Tarikh (al-Tabari) 9
Creation of the heavens and the earth
خَلَقَ الْأَرْضَ قَبْلَ السَّمَاءِ قَالَ تَعَالَى: هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ لَكُمْ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَسَوَّاهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ [ الْبَقَرَةِ: 29 ]. وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: قُلْ أَئِنَّكُمْ لَتَكْفُرُونَ بِالَّذِي خَلَقَ الْأَرْضَ فِي يَوْمَيْنِ وَتَجْعَلُونَ لَهُ أَنْدَادًا ذَلِكَ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا رَوَاسِيَ مِنْ فَوْقِهَا وَبَارَكَ فِيهَا وَقَدَّرَ فِيهَا أَقْوَاتَهَا فِي أَرْبَعَةِ أَيَّامٍ سَوَاءً لِلسَّائِلِينَ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى إِلَى السَّمَاءِ وَهِيَ دُخَانٌ فَقَالَ لَهَا وَلِلْأَرْضِ ائْتِيَا طَوْعًا أَوْ كَرْهًا قَالَتَا أَتَيْنَا طَائِعِينَ فَقَضَاهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ فِي يَوْمَيْنِ وَأَوْحَى فِي كُلِّ سَمَاءٍ أَمْرَهَا وَزَيَّنَّا السَّمَاءَ الدُّنْيَا بِمَصَابِيحَ وَحِفْظًا ذَلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ [ فُصِّلَتْ: 9 - 12 ]. فَهَذَا يَدُلُّ عَلَى أَنَّ الْأَرْضَ خُلِقَتْ قَبْلَ السَّمَاءِ لِأَنَّهَا كَالْأَسَاسِ لِلْبِنَاءِ كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: اللَّهُ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ قَرَارًا وَالسَّمَاءَ بِنَاءً وَصَوَّرَكُمْ فَأَحْسَنَ صُوَرَكُمْ وَرَزَقَكُمْ مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ ذَلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ فَتَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ [ غَافِرٍ: 64 ]. وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ الْأَرْضَ مِهَادًا وَالْجِبَالَ أَوْتَادًا. إِلَى أَنْ قَالَ: وَبَنَيْنَا فَوْقَكُمْ سَبْعًا شِدَادًا وَجَعَلْنَا سِرَاجًا وَهَّاجًا [ النَّبَأِ: 6 - 13 ]. وَقَالَ: أَوَلَمْ يَرَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَنَّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ كَانَتَا رَتْقًا فَفَتَقْنَاهُمَا وَجَعَلْنَا مِنَ الْمَاءِ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ حَيٍّ أَفَلَا يُؤْمِنُونَ [ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ: 30 ]. أَيْ فَصَلْنَا مَا بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ حَتَّى هَبَّتِ الرِّيَاحُ، وَنَزَلَتِ الْأَمْطَارُ، وَجَرَتِ الْعُيُونُ وَالْأَنْهَارُ، وَانْتَعَشَ الْحَيَوَانُ. ثُمَّ قَالَ: وَجَعَلْنَا السَّمَاءَ سَقْفًا مَحْفُوظًا وَهُمْ عَنْ آيَاتِهَا مُعْرِضُونَ [ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ: 32 ]. أَيْ عَمَّا خُلِقَ فِيهَا مِنَ الْكَوَاكِبِ الثَّوَابِتِ وَالسَّيَّارَاتِ، وَالنُّجُومِ الزَّاهِرَاتِ، وَالْأَجْرَامِ النَّيِّرَاتِ، وَمَا فِي ذَلِكَ مِنَ الدَّلَالَاتِ عَلَى حِكْمَةِ خَالِقِ الْأَرْضِ وَالسَّمَاوَاتِ، كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: وَكَأَيِّنْ مِنْ آيَةٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ يَمُرُّونَ عَلَيْهَا وَهُمْ عَنْهَا مُعْرِضُونَ وَمَا يُؤْمِنُ أَكْثَرُهُمْ بِاللَّهِ إِلَّا وَهُمْ مُشْرِكُونَ [ يُوسُفَ: 105، 106 ]. فَأَمَّا قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: أَأَنْتُمْ أَشَدُّ خَلْقًا أَمِ السَّمَاءُ بَنَاهَا رَفَعَ سَمْكَهَا فَسَوَّاهَا وَأَغْطَشَ لَيْلَهَا وَأَخْرَجَ ضُحَاهَا وَالْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ دَحَاهَا أَخْرَجَ مِنْهَا مَاءَهَا وَمَرْعَاهَا وَالْجِبَالَ أَرْسَاهَا مَتَاعًا لَكُمْ وَلِأَنْعَامِكُمْ [ النَّازِعَاتِ: 27 - 32 ]. فَقَدْ تَمَسَّكَ بَعْضُ النَّاسِ بِهَذِهِ الْآيَةِ عَلَى تَقَدُّمِ خَلْقِ السَّمَاءِ عَلَى خَلْقِ الْأَرْضِ، فَخَالَفُوا صَرِيحَ الْآيَتَيْنِ الْمُتَقَدِّمَتَيْنِ، وَلَمْ يَفْهَمُوا هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ الْكَرِيمَةَ. فَإِنَّ مُقْتَضَى هَذِهِ الْآيَةِ أَنَّ دَحْيَ الْأَرْضِ وَإِخْرَاجَ الْمَاءِ وَالْمَرْعَى مِنْهَا بِالْفِعْلِ بَعْدَ خَلْقِ السَّمَاءِ، وَقَدْ كَانَ ذَلِكَ مُقَدَّرًا فِيهَا بِالْقُوَّةِ كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: وَبَارَكَ فِيهَا وَقَدَّرَ فِيهَا أَقْوَاتَهَا [ فُصِّلَتْ: 10 ]. أَيْ هَيَّأَ أَمَاكِنَ الزَّرْعِ وَمَوَاضِعَ الْعُيُونِ وَالْأَنْهَارِ، ثُمَّ لَمَّا أَكْمَلَ خَلْقَ صُورَةِ الْعَالَمِ السُّفْلِيِّ وَالْعُلْوِيِّ دَحَى الْأَرْضَ، فَأَخْرَجَ مِنْهَا مَا كَانَ مُودَعًا فِيهَا فَخَرَجَتِ الْعُيُونُ، وَجَرَتِ الْأَنْهَارُ، وَنَبَتَ الزَّرْعُ وَالثِّمَارُ ; وَلِهَذَا فَسَّرَ الدَّحْىَ بِإِخْرَاجِ الْمَاءِ وَالْمَرْعَى مِنْهَا وَإِرْسَاءِ الْجِبَالِ، فَقَالَ: وَالْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ دَحَاهَا أَخْرَجَ مِنْهَا مَاءَهَا وَمَرْعَاهَا. وَقَوْلُهُ وَالْجِبَالَ أَرْسَاهَا. أَيْ قَرَّرَهَا فِي أَمَاكِنِهَا الَّتِي وَضَعَهَا فِيهَا وَثَبَّتَهَا وَأَكَّدَهَا وَأَطَّدَهَا. وَقَوْلُهُ وَالسَّمَاءَ بَنَيْنَاهَا بِأَيْدٍ وَإِنَّا لَمُوسِعُونَ وَالْأَرْضَ فَرَشْنَاهَا فَنِعْمَ الْمَاهِدُونَ وَمِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقْنَا زَوْجَيْنِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ [ الذَّارِيَاتِ: 47 - 49 ]. بِأَيْدٍ أَيْ بِقُوَّةٍ، وَإِنَّا لَمُوسِعُونَ ; وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ كُلَّ مَا عَلَا اتَّسَعَ فَكُلُّ سَمَاءٍ أَعْلَى مِنَ الَّتِي تَحْتَهَا فَهِيَ أَوْسَعُ مِنْهَا ; وَلِهَذَا كَانَ الْكُرْسِيُّ أَعْلَى مِنَ السَّمَاوَاتِ، وَهُوَ أَوْسَعُ مِنْهُنَّ كُلُّهُنَّ. وَالْعَرْشُ أَعْظَمُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ بِكَثِيرٍ. وَقَوْلُهُ بَعْدَ هَذَا وَالْأَرْضَ فَرَشْنَاهَا. أَيْ بَسَطْنَاهَا وَجَعَلْنَاهَا مَهْدًا أَيْ قَارَّةً سَاكِنَةً غَيْرَ مُضْطَرِبَةٍ وَلَا مَائِدَةٍ بِكُمْ، وَلِهَذَا قَالَ: فَنِعْمَ الْمَاهِدُونَ. وَالْوَاوُ لَا تَقْتَضِي التَّرْتِيبَ فِي الْوُقُوعِ، وَإِنَّمَا يَقْتَضِي الْإِخْبَارَ الْمُطْلَقَ فِي اللُّغَةِ، وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ. وَقَالَ الْبُخَارِيُّ: بسنده عَنْ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ قَالَ: دَخَلْتُ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ، وَعَقَلْتُ نَاقَتِي بِالْبَابِ، فَأَتَاهُ نَاسٌ مَنْ بَنِي تَمِيمٍ، فَقَالَ: " اقْبَلُوا الْبُشْرَى يَا بَنِي تَمِيمٍ " قَالُوا: قَدْ بَشَّرْتَنَا فَأَعْطِنَا مَرَّتَيْنِ، ثُمَّ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ نَاسٌ مِنَ الْيَمَنِ فَقَالَ: " اقْبَلُوا الْبُشْرَى يَا أَهْلَ الْيَمَنِ إِذْ لَمْ يَقْبَلْهَا بَنُو تَمِيمٍ " قَالُوا: قَدْ قَبِلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، قَالُوا: جِئْنَاكَ نَسْأَلُكَ عَنْ هَذَا الْأَمْرِ قَالَ: " كَانَ اللَّهُ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ شَيْءٌ غَيْرُهُ، وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ، وَكَتَبَ فِي الذِّكْرِ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ، وَخَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ " فَنَادَى مُنَادٍ: ذَهَبَتْ نَاقَتُكَ يَا ابْنَ الْحُصَيْنِ. فَانْطَلَقْتُ فَإِذَا هِيَ يَقْطَعُ دُونَهَا السَّرَابُ، فَوَاللَّهِ لَوَدِدْتُ أَنِّي كُنْتُ تَرَكْتُهَا. هَكَذَا رَوَاهُ هَاهُنَا، وَقَدْ رَوَاهُ فِي كِتَابِ الْمَغَازِي وَكِتَابِ التَّوْحِيدِ، وَفِي بَعْضِ أَلْفَاظِهِ ثُمَّ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ. وَهُوَ لَفْظُ النَّسَائِيِّ أَيْضًا. وَقَالَ الْإِمَامُ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ: بسنده عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: أَخَذَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِيَدِي فَقَالَ: خَلَقَ اللَّهُ التُّرْبَةَ يَوْمَ السَّبْتِ، وَخَلَقَ الْجِبَالَ فِيهَا يَوْمَ الْأَحَدِ، وَخَلَقَ الشَّجَرَ فِيهَا يَوْمَ الِاثْنَيْنِ، وَخَلَقَ الْمَكْرُوهَ يَوْمَ الثُّلَاثَاءِ، وَخَلَقَ النُّورَ يَوْمَ الْأَرْبِعَاءِ، وَبَثَّ فِيهَا الدَّوَابَّ يَوْمَ الْخَمِيسِ، وَخَلَقَ آدَمَ بَعْدَ الْعَصْرِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ آخِرَ الْخَلْقِ فِي آخِرِ سَاعَةٍ مِنْ سَاعَاتِ الْجُمُعَةِ فِيمَا بَيْنَ الْعَصْرِ إِلَى اللَّيْلِ. وَقَدْ رَوَاهُ النَّسَائِيُّ فِي التَّفْسِيرِ، بسنده عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ: أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَخَذَ بِيَدِي فَقَالَ: يَا أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرَضِينَ، وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ، ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى عَلَى الْعَرْشِ يَوْمَ السَّابِعِ، وَخَلَقَ التُّرْبَةَ يَوْمَ السَّبْتِ. قُلْتُ: أَمَّا مَا وَرَدَ فِي هَذِهِ الْأَخْبَارِ مِنْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى خَلَقَ الْأَرْضَ فِي يَوْمِ كَذَا، فَإِنَّمَا هُوَ مَجَازٌ، وَإِلَّا فَلَمْ يَكُنْ ذَلِكَ الْوَقْتَ أَيَّامٌ وَلَيَالٍ، لِأَنَّ الْأَيَّامَ عِبَارَةٌ عَمَّا بَيْنَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ وَغُرُوبِهَا، وَاللَّيَالِي عِبَارَةٌ عَمَّا بَيْنَ غُرُوبِهَا وَطُلُوعِهَا، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ ذَلِكَ الْوَقْتَ سَمَاءٌ، وَلَا شَمْسٌ. وَإِنَّمَا الْمُرَادُ بِهِ أَنَّهُ خَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ بِمِقْدَارِ يَوْمٍ، كَقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: وَلَهُمْ رِزْقُهُمْ فِيهَا بُكْرَةً وَعَشِيًّا
Translation
✧ He created the earth before the heaven. He, exalted be He, said: “It is He who created for you all that is in the earth, then He turned to the heaven and fashioned them as seven heavens; and He is knowing of all things” [al-Baqarah: 29]. And He, exalted be He, said: “Say: Do you indeed disbelieve in Him who created the earth in two days, and do you set up rivals to Him? That is the Lord of the worlds. And He placed in it firm mountains from above it, and blessed it, and determined in it its sustenance in four days, equal for those who ask. Then He turned to the heaven while it was smoke, and said to it and to the earth: Come both of you, willingly or unwillingly. They said: We come willingly. So He completed them as seven heavens in two days, and revealed in each heaven its command; and We adorned the lower heaven with lamps and as a protection. That is the decree of the Mighty, the Knowing” [Fuṣṣilat: 9–12]. This indicates that the earth was created before the heaven, because it is like the foundation for the building, as He, exalted be He, said: “It is Allah who made for you the earth a place of rest and the heaven a structure, and formed you and made your forms beautiful, and provided you with good things. That is Allah your Lord; so blessed be Allah, Lord of the worlds” [Ghāfir: 64]. And He, exalted be He, said: “Have We not made the earth a cradle, and the mountains as pegs?” until He said: “And built above you seven strong ones, and made a blazing lamp” [al-Nabaʾ: 6–13]. And He said: “Have not those who disbelieve seen that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity, then We split them apart, and made from water every living thing? Will they not then believe?” [al-Anbiyāʾ: 30]. That is, We separated what was between the heaven and the earth until the winds blew, the rains descended, the springs and rivers flowed, and the animals revived. Then He said: “And We made the heaven a protected canopy, while they are turning away from its signs” [al-Anbiyāʾ: 32]. That is, from what was created in it of the fixed and moving planets, the bright stars, the shining bodies, and the indications in that of the wisdom of the Creator of the earth and the heavens, as He, exalted be He, said: “And how many a sign in the heavens and the earth do they pass by while they are turning away from it? And most of them do not believe in Allah except while they associate others with Him” [Yūsuf: 105, 106]. As for His saying, exalted be He: “Are you a more difficult creation, or the heaven? He built it. He raised its height and proportioned it. He darkened its night and brought forth its morning light. And the earth after that He spread it out. He brought forth from it its water and its pasture, and the mountains He anchored, as a provision for you and your livestock” [al-Nāziʿāt: 27–32]. Some people have clung to this verse to claim the precedence of the creation of the heaven over the creation of the earth, thus contradicting the clear import of the two preceding verses, and they did not understand this noble verse. For the implication of this verse is that the spreading out of the earth and the actual bringing forth of water and pasture from it took place after the creation of the heaven, while that had been determined in it potentially, as He, exalted be He, said: “And blessed it and determined in it its sustenance” [Fuṣṣilat: 10]. That is, He prepared the places of cultivation and the sites of springs and rivers. Then, when He completed the creation of the form of the lower and upper world, He spread out the earth, and brought forth from it what had been deposited in it: the springs gushed forth, the rivers flowed, and plants and fruits grew. For this reason He interpreted the spreading as the bringing forth of water and pasture from it and the anchoring of the mountains. He said: “And the earth after that He spread it out. He brought forth from it its water and its pasture.” And His saying: “And the mountains He anchored.” That is, He fixed them in their places where He had placed them, and made them firm, and secured and settled them. And His saying: “And the heaven We built with strength, and indeed We are expanding. And the earth We spread out, and how excellent are the spreaders! And of every thing We created pairs, so that you may remember” [al-Dhāriyāt: 47–49]. “With strength” means with power, and “indeed We are expanding”; that is because everything that is higher is wider, so each heaven that is above the one below it is wider than it. For this reason the Kursī is higher than the heavens and is wider than all of them, and the Throne is far greater than all of that. And His saying after this: “And the earth We spread out.” That is, We laid it out and made it a cradle, that is, stable and still, not shaking nor swaying with you. For this reason He said: “And how excellent are the spreaders!” The conjunction wāw does not imply ordering in occurrence; it only implies absolute reporting in the language, and Allah knows best. Al-Bukhārī said: with his chain of transmission from ʿImrān b. Ḥuṣayn, who said: I entered upon the Prophet ﷺ, and I had hobbled my she-camel at the door. Some people of Banū Tamīm came to him, and he said: “Accept the good news, O Banū Tamīm.” They said: You have given us good news, so give us something—twice. Then some people from Yemen entered upon him, and he said: “Accept the good news, O people of Yemen, since Banū Tamīm did not accept it.” They said: We have accepted, O Messenger of Allah. They said: We have come to ask you about this matter. He said: “Allah existed, and there was nothing other than Him, and His Throne was upon the water, and He wrote in the Remembrance everything, and He created the heavens and the earth.” Then a caller called out: Your she-camel has gone, O Ibn al-Ḥuṣayn. So I went off, and there it was, with the mirage cutting off before it. By Allah, I wished that I had left it. This is how he narrated it here, and he also narrated it in the Book of Military Expeditions and the Book of Divine Unity. In some of its wordings: then He created the heavens and the earth. That is also the wording of al-Nasāʾī. Imam Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal said: with his chain of transmission from Abū Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ took me by the hand and said: Allah created the dust on Saturday, and created the mountains in it on Sunday, and created the trees in it on Monday, and created the unpleasant things on Tuesday, and created light on Wednesday, and spread the creeping creatures in it on Thursday, and created Adam after ʿaṣr on Friday, the last of creation in the last hour of the hours of Friday, between ʿaṣr and night. Al-Nasāʾī narrated it in the commentary, with his chain of transmission from Abū Hurayrah: that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ took me by the hand and said: O Abū Hurayrah, Allah created the heavens and the earths and what is between them in six days, then He established Himself on the Throne on the seventh, and He created the dust on Saturday. I say: As for what is mentioned in these reports that Allah, exalted be He, created the earth on such-and-such a day, it is only figurative, otherwise there were no days and nights at that time, because days are an expression for what is between sunrise and sunset, and nights for what is between sunset and sunrise, and at that time there was no heaven and no sun. What is meant is only that He created everything in the measure of a day, like His saying, exalted be He: “And their provision in it morning and evening.”
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