Tafsir of An-Nazi'at 79:28

Surah An-Nazi'at: (28) "And raised its ceiling high"

The first aspect relates to space/dimension: His saying, "And raised its ceiling high" (رفع سمكها).

Know that when the extension of a thing is measured from its top downwards, it is called depth (عمق). When it is measured from its bottom upwards, it is called height/thickness (سمك).

Thus, what is meant by "raised its ceiling high" is its extreme loftiness. It is even mentioned that the distance between the Earth and the heaven is a journey of five hundred years. The astronomers (أصحاب الهيئة) have established the measures of the celestial bodies and the distances between each one of them and the Earth.

Others said that what is meant is: raising its height without pillars (من غير عمد), which is only validly done by God Almighty.

The second attribute is His saying, "And leveled it" (فسواها). There are two interpretations here:

1. The meaning is the leveling of its composition/structure (تسوية تأليفها).
2. It is said that the meaning is the negation of fissures or cracks (نفي الشقوق عنها), like His saying: "You do not see in the creation of the Most Merciful any inconsistency" (Al-Mulk: 3).

Those who hold the first view say that "And leveled it" (فسواها) is general, so it is not permissible to restrict it to leveling only some things.

Then they said: This indicates that the heaven is a sphere (كرة). For if it were not a sphere, some of its sides would be flat surfaces, some would be corners, and some would be lines. Also, some parts would be closer to us, and others farther away, and thus true leveling (التسوية الحقيقة) would not be achieved. Therefore, it must be a sphere so that true leveling is achieved.

Then they said: Since it is established that it is created (محدثة) and in need of an active agent (فاعل مختار), what religious harm (ضرر في الدين) arises from it being a sphere?