Most Common Questions asked by Non-Muslims
who have some knowledge of Islam
who have some knowledge of Islam
Q11.Heavens and Earth created in six days and not eight days
Question:
The
Qur’an mentions in several places that the heavens and the earth were created in
6 days but in Surah Fussilat it says that the heavens and the earth were
created in 8 days. Isn’t this a contradiction? The same verse also says that
the earth was created in 6 days and then later on the heavens were created in 2
days. This is against the Big-Bang theory that the heavens and the earth were
created simultaneously.
HEAVENS AND EARTH CREATED IN SIX DAYS AND NOT EIGHT DAYS
Answer:
- Heavens and the Earth created in Six days
I do
agree that the Qur’an says that the heavens and the earth were created in 6 days
i.e. 6 epochs and it is mentioned in
Surah
Al A’raf chapter 7 verse 54
Surah
Yunus chapter 10 verse 3
Surah
Hud chapter 11 verse 7
Surah
Al Furqan chapter 25 verse 59
Surah
Al Sajdah chapter 32 verse 4
Surah
Qaf chapter 50 verse 38
Surah
Al Hadid chapter 57 verse 4
The
verses of the Qur’an which according to you say that the heavens and the earth were
created in 8 days are Surah Fussilat chapter 41 verses 9 to 12
“Say:
Is it that ye deny Him Who created the earth in two days? And do ye join equals
With him? He is the Lord of (all) the Worlds;
He set
on the (earth) mountains standing firm, High above it, and bestowed blessings
on the earth, and measured therein all things to give them nourishment in due
proportion, In four days, in accordance with (the needs of) Those who
seek (sustenance).”
Moreover, He Comprehended in His design the sky, and it had been (as) smoke. He said to it and to the earth. “Come ye together, willingly or unwillingly. They said: “We do come (Together), in willing obedience.”
So He completed them as seven firmaments in two days and He assigned to each heaven its duty and command and We adorned the lower heaven with lights, and (provided it) with guard. Such is the decree of (Him) the exalted in might, full of knowledge.
[Al-Qur’an 41:9-12]
On the
face of it, it seems that these verses of the Qur’an give the initial
impression that the heavens and the earth were created in 8 days. Allah says in
the beginning of this verse that those who exploit this information contained
in this passage to raise doubts about its authenticity are equally interested
in promulgating blasphemy and denying His unity. Allah is telling us that in
course of time, there will emerge unbelievers who will make use of this
apparent contradiction.
- Summa means moreover
If you
analyse these verses carefully, it speaks about 2 different creations: the
earth and the heaven. The earth excluding the mountains was created in 2 days
and the mountains were set on the earth standing firm and blessed and measured
its sustenance in 4 days. Therefore the earth along with the mountains was
created in 6 days according to verse 9 and 10. Verse 11 and 12 says, moreover
the heavens were created in 2 days. The Arabic word used in the beginning of
verse 11 of Surah Fussilat is summa which means; ‘then’ or ‘moreover’. There are certain Qur’anic
translations, which have, used ‘then’ for the word summa which, indicates ‘afterwards’.
If ‘then’ is wrongly used for summa then the total of the creation of heaven
and earth will be 8 days which will conflict with other verses of the Qur’an which
says heavens and earth were created in 6 days and will also conflict with the Big
Bang Theory as well as the verse of the Qur’an Surah Al Ambiya chapter 21 verse
30 which says that heavens and the earth were created simultaneously.
Therefore
the correct translation of the word summa in this verse would be ‘moreover’.
Abdullah Yusuf Ali has rightly translated the word summa or moreover which
clearly gives an indication that while the earth along with the mountains, etc.
was created in 6 days simultaneously the heavens were created in 2 days.
Therefore the total does not come to 8 days but 6 days.
If a
builder says that he will construct a 10 storey building and surrounding compound
wall in 6 months and after completion of his project he gives a more detailed
account saying that the basement of the building was built in 2 months and the
10 storey took 4 months and simultaneously, while the basement and the building
was being constructed, he also
constructed the surrounding of the building along with the compound wall which
took 2 months. Therefore both his first and second descriptions are not
contradicting but the second statement gives a more detailed account for the
construction.
- Heavens and the Earth created simultaneously
The
Qur’an describe the creation of the universe in several places, sometimes it
says the heavens and the earth (7:54, 10:3, 11:7, 25:59, 32:4, 50:38, 57:4)
while in other places it says earth and the heaven (49:9-12, 2:29, 20:4) thus
further supplementing the verse of Surah Al Ambiya chapter 21 verse 30 which
speaks about the Big-Bang and that the heavens and the earth were created simultaneously. Similarly in Surah Al-Baqara chapter 2 verse 29
“It is He Who hath created for you all things that are on earth; Then He turned to the heaven and made them into seven firmaments. And of all things He hath perfect knowledge.”
[Al-Qur’an 2:29]
“It is who has created for you all things on the earth summa simultaneously made the heaven into seven firmaments”. Here also if you wrongly translate summa as ‘then’ only then would this verse contradict the Big-bang theory and other verses of the Qur’an. Therefore the correct translation of the word summa is ‘moreover’ or ‘simultaneously’.
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