41 Fussilat

Mecca Period 61 [54 ayats]


The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

قُلْ أَئِنَّكُمْ لَتَكْفُرُونَ بِالَّذِي خَلَقَ الْأَرْضَ فِي يَوْمَيْنِ ...

41: 9. Say:

Is it that ye Deny Him Who created the earth in two Days?

C4470. This is a difficult passage, describing the primal creation of our physical earth and the physical heavens around us.

If we count the two Days mentioned in this verse, the four Days, mentioned in verse 10, and the two Days mentioned in verse 12, we get a total of eight Days, while in many passages the creation is stated to have taken place in six Days:

see 7:54, n. 1031; and 32:4, n. 3632.

The Commentators understand the "four Days" in verse 10 to include the two Days in verse 9, so that the total for the universe comes to six Days. This is reasonable, because the processes described in verses 9 and 10 form really one series.

In the one case it is the creation of the formless matter of the earth; in the other case it is the gradual evolution of the form of the earth, its mountains and seas, and its animal and vegetable life, with the "nourishment in due proportion", proper to each.

Cf. also 15:19-20.

... وَتَجْعَلُونَ لَهُ أَندَادًا...

And do ye join equals with Him?

...ذَلِكَ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿٩﴾

He is the Lord of (all) the Worlds.

وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا رَوَاسِيَ مِن فَوْقِهَا وَبَارَكَ فِيهَا...

41: 10. He set on the (earth), Mountains standing firm, high above it, and bestowed blessings on the earth,

C4471. Cf. 13:3 and 16:15, n. 2038.

High above it: the highest mountains are 29,000 feet above sea-level, and the lowest depths of the bottom of the ocean are 31,600 feet below sea-level, so that the vertical difference between the highest and lowest points on the solid crust of the earth is about 11-1/2 miles. The highland areas are the main sources of the water-supply in all the regions of the earth, and vegetable and animal life depends on water-supply.

...وَقَدَّرَ فِيهَا أَقْوَاتَهَا فِي أَرْبَعَةِ أَيَّامٍ ...

and measured therein all things to give them nourishment in due proportion, in four Days,

C4472. See n. 4470 above.

... سَوَاء لِّلسَّائِلِينَ ﴿١٠﴾

in accordance with (the needs of) those who seek (sustenance).

C4473. Sailin may mean either

If the former meaning is adopted, the clause means that everything is apportioned to the needs and appetites of Allah's creatures.

If the latter, it means that the needs of enquirers are sufficiently met by what is stated here.

ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى إِلَى السَّمَاء وَهِيَ دُخَانٌ...

41: 11. Moreover He Comprehended in His design the sky, and it had been (as) smoke:

C4474. For istawa see n. 1386 to 10:3. Cf. also 2:29.

C4475. From 79:30 it would appear as if the earth was spread out after the sky was made.

In the present passage the creation of the earth and the evolution of life on our globe are mentioned first; and the making of the sky into the seven firmaments is mentioned last. The two statements are not inconsistent.

It is stated here that when the sky was made into seven firmaments, it had existed previously as smoke, or vapour, or steam.

The idea I derive from a collation of the relevant Quranic passages is that Allah first created primeval matter, which was as yet without order, shape, or symmetry. This state is called Chaos as opposed to Cosmos in Greek Cosmogony.

The next stage would be the condensation of this primeval matter, into gases, liquids, or solids: on this subject no precise information is given to us: it belongs to the realm of Physics.

About the earth we are told of four stages or Days, and about the heavens, of two stages or Days. For Days see n. 4477 below.

If these stages proceeded or proceed together in time, it is obvious that each stage as we know it on earth is half as long as each stage in the heavens. But these are questions of Physics, Astronomy, or Geology, nor questions of Religion.

... فَقَالَ لَهَا وَلِلْأَرْضِ اِئْتِيَا طَوْعًا أَوْ كَرْهًا...

He said to it and to the earth: "Come ye together, willingly or unwillingly."

...قَالَتَا أَتَيْنَا طَائِعِينَ ﴿١١﴾

They said: "We do come (together), in willing obedience."

C4476. I take this to mean that Allah's design in creation was not to keep heaven and earth separate, but together, as we indeed are, being part of the solar system, and travellers through space, crossing the path of several comets. And all matter created by Allah willingly obeys the laws laid down for it.

فَقَضَاهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ فِي يَوْمَيْنِ وَأَوْحَى فِي كُلِّ سَمَاء أَمْرَهَا...

41: 12. So He completed them as seven firmaments in two Days and He assigned to each heaven its duty and command.

C4477. For "Days", which may include thousands of years, see 7:54, and n. 1031.

They refer to stages in the evolution of physical nature. In the Biblical cosmogony, (Gen. 1:1-7 and 2:1-7), which reflects old Babylonian cosmogony, the scheme is apparently to be taken literally as to days and is as follows.

- The first day Allah created light;

- the second, the firmament;

- the third, the earth and vegetation;

- the fourth, the stars and plants;

- the fifth, fish and fowl from the sea; and

- the sixth, cattle, creeping things, beasts on land, and man;

- on the seventh day He ended His work and rested.

Our scheme is wholly different.

- Allah did not rest, and never rests. "His Throne doth extend over the heavens and the earth, and He feeleth no fatigue in guarding and preserving them";

- Allah's work has not ended; His activity still goes on: 32:5 5; 7:54;

- man in our scheme does not come in with land animals; his advent is much later;

- our stages are not sharply divided from each other, as in the above scheme, where the stars and planets having been created on the fourth day, it is not intelligible how the first three days were counted, nor how vegetation grew on the third day.

Our stages for earth and heaven are not in sequence of time for the heavens and the earth. Our six stages are broadly speaking,

- the throwing off of our planet from cosmic matter;

- its cooling and condensing;

- 3 and 4 the growth of vegetable and animal life;

- 5 and 6 the parallel growth of the starry realm and our solar system.

...وَزَيَّنَّا السَّمَاء الدُّنْيَا بِمَصَابِيحَ وَحِفْظًا...

And We adorned the lower heaven with lights, and (provided it) with guard.

C4478. Cf. 15:17, and n. 1951; also 37:6-9.

The transition from the third person ("He completed," etc.) to the first person ("We adorned," etc.) may be noted.

The act of creation is an impersonal act: the act of adornment and guarding is a personal favour to Allah's creatures.

...ذَلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ ﴿١٢﴾

Such is the Decree of (Him) the Exalted in Might, Full of knowledge.


Asad’s Version:



41:9 SAY: "Would you indeed deny Him who has created the earth in two aeons? 7 And do you claim that there is any power that could rival Him, 8 the Sustainer of all the worlds?"

(41:10) For He [it is who, after creating the earth,] placed firm mountains on it, [towering] above its surface, and bestowed [so many] blessings on it, and equitably apportioned' its means of subsistence to all who would seek it: [and all this He created] in four aeons. 10


41:11 And" He [it is who] applied His design to the skies, which were [yet but] smoke; 12 and He [it is who] said to them and to the earth, "Come [into being], both of you, willingly or unwillingly!" - to which both responded, "We do come in obedience." 13


41:12 And He [it is who] decreed that they become seven heavens" in two aeons, and imparted unto each heaven its function. And We adorned the skies nearest to the earth with lights, and made them secure: 15 such is the ordaining of the Almighty, the All-Knowing.


Yuksel’s Version:

Cosmology and Ecology

41:9 Say, "You are rejecting the One who created the earth in two days, and you set up equals with Him. This is the Lord of the worlds."*

41:10 He placed in it stabilizers from above it, and He blessed it and established its provisions in four equal days, to satisfy those who ask.

41:11 Then He settled to the heaven, while it was still gas, and He said to it, and to the earth: "Come willingly or unwillingly." They said, "We come willingly."*

41:12 Thus, He then made them into seven heavens in two days, and He inspired to every universe its affair. We adorned the lowest universe with lamps, and for protection. Such is the design of the Noble, the Knowledgeable.


[[Yuksel’s notes -041:009-10 Each "day" of creation represents a period of time. According to the Quran, time is relative (32:5; 70:4). While the creation of earth took two units of time, the creation and evolution of all conditions for and stages of life took four units. This temporal comparison highlights the importance of the ecological system on planet earth. The conjunction between fragments in this verse is Wa (and), thus implying not a sequence of separate events, but overlapping series of events. See 7:69; 25:59; 32:4; 50:38; 57:4.

Though the Bible contains some of the original revelations, Ezra and other Jewish scholars inserted into it many of their misunderstandings, comments, desires and ignorance (2:59). The Biblical account of the creation of the universe does not match scientific evidence. For instance, Genesis 1:1-2 informs us that the first stage of the universe started with the creation of water. Another example of external inconsistency is the creation of plants on earth before the creation of the sun (Genesis 1:11-14).

The order of creation in the Bible is given in detail in its first book, which partially contradicts modern scientific findings: First day, light and darkness (Genesis 1:3-5), Second day, atmosphere, and waters (Genesis 1:6-8), Third day, land and making it fruitful (Genesis 1:9-13), Fourth day, sun, moon, and stars (Genesis 1:14-19), Fifth day, birds, insects, and fishes (Genesis 1:20-23), Sixth day, land animals, and man (Genesis 1:24,28).

The Bible also contains internal inconsistencies. For instance, a comparative reading of chapter 1 and chapter 2 of Genesis will show that, most likely, the two chapters were authored by at least two different people who had different ideas about how the universe was created. Only through scientific evidence, which supports the Quranic version of creation, can we sort out the discrepancies in the Bible. Trees were created before man was (Genesis 1:11-12,26-27) versus man was created before trees were (Genesis 2:4-9). Birds were created before man was (Genesis 1:11-12, 26-27) versus man was created before birds were (Genesis 2:7,19). Animals were created before man was (Genesis 1:24-27) versus man was created before animals were (Genesis 2:7,19).

041:011 Time, space, matter, and everything in the universe, are muslims following the laws issued by their Creator. This verse also informs us about the early stage of the universe after the Big Bang (21:30).]]






[[Asad’s notes - 7 For the above rendering of the term yawm (lit., "day"), as "aeon", see last third of note 43 on 7:54. As in so many verses of the Qur'an which relate to cosmic events, the repeated mention of the "six aeons" during which the universe was created "two" of which, according to the above verse, were taken by the evolution of the inorganic universe, including the earth has a purely allegorical import: in this case, I believe, an indication that the universe did not exist "eternally" but had a definite beginning in time, and that it required a definite time-lapse to evolve to its present condition.


8 Lit., "do you give Him compeers (andad)?" For an explanation, see note 13 on 2:22.


9 I.e., in accordance with divine justice, and not with human concepts of "equity" or "need".


10 Almost all the classical commentators agree in that these "four aeons" include the "two" mentioned in the preceding verse: hence my interpolation of the words "and all this He created". Together with the "two aeons" of verse 12, the entire allegorical number comes to six.


1 1 Whenever the particle thumma is used, as in the above instance, to link parallel statements - i.e., statements not necessarily indicating a sequence in time it has the function of a simple conjunction, and may be rendered as "and".


12 I.e., a gas - evidently hydrogen gas, which physicists regard as the primal element from which all aterial particles of the universe have evolved and still evolve. For the meaning of the term sama ("sky" or "skies" or "heaven") in its cosmic connotation, see note 20 on 2:29.


1 3 Explaining this passage, Zamakhshari observes: "The meaning of God's command to the skies and the earth to 'come', and their submission [to His command] is this: He willed their coming into being, and so they came to be as He willed them to be...: and this is the kind of metaphor (majaz) which is called 'allegory' (tamthil)... Thus, the purport [of this passage] is but an illustration (taswir) of the effect of His almighty power on all that is willed [by Him], and nothing else...." (It is obvious that Zamakhshari's reasoning is based on the oft-repeated Qur'anic statement, "When God wills a thing to be, He but says unto it, 'Be' - and it is.") Concluding his interpretation of the above

passage, Zamakshari adds: "If I am asked about the meaning of [the words] 'willingly or


unwillingly', I say that it is a figurative expression (mathal) indicating that His almighty will must inevitably take effect." ]]


15 Cf. 15:16-18 and the corresponding notes 16 and 17; also 37:6 ff ]]


[[15:16 AND, INDEED, We have set up in the heavens great constellations, 15 and endowed them with beauty for all to behold;


(15:17) and We have made them secure against every satanic force

accursed 16 - (15:18) so that anyone who seeks to learn [the unknowable] by stealth is pursued by a flame clear to see. 17



[[ Asad’s notes - 16 The term shaytan ("satan") - derived from the verb shatana ("he was [or "became"] remote") - often denotes in the Qur'an a force or influence remote from, and opposed to, all that is true and good (Taj al-'Arus, Raghib): thus, for instance, in2:14 it is used to describe the evil impulses (shayatin) within the hearts of "those who are bent on denying the truth". In its widest, abstract sense it denotes every "satanic force", i.e., every impulsion directed towards ends which are contrary to valid ethical postulates. In the present context, the phrase "every satanic force accursed (rajim)"- like the phrase "every rebellious (marid) satanic force" in a similar context in 37:7 - apparently refers to endeavours, strongly condemned in Islam, to divine the future by means of astrological speculations: hence the preceding reference to the skies and the stars. The statement that God has made the heavens "secure" against such satanic forces obviously implies that He has made it impossible for the latter to obtain, through astrology or what is popularly described as "occult sciences", any real knowledge of "that which is beyond the reach of human perception" (al-ghayb).


17 Lit., "excepting [or "except that"] anyone who seeks to hear by stealth...", etc. The implication seems to be that any attempt at fathoming the mysteries of the unknowable by such illicit means ("by stealth") is inevitably followed by "a flame clear to see", i.e., by burning, self-evident frustration. (Cf also 37:10.)


37:6 Behold, We have adorned the skies nearest to the earth with the beauty of stars, (37:7) and have made them secure against every rebellious, satanic force, 3 [[[3 For an explanation of this passage, see note 16 on 15:17.]]]



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