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Tafsir

Scholarly commentary explaining a verse — its context, its meaning and how the scholars have understood it.

Al-Mu'minun 23:17

Word by word

وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا فَوْقَكُمْ سَبْعَ طَرَآئِقَ وَمَا كُنَّا عَنِ ٱلْخَلْقِ غَـٰفِلِينَ

And We have created above you seven layered heavens, and never have We been of [Our] creation unaware.

Ibn Kathir (Abridged) English Ma'arif al-Qur'an English Tafsir Muyassar Arabic Tafsir Ibn Kathir Arabic All sources

Ibn Kathir (Abridged)

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

His Sign in the creation of the Heavens

After mentioning the creation of man, Allah then mentions the creation of the seven heavens. Allah often mentions the creation of the heavens and earth alongside the creation of man, as He says elsewhere:لَخَلْقُ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ أَكْـبَرُ مِنْ خَلْقِ النَّاسِ(The creation of the heavens and the earth is indeed greater than the creation of mankind) 40:57. A similar Ayah appears at the beginning of Surat As-Sajdah, which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to recite on Friday mornings.

At the beginning it mentions the creation of the heavens and earth, then it says how man was created from semen from clay, and it also discusses the resurrection and rewards and punishments, and other matters.سَبْعَ طَرَآئِقَ(seven Tara'iq.) Mujahid said, "This means the seven heavens." This is like the Ayat:تُسَبِّحُ لَهُ السَّمَـوَتُ السَّبْعُ وَالاٌّرْضُ وَمَن فِيهِنَّ(The seven heavens and the earth and all that is therein, glorify Him) 17:44أَلَمْ تَرَوْاْ كَيْفَ خَلَقَ اللَّهُ سَبْعَ سَمَـوَتٍ طِبَاقاً(See you not how Allah has created the seven heavens one above another) 71:15اللَّهُ الَّذِى خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَـوَتٍ وَمِنَ الاٌّرْضِ مِثْلَهُنَّ يَتَنَزَّلُ الاٌّمْرُ بَيْنَهُنَّ لِّتَعْلَمُواْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ أَحَاطَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عِلْمَا(It is Allah Who has created seven heavens and of the earth the like thereof.

His command descends between them (heavens and earth), that you may know that Allah has power over all things, and that Allah surrounds all things in (His) knowledge) 65:12 Similarly, Allah says here:وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا فَوْقَكُمْ سَبْعَ طَرَآئِقَ وَمَا كُنَّا عَنِ الْخَلْقِ غَـفِلِينَ(And indeed We have created above you seven Tara'iq, and We are never unaware of the creation.) meaning, Allah knows what goes into the earth and what comes out of it, what comes down from heaven and what goes up into it. He is with you wherever you are, and Allah sees what you do. No heaven is hidden from Him by another and no earth is hidden from Him by another. There is no mountain but He knows its features, and no sea but He knows what is in its depths. He knows the numbers of what is in the mountains, the hills, the sands, the seas, the landscapes and the trees.وَمَا تَسْقُطُ مِن وَرَقَةٍ إِلاَّ يَعْلَمُهَا وَلاَ حَبَّةٍ فِى ظُلُمَـتِ الاٌّرْضِ وَلاَ رَطْبٍ وَلاَ يَابِسٍ إِلاَّ فِى كِتَـبٍ مُّبِينٍ(And not a leaf falls, but He knows it.

There is not a grain in the darkness of the earth nor anything fresh or dry, but is written in a Clear Record.) 6:59وَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مَآءً بِقَدَرٍ فَأَسْكَنَّاهُ فِى الاٌّرْضِ وَإِنَّا عَلَى ذَهَابٍ بِهِ لَقَـدِرُونَ

Ma'arif al-Qur'an

Mufti Muhammad Shafi

وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا فَوْقَكُمْ سَبْعَ طَرَ‌ائِقَAnd We created upon you seven paths (heavens) - 23:17طَرَ‌ائِقَ is the plural of طَرِیقَۃ which may also be used as a synonym for طَبقَہ (tier) in which case the meaning would be that Allah created seven skies overhead row upon row in tiers. The other and more common meaning of the word طَرِیقَۃ is "road" or "passage" in which case the verse would mean that these skies provide a path for the angels who bring commands from Allah to the earth.وَمَا كُنَّا عَنِ الْخَلْقِ غَافِلِينَ (And We were never neglectful of the creation - 23:17). The verse means that Allah did not just abandon man after creating him, but was ever mindful of his needs and provided the means for his sustenance and growth. To this end He first created the skies and from the skies He sent forth rains upon the earth which then produced food for men's nourishment.

The Divine system of providing water to meet human needsوَمَا كُنَّا عَنِ الْخَلْقِ غَافِلِينَ وَمَا كُنَّا عَنِ الْخَلْقِ غَافِلِينَAnd We sent down water from the sky in due measure, then We lodged it in the earth, and of course, We are able to take it away. - 23:18

Tafsir Muyassar

Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Saudi Arabia

ولقد خلقنا فوقكم سبع سموات بعضها فوق بعض، وما كنا عن الخلق غافلين، فلا نُغْفِلُ مخلوقًا، ولا ننساه.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

لما ذكر تعالى خلق الإنسان ، عطف بذكر خلق السماوات السبع ، وكثيرا ما يذكر تعالى خلق السماوات والأرض مع خلق الإنسان ، كما قال تعالى : ( لخلق السماوات والأرض أكبر من خلق الناس ) [ غافر : 57 ] . وهكذا في أول ) الم ) السجدة ، التي كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقرأ بها [ في ] صبيحة يوم الجمعة ، في أولها خلق السماوات والأرض ، ثم بيان خلق الإنسان من سلالة من طين ، وفيها أمر المعاد والجزاء ، وغير ذلك من المقاصد .فقوله : ( سبع طرائق ) : قال مجاهد : يعني السماوات السبع ، وهذه كقوله تعالى : ( تسبح له السماوات السبع والأرض ومن فيهن ) [ الإسراء : 44 ] ، ( ألم تروا كيف خلق الله سبع سماوات طباقا ) [ نوح : 15 ] ، ( الله الذي خلق سبع سماوات ومن الأرض مثلهن يتنزل الأمر بينهن لتعلموا أن الله على كل شيء قدير وأن الله قد أحاط بكل شيء علما ) [ الطلاق : 12 ] . وهكذا قال هاهنا : ( ولقد خلقنا فوقكم سبع طرائق وما كنا عن الخلق غافلين ) أي : و يعلم ما يلج في الأرض وما يخرج منها ، وما ينزل من السماء وما يعرج فيها ، وهو معكم أينما كنتم ، والله بما تعملون بصير .

وهو سبحانه لا يحجب عنه سماء سماء ، ولا أرض أرضا ، ولا جبل إلا يعلم ما في وعره ، ولا بحر إلا يعلم ما في قعره ، يعلم عدد ما في الجبال والتلال والرمال ، والبحار والقفار والأشجار ، ( وما تسقط من ورقة إلا يعلمها ولا حبة في ظلمات الأرض ولا رطب ولا يابس إلا في كتاب مبين ) [ الأنعام : 59 ] .

Tafsir is provided for educational reference. Paragraph breaks are added for readability — the wording of each commentary is unchanged. For religious guidance, consult a qualified scholar.