Tarikh (al-Tabari) 1
Creation of the heavens and the earth
مُلَخَّصُ خَلْقِ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ خَلَقَ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ، وَقَدِ اخْتَلَفَ الْمُفَسِّرُونَ فِي مِقْدَارِ هَذِهِ السِّتَّةِ الْأَيَّامِ فَالْجُمْهُورُ عَلَى أَنَّهَا كَأَيَّامِنَا هَذِهِ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُ السَّلَفِ: إِنَّ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ مِنْهَا كَأَلْفِ سَنَةٍ مِمَّا تَعُدُّونَ، وَكَانَ آخِرَ هَذِهِ الْأَيَّامِ يَوْمُ الْجُمْعَةِ وَهُوَ عِيدُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ الَّذِي هَدَاهُمُ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ. وَقَدِ اخْتَلَفَ الْعُلَمَاءُ حَوْلَ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ أَوَّلًا هَلْ خَلَقَ الْقَلَمَ أَمِ الْعَرْشَ أَوَّلًا أَمْ خَلَقَ الظُّلْمَةَ، وَهَلْ قَبْلَ خَلْقِ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ كَانَ ثَمَّةَ شَيْءٌ وَالَّذِي ذَهَبُوا إِلَيْهِ وَاتَّفَقُوا عَلَيْهِ أَنَّ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ خُلِقَتْ بَعْدَ الْقَلَمِ وَالْعَرْشِ وَاخْتَلَفُوا فِيمَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ. كَمَا ذَكَرَ أَهْلُ الْعِلْمِ أَنَّ خَلْقَ الْأَرْضِ كَانَ قَبْلَ خَلْقِ السَّمَوَاتِ مُسْتَدِلِّينَ بِالْعَدِيدِ مِنَ الْآيَاتِ، وَمِنْهَا قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ لَكُمْ مَا فِي الأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَسَوَّاهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ [ الْبَقَرَةِ: 29 ]. وَقَدْ خَلَقَ اللَّهُ الْأَرْضَ وَقَدَّرَ فِيهَا أَقْوَاتَهَا كَمَا خَلَقَ السَّمَوَاتِ وَزَيَّنَهَا بِالنُّجُومِ وَالْكَوَاكِبِ، وَحِفْظًا مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْطَانٍ مَارِدٍ، وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ الْأَرْضِ مَسَافَةَ خَمْسِمِائَةِ سَنَةٍ وَكَذَا بَيْنَ كُلِّ سَمَاءٍ وَالَّتِي تَلِيهَا وَكَثَافَةُ كُلِّ سَمَاءٍ مَسَافَةُ خَمْسُمِائَةِ عَامٍ. كَمَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ فِي السَّمَاءِ الشَّمْسَ وَجَعَلَهَا تَجْرِي لِمُسْتَقَرٍّ لَهَا وَهِيَ تَذْهَبُ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ وَتَسْجُدُ لِرَبِّهَا وَتَأْذَنُ أَنْ تَعُودَ فَيَأْذَنُ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ لَهَا فَإِذَا كَانَ قُرْبَ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ لَمْ يَأْذَنْ لَهَا وَخَرَجَتْ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَتَتْ مِنَ الْمَغْرِبِ. وَقَدْ جَاءَ فِي النُّصُوصِ الْعَدِيدُ مِنَ الْإِجَابَاتِ عَنْ قَضَايَا تَتَعَلَّقُ بِخَلْقِ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا خَلَقَ فِيهِمَا فَقَدْ سَأَلَ هِرَقْلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ عَنِ الْقَوْسِ الَّذِي فِي السَّمَاءِ يَعْنِي قُزَحَ وَعَنِ الْمَجَرَّةِ وَعَنَ الْأَرْضِ الَّتِي لَمْ تُصِبْهَا الشَّمْسُ إِلَّا سَاعَةً، وَقَالَ لَا يُجِيبُ عَنْ هَذَا إِلَّا مَنْ لَدَيْهِ إِرْثُ النُّبُوَّةِ، فَجَاءَ الْجَوَابُ مِنَ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ بِأَنَّ الْقَوْسَ أَمَانُ الْأَرْضِ مِنَ الْغَرَقِ، وَالْمَجَرَّةَ بَابُ السَّمَاءِ الَّذِي تَنْشَقُّ مِنْهُ، وَأَمَّا الْبُقْعَةُ الَّتِي لَمْ تُصِبْهَا الشَّمْسُ إِلَّا سَاعَةً مِنَ النَّهَارِ فَالْبَحْرُ الَّذِي أُفْرِجَ عَنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ. وَنَصَّ الْعُلَمَاءُ عَلَى صِحَّةِ الْأَثَرِ كَمَا نَبَّهَ الْعُلَمَاءُ عَلَى الْعَدِيدِ مِنَ الْأَحَادِيثِ الْمُنْكَرَةِ وَالْمَوْضُوعَةِ فِي هَذَا الْمَوْضُوعِ. وَقَدْ تَكَلَّمَ الْعُلَمَاءُ عَنِ الْعَدِيدِ مِنَ الظَّوَاهِرِ الْكَوْنِيَّةِ وَمَا جَاءَ فِيهَا مِنْ نُصُوصٍ مِثْلِ الْبَرْقِ وَالرَّعْدِ، ثُمَّ تَكَلَّمَ الْعُلَمَاءُ عَنْ خَلْقِ الشَّمْسِ وَالْقَمَرِ وَكَيْفَ كَانَ ذَلِكَ كَمَا ذَكَرُوا حَجْمَ الْقَمَرِ بِالنِّسْبَةِ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ وَحَجْمَ الْأَرْضِ بِالنِّسْبَةِ لِلشَّمْسِ، كَمَا تَكَلَّمُوا عَنْ خَلْقِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَأَيُّهُمَا خُلِقَ قَبْلَ صَاحِبِهِ، كَمَا تَكَلَّمُوا رَحِمَهُمُ اللَّهُ عَنْ خَلْقِ الْجَنَّةِ وَالنَّارِ، وَهَلْ كَانَا قَبْلَ آدَمَ أَمْ بَعْدَهُ وَمَا فِي الْجَنَّةِ مِنَ الْعَجَائِبِ. خَلْقُ الْأَرْضِ هَذَا وَقَدْ تَكَلَّمَ الْعُلَمَاءُ عَلَى خَلْقِ الْأَرْضِ وَأَنَّهَا خُلِقَتْ قَبْلَ السَّمَاءِ وَأَنَّهُمَا كَانَتَا رَتْقًا كَمَا جَاءَ بِذَلِكَ الْقُرْآنُ فَفَتَقَهُمَا اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ وَأَنَّهُ خَلَقَهُمَا فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ وَتَكَلَّمُوا عَنْ هَيْئَاتِهِمَا. كَمَا ذَكَرَ الْعُلَمَاءُ أَنَّ الْأَرْضِينَ السَّبْعَ مُتَرَاكِمَاتٌ لَيْسَ بَيْنَهُمَا فَوَاصِلُ، وَذَكَرُوا أَقَالِيمَ الْأَرْضِ وَحُدُودَ كُلِّ إِقْلِيمٍ وَمَا فِيهَا مِنَ الْجِبَالِ وَأَشْهَرِ الْجِبَالِ وَأَقْدَسِهَا، كَمَا ذَكَرُوا مَا اطَّلَعُوا عَلَيْهِ فِي الْأَرْضِ مِنَ التِّلَاعِ وَالْعُقَابِ وَالتِّلَالِ، وَالرِّمَالِ، وَأَشْهَرِ الْقِلَاعِ وَأَمْنَعِهَا، وَذَكَرُوا الْأَبْنِيَةَ الْحَصِينَةَ وَالْمَعَادِنَ وَأَهَمَّ الْبِحَارِ وَالْأَنْهَارِ وَعَنْ نَهْرِ النِّيلِ وَالْفُرَاتِ وَعَنِ الْعَدِيدِ مِنْ عَجَائِبِ الْأَنْهَارِ وَالْبِحَارِ فِي الْأَرْضِ، وَذَكَرُوا أَجْنَاسَ الطَّيْرِ وَحَيَوَانَ الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ، وَالْأَشْجَارَ وَالثِّمَارَ، وَعَدَّدُوا مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ مِنْ عَجَائِبِ خَلْقِهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى. كَمَا ذَكَرَ الْعُلَمَاءُ رَحِمَهُمُ اللَّهُ الْمُلُوكَ الَّذِينَ مَلَكُوا الْأَرْضَ كُلَّهَا كَذِي الْقَرْنَيْنِ وَسُلَيْمَانَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ وَغَيْرَهُمَا.
Translation
✧ Summary of the creation of the heavens and the earth God, glorified be He, created the heavens and the earth in six days. The commentators have differed concerning the extent of these six days: the majority hold that they are like our days here. Some of the early scholars said: Each day of them is like a thousand years of what you count. The last of these days was Friday, and it is the feast of the Muslims, to which God guided them. The scholars have differed concerning what God created first: whether He created the Pen first, or the Throne first, or whether He created darkness first, and whether before the creation of the heavens and the earth there was anything. The view they adopted and agreed upon is that the heavens and the earth were created after the Pen and the Throne, and they differed concerning things other than that. The people of knowledge also mentioned that the creation of the earth was before the creation of the heavens, citing as evidence numerous verses, among them the saying of the Exalted: He it is who created for you all that is in the earth, then He turned to the heaven and fashioned them as seven heavens, and He has knowledge of all things [al-Baqarah: 29]. God created the earth and apportioned in it its sustenance, just as He created the heavens and adorned them with stars and planets, and as a protection from every rebellious devil, and He made between it and the earth a distance of five hundred years, and likewise between each heaven and the one next to it, and the thickness of each heaven is a distance of five hundred years. God, glorified be He, also created in the heaven the sun and made it run to a fixed resting-place for it. Every day it goes and prostrates to its Lord and asks permission to return, and God, glorified be He, grants it permission. But when the Day of Resurrection draws near, He will not grant it permission, and it will come out from where it came, from the west. In the texts there have come numerous answers concerning issues related to the creation of the heavens and the earth and what He created in them. Heraclius asked the Muslims about the bow that is in the sky, meaning the rainbow, and about the Milky Way, and about the land that the sun did not strike except for one hour. He said: None will answer this except one who has the inheritance of prophethood. The answer came from Ibn ʿAbbās that the bow is the safeguard of the earth from drowning, and the Milky Way is the gate of the heaven from which it will split, and as for the spot that the sun did not strike except for one hour of the day, it is the sea that was parted for the Children of Israel. The scholars have declared the report sound, and they have also drawn attention to numerous rejected and fabricated hadiths on this subject. The scholars have spoken about numerous cosmic phenomena and the texts that came concerning them, such as lightning and thunder. Then the scholars spoke about the creation of the sun and the moon and how that took place, and they mentioned the size of the moon relative to the earth and the size of the earth relative to the sun. They also spoke about the creation of the night and the day and which of them was created before the other. They also spoke, may God have mercy on them, about the creation of Paradise and Hell, and whether they were before Adam or after him, and about the wonders that are in Paradise. The creation of the earth The scholars also spoke about the creation of the earth and that it was created before the heaven and that they were a joined entity, as the Qur'an states, and God, glorified be He, parted them, and that He created them in six days, and they spoke about their forms. The scholars also mentioned that the seven earths are stacked one upon another with no gaps between them. They mentioned the regions of the earth and the boundaries of each region and the mountains in them and the most famous and most sacred mountains. They also mentioned what they have learned about the earth of the valleys, hills, mounds, sands, the most famous and most impregnable fortresses, and they mentioned the fortified buildings, the mines, and the most important seas and rivers, and about the Nile and the Euphrates, and about numerous wonders of the rivers and seas on earth. They mentioned the kinds of birds and land and sea animals, the trees and fruits, and they enumerated the wonders of His creation, glorified and exalted be He, that are on earth. As the scholars, may God have mercy on them, have also mentioned the kings who ruled the whole earth, such as Dhū al-Qarnayn and Solomon ﷺ and others.
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