Surah 2. Al-Baqara, Ayah 29
| هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ لَكُمْ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَسَوَّاهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ ۚ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ |
| Transliteration | : | huwa 'alladhe khalaqa la- -kum maa fe al- 'ard. jamec(an) thumma istawaa 'ilaa as- samaa' fa- sawwaa -hunna sabc samaawaat wa- huwa bi- kull shay' calem |
| Pickthall | : | He it is Who created for you all that is in the earth. Then turned He to the heaven, and fashioned it as seven heavens. And He is Knower of all things. |
| Asad | : | He it is who has created for you all that is on earth, and has applied His design to the heavens and fashioned them into seven heavens;20 and He alone has full knowledge of everything. |
| Malik | : | It is He Who has created for you all that there is in the earth; and directed Himself towards the sky and fashioned it into seven heavens. He has perfect knowledge of everything. |
| Yusuf Ali | : | It is He who hath created for you all things that are on earth; moreover His design comprehended the heavens for He gave order and perfection to the seven firmaments; and of all things he hath perfect knowledge. |
Note - 20The term sama' ("heaven" or "sky") is applied to anything
that is spread like a canopy above any other thing. Thus,
the visible skies which stretch like a vault above the
earth and form, as it were, its canopy, are called sama':
and this is the primary meaning of this term in the
Qur'an; in a wider sense, it has the connotation of
"cosmic system". As regards the "seven heavens", it is to
be borne in mind that in Arabic usage - and apparently in
other Semitic languages as well - the number "seven" is
often synonymous with "several" (see Lisan al-'Arab),
just as "seventy" or "seven hundred" often means many or
"very many" (Taj al-'Arus). This, taken together with the
accepted linguistic definition that "every sama' is a
sama' with regard to what is below it" (Raghib), may
explain the "seven heavens" as denoting the multiplicity
of cosmic systems. - For my rendering of thumma, at the
beginning of this sentence, as "and", see surah {7},
first part of note [43].
|
Share your thoughts about this with others by posting a comment. Visit our FAQ for some ideas.
Filter Comments 
 |
The term sama' ("heaven" or "sky") is applied to anything that is spread like a canopy above any other thing. Thus, the visible skies which stretch like a vault above the earth and form, as it were, its canopy, are called sama': and this is the primary meaning of this term in the Qur'an; in a wider sense, it has the connotation of "cosmic system". As regards the "seven heavens", it is to be borne in mind that in Arabic usage - and apparently in other Semitic languages as well - the number "seven" is often synonymous with "several" (see Lisan al-'Arab), just as "seventy" or "seven hundred" often means many or "very many" (Taj al-'Arus). This, taken together with the accepted linguistic definition that "every sama' is a sama' with regard to what is below it" (Raghib), may explain the "seven heavens" as denoting the multiplicity of cosmic systems. - For my rendering of thumma, at the beginning of this sentence, as "and", see surah {7}, first part of note [43]. |
