Commentary

Verse 54 begins with the statement that Allah has created the heavens and the earth and the planets and the stars and that they perform their functions under a firmly established system. The statement releases an inevitable suggestion that the maker of this system has the most perfect power conceivable. This, in turn, invites every reasonable human being to think. Here is the most sacred Being who is capable of bringing this great universe from non-being to the state of being and who can keep it functioning through the wisest of systems. Why would it be difficult for him to undo everything and recreate it once again on the day of Qiyamah? For human beings, the best course is to stop denying the Qiyamah and turn to the same Being as their Rabb who is their Master and Nurturer. From Him they should seek what they need and Him alone they should worship. Let them come out of the quagmire of worshiping their own kind and recognize the truth. Said herein was: ` Surely, your Lord is Allah - Who created the heavens and the earth in six days.'

The Creation of the Heavens and the Earth: Why in Six Days?

A question arises here. We know that Allah Ta` ala has great power. He is capable of creating the whole universe in a single moment. The Holy Qur'an itself says so time and again. For instance, in Surah Al-Qamar, it is said: وَمَا أَمْرُ‌نَا إِلَّا وَاحِدَةٌ كَلَمْحٍ بِالْبَصَرِ‌ ﴿50﴾ (And Our Command is but a single Word, - like the twinkling of an eye - 54:50). Again, in Surah Ya Sin, إِذَا أَرَ‌ادَ شَيْئًا أَن يَقُولَ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ (when [ Allah ] intends [ to create ] a thing it is said: “ Be” and it comes to be - 36:82). Why, then, would six days be spent in creating the universe?

Commentator of the Qur'an, Sayyidna Said ibn Jubayr رضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہ has given an answer by saying that Allah is certainly capable of creating everything there is in a single moment, but Divine wisdom so demanded that the creation of our universe take six days so that human beings could be taught the lesson of graduation and perfection in run-ning the universal system. This is supported by a Hadith in which the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: Working with deliberation, dignity and graduation is from Allah Ta` ala and hastening, from Shaytan. (Mazhari, with reference to Shu'ab al-'iman by Al-Baihaqi)

The implication is that the attitude of rushing into doing things is not good for human beings. One cannot give due thought to and take into consideration all aspects of an issue at hand if driven by haste. An action taken in haste spoils what is done and brings remorse in the end. So, whatever is done with proper advance thinking and functional ease brings Barakah (blessing from Allah which enhances the efficiency and outcome of the Endeavour).

How were Days and Nights identified before the Creation of Earth, Heavens and Planets?

The second question is: The presence of the day and night is recognized through the movement of the sun. But, before the birth of the earth and the heavens, when there was no sun and moon, on what basis comes the count of six days?

For this reason, some commentators have said that six days means a time duration equal to six days and nights as in the existing world. But, a much clearer approach is that the terminology of day and night, that is, what occurs from sunrise to sunset is day and what appears from sunset to the next sunrise is night, is a terminology used in this world. May be, before the birth of the universe, Allah Ta` ala had other signs determined for the day and night - as it would be in Paradise where the day and night will not depend on the movement of the sun.

This also tells us that it is not necessary that the six days during which the earth and the heavens were created, be equal to our six days. Instead, it is possible that they may be longer than these - as the Qur'an says about the day of 'Akhirah which will be equal to one thousand years.

Abu ` Abdullah Razi has said that the movement of the far firmament is so fast as compared to the movements of our earth that the raised step of a man running here has still to come down to touch the ground when the far firmament moves a distance of three thousand miles. (Al-Bahr Al-Muhit)

Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Mujahid say that six days here mean the six days of 'Akhirah. The same view appears in a narration of Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ reported by Dahhak.

And these six days during which the creation of the universe took place began, according to authentic narrations, from Friday and ended on Friday. On Yowm al-Sabt (the day of Sabbath), that is, Saturday, there was no work done on the creation of the universe. Some ` Ulama say that ` sabt' means to discontinue. The day was named as Yowm al-Sabt because the work of creation was over by that day. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Mentioned in this verse is the creation of the universe in six days. Its details appear in verses 9 and 10 of Surah Ha Mim As-Sajdah (Fussilat - 41:9, 10) saying that the earth was created in two days, then, created on the earth were, mountains, rivers, tributaries, trees, vegetation and things, human beings and animals could eat, in another two days. This comes to a total of four days. So, it was first said: خَلَق الاَرضَ فِی یَومین (created the earth in two days) and then it was said: قَدَّرَ‌ فِيهَا أَقْوَاتَهَا فِي أَرْ‌بَعَةِ أَيَّامٍ (and determined in it the measure of its sustenance in four days).

The first two days during which the earth was created are Sunday and Monday; and the other two days during which the mountains, rivers and the life support systems of the earth were created are Tuesday and Wednesday. Thereafter, it was said: فَقَضَاهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ فِي يَوْمَيْ (that is, then We completed the seven heavens in two days - 41:12 ). As obvious, these two days will be Thursday and Friday. Thus, by Friday, this becomes a total of six days.

In the present verse (54), after mentioning the creation of the heavens and the earth, it was said: ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى الْعَرْ‌شِ (then He positioned Himself on the Throne). The word: اِسْتَوَىٰ (Istawa), as followed by 'ala (on) here, literally means to take position on, or to settle, or be established. The word: عَرْ‌شِ ('Arsh) means throne. Now, the question is what is this throne, the throne of the great Rahman, and how is it shaped or constituted, or is as it is - and what would the phenomena of positioning' on it mean?

Regarding this, the safest creed to hold, that which is clear and correct, and fairly doubt-free too, is no other but that of the most righteous elders, the Sahabah and the Tabi` in - and later, that of many Sufi thinkers as well. The creed is that human reason is incapable of comprehending the reality of the Being and Attributes of Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu. Pursuing the knowledge of its exact reality is an exercise in futility, even harmful. One should believe, as a matter of general principle, that the meaning intended by Allah Ta` ala - whatever it may be - is the one correct and true. And, in this process, one should not try to determine or worry about fixing a meaning on one's own.

Someone asked the famous Imam Malik (رح) exactly the same question:

at is the meaning of: اسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى الْعَرْ‌شِ (Istawa ` ala al-'arsh : positioned Himself on the throne)? He paused for a while, then said: ` Everyone knows the meaning of ` Istawa and its particular nature and reality is such that human reason cannot comprehend it, and having faith in it is obligatory (Wajib), and asking a question about its nature and reality is Bid'ah (innovation in established religion) - because, the noble Sahabah, may Allah be pleased with them all, never asked such questions of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Great elders (Salaf), Sufyan Al-Thawriy, Imam Awza'i, Layth ibn Sa'd, Sufyan ibn ` Uyaiynah and ` Abdullah ibn Mubarak, may the mercy of Allah be upon them all, have said that the verses which have appeared in the Qur'an as related to the Being and Attributes of Allah Ta` ala should be believed in as they have come and exactly as they are, without any explanation, explication and interpretation. (Mazhari)

Said after that in the verse was: يُغْشِي اللَّيْلَ النَّهَارَ‌ يَطْلُبُهُ حَثِيثًا (He covers the day with night which pursues it swiftly). The sense is that this alternation of the night and day is a phenomenon of revolutionary proportions in that it brings the whole world from light into the darkness, and from darkness into the light. Then, this very phenomena lends itself so swiftly and smoothly and obediently to the magnificent subduing power of Allah Ta` ala that the least delay is not caused (in this transformation on such an unimaginable scale).

After that, it was said: وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ‌ وَالنُّجُومَ مُسَخَّرَ‌اتٍ بِأَمْرِ‌هِ that is, Allah created the sun and the moon and the stars in a state that all of them are moving in obedience to His will and command.

For a reasonable person, this is an invitation to think, to think about things made by the made he observes around him all the time. Experts make machines of all sorts. Some of them would have engineering problems right from the start. Others may not have such problems, but machines are machines, no matter how strong the base material and how impeccable the design. Parts have their normal wear and tear, or need for adjustment, repairs, servicing. Machines become idle until fixed. It might take weeks, or months, to put them back to work. But, look at these God-made machines. The efficiency and the perfection with which they started working from day one is still there. They are working wonderfully non-stop. Their movement is as precise as ever, not a second fast or slow. There is no wear and tear of parts and no need to go to a workshop. The reason is that they are functioning ` subject to His command' (مُسَخَّرَ‌اتٍ بِأَمْرِ‌هِ ). In other words, they need no source of energy to move them, no engine to make them function. They are working only under Divine Command. They are subjected to that alone. Therefore, the emergence of the slightest malfunction in them is impossible. But, of course, when the Absolute Master Himself decides to eliminate them at a time appointed by Him, this entire system would disintegrate. That day will be the day of Qiyamah.

After having pointed out some examples, the description of the Absolute Subduing Power of Allah Ta` ala was put in the form of a general rule by saying: أَلَا لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالْأَمْرُ‌ (Beware, for Him alone is the creation and the command). The word: خَلق (khalq) means to create and: اَمر (amr), to command. The sense is that being the Creator and the Master is exclusive to Him. Other than Him, no one else can create the most insignificant of things, nor does anyone have the right to subject anyone to his command (except that Allah Ta` ala Himself delegates a particular area of activity to someone, in which case that too would be, in reality, nothing but the command of Allah). So, the verse means that creating all these things was the work of none but Him, and putting them into service was also not something anyone else could handle, for that too is an spectacle of the perfect power of Allah Ta` ala.

In Sufi thought, ` Khalq' and ` Amr' are two domains. ` Khalq' relates to matter and ` Amr' to the refined abstract. The Qur'anic verse: قُلِ الرُّ‌وحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ‌ رَ‌بِّي (Say, "The soul is a command from my Lord." - 17: 85) points out in this direction as "Ruh" (soul, spirit) has been identified as a command from the Lord. The sense of the creation and the command being exclusive to Allah Ta` ala would, in this light, mean that everything between the heavens and the earth is from matter and its creation has been called "Khalq." And what is beyond these, free from matter, its creation has been called "Amr." (Mazhari)

At the end of the verse, it was said: تَبَارَ‌كَ اللَّـهُ رَ‌بُّ الْعَالَمِينَ (Glorious is Allah, the Lord of the worlds). The word: تَبَارَک (tabarak) appearing here is a derivation from barakah which means to increase, grow, become more, remain, sustain, besides being employed in many other shades of meaning. At this place, ` tabaraka' means to be high and supreme. It can be taken in the sense of high and sustaining, for Allah Ta` ala is both. The sense of high finds confirmation in a sentence of the Hadith which says: تَبَرَکتَ وَ تَعَلَیتَ یَا ذَا الجلالِ وَ الاِکرَامِ (You are blessed and high, 0 Master of Glory and Honour). Here, the word: ` tabarkta' has been explained by the word: ta` aiaita which follows.