سورة النازعات

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): A man said to him: "Two verses in the Qur'an contradict each other!" He said: "In your view they contradict each other — recite them." The man said: "... قُلْ أَ إِنَّکُمْ لَتَکْفُرُونَ بِالَّذِی خَلَقَ الْأَرْضَ فِی یَوْمَیْنِ [Say: Do you really disbelieve in Him who created the earth in two days, and set up equals to Him? He is the Lord of the worlds. And He placed in it firm mountains rising above it, and blessed it, and ordained in it its sustenance in four days, alike for those who ask. Then He directed Himself to the heaven] (Fussilat 41:9-11), and the saying of Allah: وَ الْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ ذلِکَ دَحاها [And the earth, He expanded it after that]." Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Allah created the earth before the heaven, then created the heaven, then after creating the heaven He spread out the earth; and indeed دَحاها means spreading it out."

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): Allah spread out the earth after the heaven, although the earth had been created before the heaven; the earth was a gathered mound beneath the Ka'ba, and Allah spread it out.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): Its meaning is that He made the seas, rivers and springs to flow.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The day was created before the night, and the sun, the moon and the earth before the sky.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): Allah created the earth with its sustenances without spreading it out or expanding it, ثُمَّ اسْتَوی إِلَی السَّماءِ فَسَوَّاهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَماواتٍ [Then He turned to the heaven and arranged them into seven heavens] (Al-Baqarah/29); then He drew out the earth and spread it, and this is the saying of Allah وَ الْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ ذلِکَ دَحاها [And the earth, He expanded it after that].

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): The meaning of [the verse] تُبَدَّلُ الْأَرْضُ غَیْرَ الْأَرْض [On the day when this earth will be changed to another earth] (Ibrahim/48) is that this earth will be changed into an earth upon which no one has committed sins. That earth is prominent, and on it no mountains or vegetation are to be seen, just as on the first day Allah spread it out.

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): The meaning of وَالْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَلِکَ دَحَاهَا [And the earth, He expanded it after that] is: He spread it out.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Indeed Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, spread the earth out from beneath the Kaaba to Mina, then spread it from Mina to Arafat, then spread it from Arafat to Mina. So the earth is from Arafat, and Arafat is from Mina, and Mina is from the Kaaba.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): Two thousand years before Allah created the world, He placed the House of the Ka'bah upon the water on four pillars; then the earth was drawn out from beneath the House.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Allah the Mighty and Majestic created this House before the creation of the creatures; after that He brought the earth into being and drew it out and spread it from beneath it.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): When Allah willed to create the earth, He commanded the winds, and they blew upon the water and it became waves; then it foamed and became a single piece of foam, and He gathered it in the place of the Ka'bah and made mountains from foam, and drew the earth out from beneath it. This is the meaning of the saying of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: "إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَیْتٍ وُضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ لَلَّذِی بِبَکَّةَ مُبارَکاً" [Indeed, the first House set up for mankind is the one at Bakkah, blessed] (Al-i Imran/96).

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): He covered the earth with surging, tumultuous waves and the depths of swelling seas, whose mountainous waves rolled over one another, each thrusting the other back, foaming like rutting male camels in their frenzy. The rebellious, turbulent waters submitted under the weight of the earth's load, and the tumult of their tossing was stilled when it trod upon them with its breast; and they became lowly and humbled when it rolled over them with its shoulders. After the clamour of its waves, it became calm, subdued, and, in the reins of humiliation, led as a captive. The earth settled, spread out within the depths of its current, and it turned back the water from its arrogance, pride, rebellion and roaring, and its violent motion was diminished. After all those wild movements it fell silent, and after all that roaring and haughty rebellion it stood in its place.