سورة فصلت

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): ثُمَّ اسْتَوَی إِلَی السَّمَاءِ [Then He directed Himself to the heaven], meaning He created the heaven and arranged it.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): istiwa in its origin means uprightness and steadfastness, and the resolve of firm arrangement is itself the istiwa in arrangement.

Imam al-Rida (peace be upon him): Safwan ibn Yahya said: ...Abu Qurra said: "Where is Allah?" Imam al-Rida (peace be upon him) said: "'Where' is a place, and this is a question asked by one who is present about one who is absent. Allah the Exalted is not absent, and no one comes upon Him. He is present in every place, existent, arranging, making, preserving, upholding the heavens and the earth." Abu Qurra said: "Is He not above the heaven, apart from all that is besides it?" Imam al-Rida (peace be upon him) said: "He is the Allah of the heavens and the earth. He is the One who is Allah in the heaven and Allah in the earth. He is the One who shapes you in the wombs however He wills. He is with you wherever you are, and He is the One who اسْتَوَی إِلَی السَّمَاءِ وَ هِیَ دُخَان [directed Himself to the heaven while it was smoke] — it is He who has dominion over the heaven, even though it is in the form of gas."

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): Then He turned to the creation of the heaven while it was smoke, and He raised it up and adorned it with the stars, the sun and the moon, and set them running in their orbit.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): First He created the thing from which all things come, and that is water, from which He created all things; and He attributed every thing to water, but He did not attribute water to anything to which it could be ascribed. And He created the wind from water, then He set the wind over the water, and the wind split open the surface of the water until foam arose from the water in the measure that He willed it to arise. Then from that foam He created a white, pure earth in which there was no crack, nor hole, nor elevation, nor depression, nor tree. Then He folded it up and placed it above the water. Then Allah created fire from water; the fire split open the heart of the water until smoke rose from the water in the measure that Allah willed it to rise, and Allah created from that smoke a clear, pure heaven in which there was neither crack nor hole. And this is His saying: السَّماءُ بَناها* رَفَعَ سَمْکَها فَسَوَّاها* وَ أَغْطَشَ لَیْلَها وَ أَخْرَجَ ضُحاها [The heaven, He built it. He raised its ceiling and proportioned it, and He darkened its night and brought out its morning brightness].

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Everything was water, and the Throne of Allah was upon the water. Then Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, commanded the water and it blazed up as fire; then He commanded the fire and it was extinguished, and from its extinguishing smoke rose up, and Allah created the heavens and the earth from that smoke.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Among the signs of Allah's creation is the creation of the heavens, which are firmly set without pillars and standing without any support. Allah called them to His obedience, and they responded obediently and with acknowledgement, without hesitation or delay. And had it not been for the heavens' acknowledgement of His lordship and their confession of submission to Him, He would not have made them the place of His Throne, nor the dwelling of His angels, nor the place of ascent for the goodly word and the righteous deed of His creatures.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): [What is meant by دُخَان (smoke)] was the vapor of the earth.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Ka'b said: 'O Abu al-Hasan! Inform me about the word of Allah the Exalted in His Book: وَ کانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَی الْماءِ لِیَبْلُوَکُمْ أَیُّکُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا [And His Throne was upon the water, that He might try you, which of you is best in deeds] (Hud/7).' The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) said: 'Yes, His Throne was upon the water at a time when there was no earth spread out, no heaven built, no voice heard, no spring gushing forth, no angel brought near, no messenger prophet, no star in motion, no moon in orbit, and no sun shining. His Throne was upon the water, and He was not lonely for any of His creatures; He glorified Himself and sanctified Himself as He willed. Then He began to create the creatures. He stirred up the waves of the seas, and there rose from them a smoke like the greatest of Allah's creation, and from it He built a closed heaven. Then He drew out the earth from beneath the place of the Ka'bah and spread it out — and that is the middle and centre of the earth — and joined it with the seas. Then He opened it up from its foundation and made it seven layers, after it had been one. Then He directed Himself to the heaven, which was smoke and vapour risen from the water that was in those seas, and by a word which none but He knows He made it seven layers. And in every heaven He placed angels as dwellers, and He created them infallible from sin, from a light taken from sweet seas — and that is the sea of mercy — and He made their food to be tasbih (glorification), tahlil (declaration of oneness) and taqdis (sanctification).'

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): The first thing that Allah the Mighty and Majestic created was water, and His Throne was upon it. When He willed to create the heaven, He brought forth from the water a smoke which rose above the water and was named the heaven. Then He dried the water and made it a single earth. Then He opened it up and made it seven earths in two days — Sunday and Monday. And He placed the earth on the back of a fish, and it is the fish that Allah mentioned in His Book and said: ن وَ الْقَلَمِ وَ ما یَسْطُرُونَ [Nun. By the pen and by what they write] (al-Qalam/1). And the fish and the water are upon a rock, and the rock is upon the shoulder of an angel, and the angel is upon a boulder, and it is the same boulder that Allah mentioned in the Qur'an and said: فَتَکُنْ فِی صَخْرَةٍ [and it be within a rock] (Luqman/16). The fish trembled and the earth trembled, so Allah anchored the mountains upon it and it became still, as Allah the Exalted said: أَنْ تَمِیدَ بِکُمْ [lest it should shake with you] (Luqman/10). And He created the mountains upon it, and He created the sustenance of its people, and its trees, and what befits it, in two days — Tuesday and Wednesday — as He the Exalted said: قُلْ أَ إِنَّکُمْ لَتَکْفُرُونَ بِالَّذِی خَلَقَ الْأَرْضَ فِی یَوْمَیْنِ وَ تَجْعَلُونَ لَهُ أَنْدَاداً ذَلِکَ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِینَ* وَ جَعَلَ فِیهَا رَوَاسِیَ مِنْ فَوْقِهَا وَ بَارَکَ فِیهَا وَ قَدَّرَ فِیهَا أَقْوَاتَهَا فِی أَرْبَعَةِ أَیَّامٍ سَوَاءً لِلسَّائِلِینَ* ثُمَّ اسْتَوَی إِلَی السَّمَاءِ وَ هِیَ دُخَانٌ [Say: Do you indeed disbelieve in Him who created the earth in two days and set up equals with Him? That is the Lord of the worlds. And He placed on it firm mountains from above it, and blessed it, and measured therein its sustenance in four days, equal for those who ask. Then He directed Himself to the heaven, and it was smoke]. This smoke arose from the breathing of the water, and Allah made it a single heaven, then He split it open in two days and made it seven heavens on Thursday and Friday, and Friday was so named only because in it the creation of the heavens and the earth was gathered together.

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Imam Rida (peace be upon him) was asked about creatures other than humans and jinn with whom Allah had spoken. The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "The heavens and the earth! Allah says: ائْتِیَا طَوعًا أَو کَرْهًا قَالتَا أَتَیْنَا طَائِعِینَ [Come both, willingly or unwillingly. They both said: We come willingly]."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Jabir al-Ju'fi said: Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: "Why has Friday been named by this name?" I said: "May I be your ransom! Inform me of it." He said: "Shall I not tell you its greatest interpretation and exegesis?" I said: "Yes, O son of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! Tell me." He said: "Jabir! This day has been named Friday (Jumu'ah) because on this day Allah gathered together all the inhabitants of the worlds, the first and the last of them, and everything He created of jinn and humans and all creatures of the heavens and the earth, the seas, Paradise and Hell, and everything He brought into existence, at the mithaq (the place of the covenant); and He took the covenant from all of them concerning His Lordship, and for Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) concerning prophethood, and for Ali (peace be upon him) concerning wilayah (guardianship); and on this same day Allah said to the heavens and the earth: ائْتِیا طَوْعاً أَوْ کَرْهاً قالَتا أَتَیْنا طائِعِین [Come both, willingly or unwillingly. They both said: We come willingly]."

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): The heaven brought its sun, moon and stars, and the earth brought its streams, trees and fruits; and there was no speech uttered and no reply given in words. Allah has expressed the power and speed of His creation with this easy expression — that there was no pause or delay, and it was as though a command was issued and obeyed. And this is the word of Allah the Exalted: when He wills to create something, His command is that He says: "Be," and it is. (Ya Sin/82)

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): [Concerning] فَقالَ لَها وَ لِلْأَرْضِ ائْتِیا طَوْعاً أَوْ کَرْهاً [So He said to it and to the earth: Come both, willingly or unwillingly]; He said to the heaven: bring forth your sun, moon and stars, and He said to the earth: split open your rivers and bring forth your fruits. They said: "We come willingly [and take shape]."

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): He said to the smoke: be solid, and it became solid; and He said to it: whistle, and it whistled. He called it and the earth, that is, both of them: وَ الْأَرْضَ جَمِیعاً ائْتِیا طَوْعاً أَوْ کَرْهاً قالَتا أَتَیْنا طائِعِینَ [And the earth altogether: Come both, willingly or unwillingly. They both said: We come willingly]; and He made them into seven heavens in two days, and He made the earth likewise.