Tafsir of Fussilat 41:9

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:

قل أينكم لتكفرون بالذي خلق اﻻرض في يومين وتجعلون له أندادا

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.'

ذلك رب العالمين

That is the Lord of the that exists. the Creator of all things is the Lord of all the creatures. Here the Ayah;

خلق السموت واﻻرض فى ستة أيام

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:

هو الذى خلق لكم ما فى اﻻرض جميعا ثم استوى إلى السماء فسواهن سبع سموات

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:

أءنتم أشد خلقا أم السماء بنها

رفع سمكها فسواها

وأغطش ليلها وأخرج ضحها

واﻻرض بعد ذلك دحها

أخرج منها ماءها ومرعها

والجبال أرسها

متعا لكم وﻻنعمكم

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:

فﻼ أنسب بينهم يوميذ وﻻ يتساءلون

There will be no kinship among them that Day, nor will they ask of one another, (23:101)

وأقبل بعضهم على بعض يتساءلون

And they will turn to one another and question one another, (37:27)

وﻻ يكتمون الله حديثا

but they will never be able to hide a single fact from Allah, (4:42)

والله ربنا ما كنا مشركين

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:

أءنتم أشد خلقا أم السماء بنها

(Are you more difficult to create or is the heaven that He constructed) until;

واﻻرض بعد ذلك دحها

(And after that He spread the earth). (79:27-30) So He mentioned the creation of the heavens before the earth, then He said:

قل أينكم لتكفرون بالذي خلق اﻻرض في يومين

Say: "Do you verily disbelieve in Him Who created the earth in two Days...'' until;

طايعين

(We come willingly). Here He mentioned the creation of the earth before the creation of the heavens. And He says:

وكان الله غفورا رحيما

verily, Allah (Kana) is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (4:23)

عزيزا حكيما

Most Powerful, All-Wise, (4:56)

سميعا بصيرا

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:

فﻼ أنسب بينهم يوميذ وﻻ يتساءلون

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

فصعق من فى السموت ومن فى اﻻرض إﻻ من شاء الله

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,

وأقبل بعضهم على بعض يتساءلون

And they will turn to one another and question one another. (37:27) With regard to the Ayat,

والله ربنا ما كنا مشركين

By Allah, our Lord, we were not those who joined others in worship with Allah, (6:23) and

وﻻ يكتمون الله حديثا

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,

يود الذين كفروا

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:

دحها

(He) spread (the earth), (79:30) And Allah's saying:

خلق اﻻرض في يومين

((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

وكان الله غفورا رحيما

verily, Allah (Kana) is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful, (4:23) 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.

خلق اﻻرض في يومين

(He) created the earth in two Days, means, on Sunday and Monday. Allah says,