سورة الطلاق

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): The statement of Allah the Mighty and Majestic اللهُ الَّذِی خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ وَ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ مِثْلَهُنَّ [Allah is He Who created seven heavens, and of the earth the like of them] is proof that beneath every heaven there exists an earth.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Indeed this earth and all who are on it, compared to what lies beneath it, is like a ring cast down in a vast and uninhabited land; and these two together with what is in them and on them, compared to what lies beneath them, are like a ring cast down in a remote wasteland; and likewise the third, until it reaches the seventh. Then he recited this verse: خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَماواتٍ وَ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ مِثْلَهُنَّ [He created seven heavens, and of the earth the like of them]. And these seven earths, with what is in them and what is on them, upon the back of the rooster are like a ring cast down in a remote plain. This rooster has two wings: one wing in the east and its other wing in the west.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Allah is One and loves the odd; Allah is unique and has chosen the odd. He made the rule of seven flow through all things: Allah the Mighty and Majestic has said: خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَماواتٍ وَ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ مِثْلَهُنَّ [He created seven heavens, and of the earth the like of them].

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Husayn ibn Khalid said: I said to Imam Rida (peace be upon him): "Explain to me the saying of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: وَ السَّماءِ ذاتِ الْحُبُکِ [By the heaven full of beautiful pathways]. (Dhariyat/7)" He said: "That (heaven) is firmly woven to the earth," and he interlaced his fingers. I said: "How can it be woven to the earth, when Allah says: رَفَعَ السَّماواتِ بِغَیْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَها [He raised the heavens without pillars that you can see]. (Ra'd/2)" He said: "Glory be to Allah! Does Allah not say: بِغَیْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَها [without pillars that you can see]? (Ra'd/2)" I said: "Yes." He said: "So there are pillars, but you do not see them." I said: "May I be your ransom! How is such a thing possible?" He then spread his left hand and placed his right hand upon it, and said: "This is the earth of the world, and the heaven of the world is above it like a dome, and the second earth is above the heaven of the world, and the second heaven is above it like a dome, and the third earth is above the second heaven, and the third heaven is above it like a dome, and the fourth earth is above the third heaven, and the fourth heaven is above it like a dome, and the fifth earth is above the fourth heaven, and the fifth heaven is above it like a dome, and the sixth earth is above the fifth heaven, and the sixth heaven is above it like a dome, and the seventh earth is above the sixth heaven, and the seventh heaven is above it like a dome, and the Throne of the Most Merciful is above the seventh heaven. And this is the saying of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: الَّذِی خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ [Who created seven heavens] in layers, وَ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ مِثْلَهُنَّ یَتَنَزَّلُ الْأَمْرُ بَیْنَهُنَّ [and of the earth the like of them; the decree continues to descend among them]. As for the master of the affair, he is the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), and the wasi and successor after the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) is present and existing on the face of the earth, and the affair descends upon him from above the heaven, from between the heavens and the earths." I said: "So beneath us there is only one earth?" He said: "Beneath us there is only one earth, and those six earths are above us."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When Allah the Mighty and Majestic willed to create Adam, He sent Jibra'il in the first hour of Friday, and with his right hand he took a handful [of dust], from the seventh heaven down to the heaven of the world, and from every heaven he took a portion of soil. Likewise, he took a handful of dust from the highest seventh earth down to the farthest lowermost seventh earth.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ مِثْلَهُنَّ [and of the earth the like of them] — Abu Salih narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him) that they are seven earths not stacked one above the other; the seas separate them, and the heaven casts its shade over all of them.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: "Is there any creation beneath the earth?" He said: "Yes, have you not heard the saying of Allah, who says: خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَماواتٍ وَ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ مِثْلَهُنَّ یَتَنَزَّلُ الْأَمْرُ بَیْنَهُنَّ [(He) created seven heavens, and of the earth the like of them; the decree continues to descend among them]."

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): It is narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding this verse: وَ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ مِثْلَهُنَّ [and of the earth the like of them]; قَالَ سَبْعُ أَرَضِینَ فِی کُلِّ أَرْضٍ نَبِیٌّ [he said: seven earths, in each earth a prophet]: [meaning] like your Prophet, an Adam like your Adam, a Nuh like your Nuh (peace be upon him), an Ibrahim like your Ibrahim (peace be upon him), and an Isa like your Isa.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Ali (peace be upon him) came to possess all that is upon the earth, and beneath it two clouds appeared to him — one unruly and one docile — and he chose the unruly one. In the unruly one was the ownership of what is beneath the earth, and in the docile one was the ownership of what is above the earth. He circled upon the unruly one through the seven earths, and found three of them desolate and four of them inhabited.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) says: A man in the Jami' Mosque of Kufa asked Imam Ali (peace be upon him): "Inform me of the first thing that Allah the Exalted created." He said: "He created the light." He asked: "Then from what were the heavens created?" He said: "From the vapour of water." He asked: "Then from what was the earth created?" He said: "From the foam of water." He asked: "Then from what were the mountains created?" He said: "From the waves." He asked: "Then why was Mecca named Umm al-Qura [the Mother of Towns]?" He said: "Because the earth was spread out from beneath it." He asked him about the lowest heaven, and said: "Of what is it?" He said: "Of a foamy wave." Then he asked him about the length and breadth of the sun and the moon. He said: "Nine hundred parasangs by nine hundred parasangs." And he asked him about the length and breadth of a star. He said: "Twelve parasangs by twelve parasangs." And he asked him about the colour and name of the seven heavens. He said: "The name of the lowest heaven is Rafi', and it is of water and smoke; and the name of the second heaven is Qaydum, and it is the colour of copper; and the third heaven, its name is al-Marum, and it is the colour of brass; and the fourth heaven, its name is Arfalun, and it is the colour of silver; and the name of the fifth heaven is Hay'un, and it is gold-coloured; and the name of the sixth heaven is 'Arus, and it is a green ruby; and the seventh heaven, its name is 'Ajma', and it is a white pearl."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Jabir says: I heard Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) saying: "Besides this sun, there are forty suns, and the distance between each sun and the next is forty years. In them are a great many creatures who do not know whether Allah has created Adam or not. And besides this moon of yours, there are forty moons, and the distance between each moon and the next is forty days' journey. In them are a great many creatures who do not know whether Allah has created Adam or not. It has been inspired to them just as it has been inspired to the honeybee ..."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Truly, Allah the Mighty and Majestic has twelve thousand worlds, each of which is greater than the seven heavens and the seven earths, and none of them knows that Allah the Mighty and Majestic has any world other than themselves, and I am the proof (hujjah) over all of them.

Imam Hasan (peace be upon him): Do you not know that the pledge of allegiance (bay'ah) to the tyrants and oppressors of the age is upon the neck of every one of us Ahl al-Bayt, and only the Qa'im (may Allah hasten his noble relief) is exempted from this, and no one has a pledge of allegiance upon his neck? The Qa'im is the one behind whom Isa (peace be upon him) will pray. Allah will conceal his birth and hide his person from view so that no one has a pledge of allegiance upon his neck. He is the ninth descendant of my brother Husayn (peace be upon him), and he will be born from the mistress of the handmaidens. Allah will prolong his life and keep him behind the veil of occultation, and after a long period he will appear while he is a young man, and his age will appear to be less than forty years — and this is so that people may know: أَنَّ اللهَ عَلی کُلِّ شَیْءٍ قَدِیرٌ [that Allah has power over all things].