Tafsir of Al-Mulk 67:3

He who created seven heavens: It is said that this is an adjective for The Exalted in Might, The Forgiving, or an exposition, or an appositional substitute (badal). The Shaykh al-Islam favored that it is in the accusative or nominative case as an expression of praise, linked in meaning to the two preceding relative pronouns (Mawsul), even if grammatically disconnected from them. It is joined with them in the string of testimony to His Transcendence, Exalted is He, and with the second relative pronoun in being a focal point of trial, as stated by the Almighty’s saying: “And it is He who created the heavens and the earth in six days—and His Throne had been upon water—that He might test you as to which of you is best in deed.”

“In layers” (tibaqan): An adjective for "seven." The fact that a description applies to the noun to which the number is annexed is not necessary, but it is the most common case. It is the masdar (infinitive) of tabaqtu al-na’l bil-na’l (I matched the sole of the sandal to the sole) when you sew them together. It is used as an adjective for intensification, or by omitting a related noun (i.e., possessing layers), or by interpreting it as a passive participle (i.e., matched). It is permissible that it is an absolute object (maf’ul mutlaq) emphasizing an omitted verb (i.e., they were layered in a layering), and the sentence is in the place of an adjective. It may also be the plural of tabaq (like jamal and jamal), or the plural of tabaqa (like rahba and rihab). In this case, the expression implies an omitted noun because it is a rigid (jamid) noun that cannot serve as an adjective alone—meaning possessing layers.

It is said that it is permissible for it to be a circumstantial qualifier (hal) from "seven heavens" due to its proximity to being definite by encompassing the whole, leaving no individual beyond that. This has been countered by the fact that even at its best, this is like "the sun," which is confined to a single individual, and a postponed circumstantial qualifier does not come from it. One does not say, "The sun rose upon us shining." Regardless, the intended meaning—as narrated by ‘Abd ibn Humayd—is "one above another." There is no evidence in this of them being physically stuck together, as claimed by the earlier philosophers and those who followed them from the Muslims, contradicting what the authentic Hadiths have stated—though I do not consider the denier of this a disbeliever. There is disagreement regarding their substances: it is said the first is of restrained waves, the second of white pearl, the third of iron, the fourth of copper, the fifth of silver, the sixth of gold, and the seventh of white emerald. Other things have been said as well, and I do not think you will find a report to rely upon regarding what has been said, even if you were to fly to the sky. I suspect that if you were to find something, you would interpret it metaphorically, while maintaining the belief that Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, is capable of all things.

“You do not see in the creation of the Most Merciful any inconsistency”: Another adjective for "seven heavens" according to al-Kashshaf, where "the creation of the Most Merciful" is placed in the position of the pronoun that would have served as the connector, for the sake of glorification and to signal the cause of the judgment. In this way, it is possible to construct a syllogism of the first figure that results in the negation of seeing any inconsistency in them; that He, the Almighty, created them with His overwhelming power out of mercy and favor; and that there are glorious blessings in their creation. What Ibn Hisham mentioned in the fourth chapter of al-Mughni—that the sentence acting as an adjective cannot be connected except by a pronoun, either stated or implied—is not a valid argument against al-Zamakhshari. The reconciliation that this applies only when glorification is not intended is nothing, because the sentence must have a point (a nukta), whether it be glorification or something else. Abu Hayyan leaned towards the view that it is a new start (isti’naf), and that "the creation of the Most Merciful" is general, covering the heavens and other things. The address is directed to everyone suitable for being addressed, though it is permissible that it is addressed to the Master of those addressed, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Perhaps the former is better. "Any" (min) is for emphasizing the negation, meaning: you do not see anything of "inconsistency" (tafawut), which is disparity and lack of proportion, as Qatadah and others said, taken from "missing" (fawt), for each of the two disparate things misses some of what is in the other. Some interpreted tafawut as a thing exceeding the limit required of it, whether by increase or decrease, which is the meaning of disparity. To this refers the saying of a poet: “The limbs in him are proportioned, so you see no discrepancy in them; rather, they came according to measure.”

Al-Suddi said: "i.e., any defect." To this returns the statement of those who said: "any inconsistency that produces a deficiency." ‘Ata’ ibn Yasar said: "any lack of symmetry." It is also said: "any disturbance," "any crookedness," or "any contradiction." The end result of all these is what we have mentioned. It is strange what the Shaykh of the Kashfiyyah school in our time said, that there is a connection between all things which is a type of attraction due to which one does not miss the other, and he interpreted the verse according to this. Similar to this is what the philosophers of today have gone to, claiming that between the celestial and terrestrial bodies there is an attraction at specific measures, by which their positions are preserved and they are linked to one another. However, some of them argued that the force of attraction and connection weakens little by little such that its effect is not apparent except over very long periods. They inferred from this that this observed world must eventually depart from this perceived order, resulting in collisions and the like between celestial bodies, and they said: "If there is a Resurrection, it is that." The state of what he said and what they said is not hidden, and the verse, according to what you have heard, is far removed from that. ‘Abdullah, ‘Alqamah, al-Aswad, Ibn Jubayr, Talhah, and al-A’mash recited "from tafawut" with a shaddah on the waw, as a masdar of tafawwata. Abu Zayd reported from the Arabs the fathah, dammah, and kasrah on the waw (in tafawut), though the fathah and kasrah are irregular (shadhdhah), as noted in al-Bahr.

“So return your vision; do you see any rift?”: Connected to what precedes it in the sense of causation—meaning, the report of that is the cause for the command to look again, in order to repel what is imagined of doubt. It is, in meaning, the answer to an implied condition: "If you are in doubt about that, then return your vision until the state becomes clear and no doubt or suspicion remains for you regarding the realization of what that statement contained of the proportionality of the creation of the Most Merciful and its gathering of what is appropriate for it." As for futur (rifts), Mujahid said: "cracks." It is the plural of fatr, which is the crack. It is said: fatara-hu fa-in-fatara (he cracked it, so it cracked). The apparent meaning is the crack generally, not specifically the longitudinal crack as is its origin, according to al-Raghib. In its meaning is the statement of Abu ‘Ubaydah: "fissures." They cited the saying of ‘Ubayd Allah ibn ‘Uqbah ibn Mas’ud: “I split the heart, then I sprinkled your love into it, so it was joined and the rifts healed.”

Al-Suddi said: "holes." All of this is intended, according to what is understood from the words of some of the great scholars, to mean "flaw." Qatadah interpreted it as such, and Ibn ‘Abbas interpreted it as "weakness." The sentence "Do you see..." is, as Abu Hayyan said, in a position of being in the accusative by an implied suspended verb; i.e., "Look, do you see..." or the verb "return your vision" incorporates the meaning of "look with your vision."