry, and Allah sent down: "And We were not touched by any weariness; so have patience with what they say."

The Jews are unanimous that the first day of the week is Sunday, arguing by what they call the Torah, and its literal derivation requires that. As for those who went to the view that the first day is Saturday, they said: There is no proof in that, because the naming was not established by an order from Allah or His Messenger—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Perhaps the Jews set the names of the week according to their beliefs, and the Arabs took them from them. Nothing was mentioned in the Quran except Friday and Saturday, and they are not number-names. Moreover, even if this naming were established from the Arabs, there would be no evidence in it, for the Arabs call the fifth day of the wird (a specific rotation) the "fourth" and the ninth the "tenth." This [logic] is what was taken from Ibn Abbas regarding his unique statement that the day of Ashura is the ninth of Muharram, and Tasu'a is its eighth.

It is not hidden that the first answer [to the Jews' claim] is outside of fairness. The days of the week have other names for the Arabs in which there is evidence for that as well: Awwal, Ahwan, Jubar, Dubar, Mu'nis, Aruba, and Shiyar. No fair person can think that the Arabs followed the Jews in that, and that Islam came and approved them on it. I wish I knew: if those names were adopted in following the Jews, what are the correct names that the founder of the Arabic language set without following the Jews? The second answer is very contrary to the apparent meaning.

Al-Wahidi recorded in al-Basit from Muqatil that the creation of the heaven precedes the existence of the earth, let alone its spreading, and the Imam chose this, and some attributed it to some of the verifying exegetes. They interpreted the verse [to mean] that creation is not an expression of formation and existence, but rather an expression of estimation. The intended meaning, in relation to Him—the Exalted—is His decree that He will create it and His judging accordingly. It is like His saying: "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 is." Based on this, it is necessary to interpret "He placed" and "He blessed" in a manner similar to what you heard from al-Irshad. It is also permissible that "creation" and what follows remain as they appear, and the speech is [based on] the intention of the intention (iradat al-iradah), as in His saying: "When you stand for prayer," meaning: "by the One who intended the creation of the earth in two days and intended to place mountains in it."

They said that "then" (thumma) is for a disparity in rank, which is positioned in place of temporal delay, as in His saying: "Then he was of those who believed." For the subject of "was" is a pronoun referring to the doer of "then he did not tackle the steep path," which is the disbeliever. And His saying: "Freeing a slave or feeding on a day of severe hunger an orphan of near relationship or a needy person in misery" is an explanation of the steep path. The apparent ordering would necessitate the precedence of faith over it, but "then" here is for delay in rank, metaphorically.

In al-Kashf, it is stated that what al-Wahidi transmitted has no problem, and "then" in this surah and [al-Sajdah] is determined to be for the delay of rank, which is more consistent with the well-known rules of the philosophers. However, it does not conform to what has come—that the beginning was from Sunday, and the heavens and what is in them were created from Thursday and Friday, and at the end of Friday, then Adam—peace be upon him—was created.

In al-Bahr, what we say is: The disbelievers were rebuked and reprimanded for their disbelief in the One from whom all these things originated without a temporal order, and that "then" is for the ordering of the account, not the ordering of time and deferment. It is as if He—the Exalted—said: "By the One who informed them that He created the earth, placed in it mountains, blessed it, and estimated in it its sustenance, then He informs you that He turned to the heaven." Thus, there is no contradiction in the verse [concerning] the ordering of the occurrence [and] the temporal ordering. Since the creation of the heaven was more wondrous in power than the creation of the earth, the report concerning it was renewed with "then." Thus, it is for the ordering of the account, as in His saying: "Then he was of those who believed" after His saying: "Then he did not tackle the steep path," and His saying: "Then We gave Moses the Book" after His saying: "Say, 'Come, I will recite.'"

His saying—the Exalted—"So He said to it and to the earth" after His informing [of creation] is a depiction of their creation according to His will—like your saying: "Do you see the one I praised, so I said to him, 'You are a righteous scholar'?" This is a depiction of what you praised and an explanation of it. Likewise, the Exalted informed that He created such-and-such, so He brought that into existence in a way that did not deviate from His will. The apparent meaning of what he mentioned in His saying "So He said to it..." etc., is that the "saying" was after the existence. Some prominent scholars say it is permissible that this is for representation or imagination, to indicate that the heaven and earth are the place of His power, which He manages as He wills, by bringing into existence and perfecting, in essence and attribute. It serves as a preamble to His saying: "Then He completed them as seven heavens"—meaning: since the creation was with such ease, He completed the heavens and perfected their creation in two days. Thus, this saying is valid before their existence, after it, and during it, as the purpose is not to indicate the occurrence [of the speech].

He mentioned in the point of the creation of the earth and what is in it in the mention here and in Surat al-Baqarah over the creation of the heavens—and the reverse in Surat al-Nazi'at—that it is permissible that the context in the first two is a context of conferring favor and counting blessings; thus, its requirement is the precedence of that which is the closer blessing to the addressees. The context in the third is a context of declaring the perfection of power; thus, its requirement is the precedence of that which is more indicative of its perfection.

It was narrated from al-Hasan that He—the Exalted—created the earth in the place of the Holy House in the form of a millstone, with smoke attached to it. Then He raised the smoke and created the heavens from it, and held the millstone in its place and spread the earth from it. That is His saying: "They were joined together, and We separated them," etc. Some made this an indication of the delay of the leveling of the earth from the creation of the heaven. In al-Irshad, it is stated that there is nothing in that [to prove it], for the spreading of the earth is conjoined to the raising of the smoke and the creation of the heaven with "and" (wa); thus, there is no evidence in that for the order, definitively.

In al-Kashf, it states that it indicates that the state of the heaven as smoke preceded the leveling of the earth and its fashioning. Indeed, the apparent meaning of His saying: "Then He turned to the heaven while it was smoke" indicates that. The existence of the "atomic jewel" (al-jawharah al-nawawiyyah), looking at it with the eye of majesty, inwardly clothed in mercy and beauty, the differentiation of its subtle [parts] from its dense [parts], the ascent of the subtle smoky matter, and the remaining of the dense [matter]—this is all prior to the six days, and it is proven in the authentic report and does not contradict the verses.

Some chose that the creation of the distant matter for the heaven and the earth was in one time, and it is the "jewel" or other than it. Likewise, the separation of the matter of each from the other and its distinction from it—meaning the "splitting" (fatq) and the bringing out of the subtle parts (which is the near matter for the heavens) and the keeping of the dense [parts] (which is the near matter for the earth)—for the separation of the subtle from the dense necessitates the separation of the dense from it, and vice versa. As for the creation of each in the form that it is observed, it is not in one time, but the creation of the heavens is prior in time to the creation of the earth. No one should doubt the delay of the creation of the earth with all that is in it from the creation of the heavens. Likewise, when "then" is taken for the ordering of the account, the matter of what is thought to be a contradiction in the verses and reports becomes easy. And this, and Allah—the Exalted—knows best.

For some of the later scholars, there is a strange discussion on the verse, with which he repelled what is thought of as inconsistency between the verses indicating that the creation of the heavens and the earth and what is between them was in six days, such as His saying: "Allah who created the heavens and the earth and what is between them in six days, then He rose over the Throne," and His saying: "And We have created the heavens and the earth and what is between them in six days, and We were not touched by any weariness." And this verse [Fussilat], from which it is imagined that the creation was in eight days. It is that a thing has a ruling from the aspect of its essence and self, and a ruling from the aspect of its attributes, additions, relationships, connections, requirements, completions, and all that is added to it. For each of these, there is a counted period and a limited boundary, which He—the Exalted—reveals in that [state] through the times peculiar to it and the periods appointed for it, and they are varying and different.

Allah created the heavens and the earth and what is between them in the limit of their essence in six days, and that is at the time of their origination in their essence from His creating them from the "sea" (bahr) resulting from the melting of the "red" [matter] when He—glorified be His majesty—looked at it with the eye of awe. So it surged until the "foam" (zabad) was obtained from it and the "smoke" (dukhan) rose. He created the heaven from the smoke, the earth from the foam, and the stars from the sparks concealed in the foam of the sea. Fire, air, and water [were created] from a body denser than smoke and more subtle than foam. The heaven is a reality of oneness in its essence, and it has the aptitude for multiplicity and plurality according to the emergence of its affair in the knowledge of the unseen. Its specification with the seven [heavens] in the specific manner, and the occurrence of each heaven in its specific place, followed by a specific ruling, requires a "making" (ja'l) other than its creation in itself. This is what is called "estimation" (qadar) and the setting of the boundaries, which is the "creative geometry." This "making" is branched from the creation. It is a [type of] turning (nahw) [different from] a [different] type of turning, definitively, as His saying implies: "And created everything, then estimated it [in] estimation." It is sometimes called "fashioning" (taswiyah) and also "completion" (qada'), as in His saying: "Then He turned to the heaven and fashioned them as seven heavens," and His saying here: "Then He turned to the heaven while it was smoke... until His saying: 'He completed them as seven heavens.'"

As for the estimation of the earth's sustenance, the bestowing of the blessing, and the generation of the generated [things], they have counted days and limited boundaries. They do not enter into the days of the creation of the heavens and the earth for the existence of their selves. Thus, the four days mentioned in the verse are only for the placing of mountains, the estimation of sustenance, and the creating of the blessing; they are not among those six. Likewise, the two days for the fashioning of the heaven and its completion as seven heavens are outside of them. Thus, there is no [contradiction] in the verse under discussion, except that the creation of the earth was in two days. As for the creation of the heavens and what is between them and the earth, the verse did not mention a duration for it; it only mentioned the duration of the completion of the heavens—which is not their creation—and the duration of placing the mountains, the estimation of sustenance, and the creation of the blessing—which is not the creation of the earth and what is between it and the heaven. So there is no contradiction between it and the verses indicating that the creation of the heavens and the earth and what is between them was in six days.

This is not invalidated by what was narrated from al-Sadiq that Allah—the Exalted—created the earths on Sunday and Monday, created their sustenance on Tuesday, created the heavens on Wednesday and Thursday, and created their sustenance on Friday. That is the saying of Allah—the Exalted: "Created the heavens and the earth and what is between them in six days," because after conceding its authenticity, it is mentioned in it that the sustenance was created in two days, not that it was estimated. And there is a far distance between creation and estimation. The creation of sustenance is an expression for the existence of its essences, materials, causes, and reasons. Once they exist, they are estimated and detailed according to the known modes. So there is no problem.

It is astonishing that someone would find difficulty in this station; how did he not look at the meanings of the divine words according to the Quranic and linguistic rules? So he needed for its solution forced, hidden matters and the committing of unsatisfactory orientations. Furthermore, this person mentioned for the "day" more than sixty usages, including the "rank," and transmitted this from his teacher, and I saw it in some books for other than him. He permitted its intended meaning in the verse, and likewise, he permitted the intended meaning of other usages. He mentioned the secret of the creation of the heavens and the earth in six days and lengthened the discussion in this station, and that was within a treatise he authored when I requested from him an answer regarding what is thought to be an inconsistency, other than the answer they mentioned for that. Whoever comes across that treatise will hear from it a clatter without a weapon, and will sense a flight in the atmosphere of what he claims to be a verification, without wings. How much is there in it of a statement without evidence, and a claim for which he did not present proof! You must have complete contemplation of what the exegetes mentioned and what this man mentioned of the speech, and do not be a bystander to fairness, nor a companion to fanaticism. And Allah—the Exalted—is the Grantor of success.

What preceded of interpreting His saying "They said: 'We have come willingly'" as a representation is what a group of exegetes went to. A group said: They spoke a real speech, and Allah—the Exalted—gave them life and perception. Ibn Atiyyah said: This is better, because there is nothing to repel it, the lesson in it is more complete, and the power is more apparent in it. It is not hidden that the first meaning is more eloquent. Whoever went to the view that inanimate objects have a perception befitting them said [so] by the literal meaning of the verse, and perhaps it is one of his evidences for that. Some mentioned regarding His saying—the Exalted—"And He inspired in each heaven its command" that He—the Exalted—specified each heaven with what distinguished it from the other heaven of its essences, and made that a reason for the [totality of] all the heavens, and the singling out of the earth. Al-A'mash read "aw karhan" with the damma of the Kaf. Abu Hayyan said: The most correct is that it is a dialect for compulsion upon a thing. The majority are upon that "the korh" (with damma) means hardship.