Tafsir of Surah At-Talaq - Verse 12

Allah's Perfect Power

Allah the Exalted asserts His perfect power and infinite greatness, so that the great religion that He has legislated is honored and implemented,

اللَّهُ الَّذِى خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَـوَتٍ

(It is Allah Who has created seven heavens) Allah said in similar Ayat, like what Prophet Nuh said to his people,

أَلَمْ تَرَوْاْ كَيْفَ خَلَقَ اللَّهُ سَبْعَ سَمَـوَتٍ طِبَاقاً

(See you not how Allah has created the seven heavens one above another) (71:15), and,

تُسَبِّحُ لَهُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتُ ٱلسَّبْعُ وَٱلْأَرْضُ وَمَن فِيهِنَّ

(The seven heavens and the earth and all that is therein, glorify him.) (17:44) Allah's statement,

وَمِنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ مِثْلَهُنَّ

(and of the earth the like thereof.) means, He created seven earths. In the Two Sahihs, there is a Hadith that states,

«مَنْ ظَلَمَ قِيدَ شِبْرٍ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ طُوِّقَهُ مِنْ سَبْعِ أَرَضِين»

(Whoever usurps the land of somebody unjustly, even if it was a mere hand span, then his neck will be encircled with it down to the seven earths.) And in Sahih Al-Bukhari the wording is:

«خُسِفَ بِهِ إِلَى سَبْعِ أَرَضِين»

(...he will sink down to the seven earths.) In the beginning of my book, Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah, I mentioned the various narrations for this Hadith when I narrated the story of the creation of the earth. All the thanks and praise is due to Allah. Those who explained this Hadith to mean the seven continents have brought an implausible explanation that contradicts the letter of the Qur'an and the Hadith without having proof. This is the end of the Tafsir of Surat At-Talaq, all the thanks and praise is due to Allah.

Where are the Seven Earths and in at Form?

اللَّـهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ وَمِنَ الْأَرْ‌ضِ مِثْلَهُنَّ (Allah is the One who has created seven skies, and their like from earth...65:12). This verse indicates that there are seven earths as there are seven heavens, but the question is where these earths are and in what shape or form. Are they in the form of seven layers one above the other, or each earth is separate from the other. If they form layers one above the other, is there a distance between two earths, just as there is a distance between two heavens? Are there separate creatures living on each earth, just as separate types of angels are residing in every heaven? Is there air, wind, atmosphere and so forth on each earth? Or, are these layers of earth joined and compact with each other? The Qur'an is silent on these questions. There are Traditions reported on these questions, but the leading authorities of Traditions disagree about their authenticity. Some scholars have authenticated them and others have graded them as 'fabricated'. Rationally all findings are possible, and none of our religious or mundane needs are dependent on resolving these issues, nor will we be questioned about them in the grave or at Resurrection, so that we need to do research about the seven earths, their locale or their inhabitants. The safest position is to believe that there are seven earths as there are seven skies. Allah has created them with His Supreme Creative Power. Qur'an has mentioned this much only. If the Qur'an did not find it necessary to give a detailed account of it, there is no need for us to think about it or research it. This was the attitude of our pious predecessors. They formulated the following policy ابھموا ما ابھمہ اللہ ـ” Leave unexplained what Allah has left unexplained" as long as it does not contain any injunction for us to follow, nor does it concern our religious or mundane need. This commentary has been written for the common readers. Purely academic issues have not been included here which might not be needed for them.

يَتَنَزَّلُ الْأَمْرُ‌ بَيْنَهُنَّ (The Command descend among them...65:12) The verse purports to say that Divine commands and decrees are revealed and work in the seven heavens and in the seven earths. The Divine commands or decrees operate in two ways: [ 1] Tashri` i; and [ 2] Takwini. Tashri’ i command refers to laws Divinely prescribed for people who are legally obligated to observe them. The Divinely legislated laws are revealed through the angels to the Prophets (علیہم السلام) to be passed on to the humans and jinns. These laws pertain to articles of faith, worship, good morals, transactions and way of living. Adherence to them attracts reward and flouting them entails punishment. Takwini laws pertain to the Divine decrees in connection with the creation of the universe or bringing it into existence from the realm of non-existence, its gradual growth and development, its phenomena of depletion and replenishment, and the phenomena of life and death. These decrees encompass the entire Divine creation. Therefore, if it be proved that between two earths there is atmosphere and distance, and that some kind of creatures inhabits it, even if that kind of creature is not legally bound by the Shari` ah laws, the description يَتَنَزَّلُ الْأَمْرُ‌ 'The Command descend among them...65:12) will still apply, because Allah's Takwini decrees encompass them as well. And Allah, the Pure and Exalted, knows best!

Al-hamdu1i11ah

The Commentary on

Surah At-Talaq

Ends here

‘It is God who created the seven heavens and the same number of earths’. This statement may refer to seven earths, but astronomy has not been able to discover this number. According to human knowledge (till the date of this writing) the present earth is an exception in this whole universe. Therefore, God knows the real meaning of this verse. So that you may know that God has power over all things’. This indicates that what God truly requires of man is ‘knowledge’ i.e. the consciousness of God’s Being. This vast system of the universe has been brought into being in order to make man recognise the Creator through it and have a deep and inner realisation of God’s immense Power.