Surah An-Nazi'at: (30) And the Earth, after that, He spread out.

Issues Discussed:

The word دَحَاها (dahāhā) means "He spread it out" or "leveled it."

• Poetic Evidence:
  • Zayd ibn Amr ibn Nufayl said:

    He spread it out, and when he saw it settled upon the water, He established the mountains upon it.

  • Umayyah ibn Abi al-Salt said:

    You spread out the lands and leveled them, and You are capable of folding them up.

• Linguistic Forms:
  • Linguists cite two forms: dahawtu adḥū (I spread) and duḥiyya adḥā (it was spread).
  • This is similar to ṣafawtu wa ṣafiyya, laḥawtu al-‘ūd wa laḥaytuhu, sa’awtu al-rajul wa sa’aytuhu, and ba’awtu ‘alayhi wa ba’aytu.

• Hadith Evidence:
  • In the supplication of Ali (peace be upon him): "O Allah, Spreader of the spread-out things" (اللهم داحى المدحيات), meaning the one who spread out the seven earths (which are also called al-madḥūwāt).

• Deeper Meaning:
  • Some say the root of Dahw (spreading) is the removal of something from one place to another.
  • Hence, it is said that a child yadḥū bi al-kurah (throws the ball) along the face of the earth.
  • The ostrich adḥā its nest site, meaning it leveled and cleared the pebbles from it so it could be prepared.
  • This indicates that the meaning of Dahw ultimately refers to removal and preparation/leveling.

The apparent meaning of this verse suggests the Earth came after the Heaven. However, the verse in Surah Fussilat (41:11), {Then He directed Himself to the heaven, and it was smoke}, suggests the Heaven came after the Earth.

We previously addressed this conflict in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:29), but we will reiterate some points here:

1. Sequence of Events: Allah first created the Earth, then created the Heaven, and then He spread out the Earth (dahāhā). This is because the Earth was initially like a gathered sphere. Allah then stretched it out and leveled it.
   • Counter-Argument: Empirical evidence suggests the Earth is currently a sphere. Furthermore, any massive body has a surface that appears flat to an observer, so it is impossible for this body to have been created without its surface being "spread out" or leveled.

2. Meaning of Dahāhā: The meaning of {Dahāhā} is not merely simple spreading, but rather spreading it out in a manner prepared for the growth of sustenance. This is clarified by the following verse: {He brought forth from it its water and its pasture} (79:31).
   • This preparation for vegetation could only occur after the existence of the Heaven. The Earth is like the mother, and the Heaven is like the father; until both exist, minerals, plants, and animals cannot be generated.

3. Conjunction of Concurrence: The phrase {And the Earth after that} means "along with that" or "in addition to that," similar to the verse: {Harsh, and after that, ignoble} (Al-Qalam 68:13).
   • When you tell a man, "You are such and such, and after that, you are such and such," you do not necessarily intend chronological sequence.
   • Similarly, Allah says: {Then, the freeing of a slave, or feeding on a day of severe hunger... Then, being among those who believe} (Al-Balad 90:12-17). This means being among the believers in addition to performing the preceding acts.
   • This interpretation aligns with what is narrated from Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Al-Suddi, and Ibn Jurayj regarding {And the Earth after that, He spread out}, meaning: "And along with that, He spread out the Earth."

Since it is established that Allah first created the Earth, then the Heaven, and then spread out the Earth, scholars have offered different estimations for these time periods.

• It is narrated from Abdullah ibn Umar: "Allah created the Kaaba two thousand years before the Earth, and from there the Earth was spread out."
• It should be noted that in matters like this, referring to the books of Hadith is more appropriate.