Tafsir

Commentary

Verse 10 opens with the words: خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ بِغَيْرِ‌ عَمَدٍ تَرَ‌وْنَهَا (He has created the skies without the pillars that you may see). Another verse on the same subject: الَّذِي رَ‌فَعَ السَّمَاوَاتِ بِغَيْرِ‌ عَمَدٍ تَرَ‌وْنَهَا (Allah is the One who raised the heavens without pillars. You see them. 13:2) has appeared earlier in Surah Ar-Ra` d ( with a different translation). Analyzed grammatically, the text admits two alternative meanings.1. If we were to take تَرَ‌وْنَهَا (tarawnah to be the attribute of عَمَدٍ ( ‘am-ad) and revert its pronoun to 'amad, it would mean that Allah Ta` a1a created the skies without pillars that you may see, that is, had the pillars been there, you would have seen them. When pillars are not seen, it is clear that this great roof of the sky has been erected without pillars. This explanation has been reported from Sayyidna Hasan and Qatadah. (Ibn Kathir)2.

And if we were to take the pronoun of: تَرَ‌وْنَهَا (tarawnaha) as reverting to: السَّمَاوَاتِ (as-samawat: the skies) and this sentence as standing independently, then, it would mean that 'Allah Ta’ ala created the skies without pillars as you see.' Then, there is yet another option in the case of the first grammatical analysis whereby it could also be taken to mean that 'The skies stand on pillars that you cannot see - they are invisible.' This last explanation has been reported from Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas, ` Ikrimah and Mujahid ؓ (Ibn

Kathir).

No matter what the option, the verse does point out to the particular sign of the perfect power of Allah Ta’ ala that He has made this extensive, high and magnificent roof in a way that no column and pillar is seen there-under.