Which was created first: the Heavens or Earth?

By
Ansar Al 'Adl
The allegation is as follows:
Heavens or Earth? Which was created first? First earth and then heaven [2:29], heaven and after
that earth [79:27-30].
Verses in question:

2:29 It is He Who hath created for you all things that are on earth; Thumma (Then/Moreover)
His design comprehended the heavens, for He gave order and perfection to the seven
firmaments; and of all things He hath perfect knowledge.
And
79:27-30. What! Are ye the more difficult to create or the heaven (above)? ((Allah)) hath
constructed it: On high hath He raised its canopy, and He hath equally ordered it. Its night doth
He endow with darkness, and its splendour doth He bring out (with light). And the earth,
moreover, hath He extended (to a wide expanse)
1. At first sight, it may seem as though these verses contradict because 2:29 mentions the earth
before the heavens, while in 79:27-21, the situation is reversed. However, on closer inspection,
we discover some significant differences:
A) 2:29 mentions the development of the heavens into seven layers, not their initial creation
which is described in 79:27-31.
B) 2:29 describes the creation of the earth and its features while 79:27-31 only descibres the
spreading of the earth
Thus, based on the two verses we know two things:
1. The creation of the earth preceded the formation of the heavens into seven layers
2. The creation of the heavens preceded the 'spreading' of the earth.
And a third point is logically concluded from the above:
3. The creation of the heavens preceded their formation into seven layers
However, it is not know from the verses whether the creation of the heavens preceded the
creation of the earth or vice versa, or whether they occurred simultaneously. Some Qur'anic
commentators took one view while others took another. What we do know is that the heavens

and the earth were created and then subsequently the earth was spread and the heavens formed
into seven layers. This interpretation is supported by the classical commentaries of the Qur'an. As
Imaam Abu Abdullah Al-Qurtubi (d. 1273CE) states in his monumental Al-Jaami` le Ahkaam alQur'anwhen giving his opinion on the Qur'anic description:
I believe that what Qatada said is sound Allah willing: that Allah first created the smoke of
heaven and then created the earth and directed Himself to heaven, which was smoke and [He]
arranged it and then He smoothed out the earth. (Tafsir Al-Qurtubi Classical Commentary of the
Holy Qur'an, Dar Al-Taqwa Ltd. 2003, vol. 1, p.200, emphasis added)
Imaam Ibn Kathir Ad-Damishqi (d. 1372CE) also distinguishes between the different stages in
his renowned Tafsir Al-Qur'an Al-Azim, while presenting a slightly different view:
It already has been mentioned previously in [the Tafsir of] Surat Ha Mim As-Sajdah that the
earth was created before the heaven was created, but it was only spread out after the creation of
the heaven. This means that He brought out what was in it with a forceful action. This is the
meaning of what was said by Ibn Abbas and others, and it was the explanation preferred by Ibn
Jarir [At-Tabari (d. 923CE)] (fn. At-Tabari 24:208). (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Abridged, Darussalam
Publishers & Distributors, 2000, vol. 10, p. 350, emphasis added)
Thus, the commentators are agreed that the difference in verse 2:29 and verses 79:27-31 relates
to the different stages in the creation of the heavens and the earth, with the earth's 'spreading'
occurring after the creation of the heavens and the development of the heavens occurring after
the creation of the earth. The commentators only differ regarding the creation of the earth
preceding the creation of the heavens, or vice versa, or if they were both created simultaneously.
Scientific research describes the creation and formation of the earth in the following stages:
Differentiation in the first few 100's of millions of years led to the formation of the core and the
mantle and a crust, and initiated the escape of gases from the moving interior that eventually led
to the formation of the atmosphere and oceans.
The earliest Earth was probably an unsorted conglomeration, mostly of silicon compounds, iron
and magnesium oxides, and smaller amounts of all the natural elements. It became increasingly
hotter as the protoplanet grew.
...After loss of the hydrogen, helium and other hydrogen-containing gases from early Earth due
to the Sun's radiation, primitive Earth was devoid of an atmosphere. The first atmosphere was
formed by outgassing of gases trapped in the interior of the early Earth, which still goes on today
in volcanoes.
For the Early Earth, extreme volcanism occurred during differentiation, when massive heating

and fluid-like motion in the mantle occurred. It is likely that the bulk of the atmosphere was
derived from degassing early in the Earth's history.
...Lava flowing from the partially molten interior spread over the surface and solidified to form a
thin crust. This crust would have melted and solidified repeatedly, with the lighter compounds
moving to the surface. This is called differentiation. Weathering by rainfall broke up and altered
the rocks. The end result of these processes was a continental land mass, which would have
grown over time. The most popular theory limits the growth of continents to the first two billion
years of the Earth. (SOURCE)
The above description informs us that the earth was initially one mass and through differentiation
and volcanic out-gassing, the early atmosphere formed. Then, cooling of the earth resulted in the
formation of land mass.
These descriptions concur with the Qur'anic description that the earth (2:29) and the heaven
(79:27) were created and were originally one mass and then separated (verse 21:30), the heavens
were then developed into seven layers (verse 2:29) and the earth's crust was later spread out
(79:30). The last description may be a reference to the cooling of the earth's crust, or it may be a
reference to continental drift.
Thus, we find that the Qur'an does not contradict itself here, but instead contains accurate details
regarding the formation of the earth in the stages.
2. According to an alternative interpretation, verse 2:29 is rendered as follows:
He is the One who created for you all that's inside earth (Matter), then turned to the sky and
perfected seven universes therein, and He is fully aware of all things.
Therefore, verse 2:29 is taken to refer to the creation of the universe and it is not the creation of
the earth being described here, but rather what is in the earth, or matter. And verse 79:30 is
referring to the spreading of the earth, which has been defined before.
3. A third explanation argues on the understanding of thumma, which does not always indicate
sequential order. The meaning of Thumma is explained very well by Moiz Amjad in his article
entitled The Meaning of "Thumma" & "Yawm". Therefore, when verse 2:29 says that Allah
created the earth and thumma He turned to the heavens, this could also be read as "Furthermore
He turned to the heavens" which does not necessarily imply that the creation of the heavens is
after the creation of earth. Critics argue that when it says God turned towards the heaven, this
implies a sequential act. But this is not entirely true, as God could have turned to the heaven at
any point in the past, not necessarily after the creation of the heavens. This point is emphasized
in the classical tafsirs as well. Imaam Qurtubi writes:

In His words "then directed", the word "then" is simply a narrative aid and does not imply any
time sequence in the matetrs referred to. (Tafsir Al-Qurtubi Classical Commentary of the Holy
Qur'an, Dar Al-Taqwa Ltd. 2003, vol. 1, p.199)
Similarly, Imaam Ibn Kathir writes:
It is said that "Then" in the Ayah (2:29) relates only to the order of reciting the information being
given, it does not relate to the order that the events being mentioned took place, this was reported
from Ibn 'Abbas by 'Ali bin Abi Talhah. (fn. At-Tabari 1:437). (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Abridged,
Darussalam Publishers & Distributors, 2000, vol. 1, p. 180)
Thus, this explanation is not in conflict with the traditional understanding of the earlier Muslims.
From the above points, it should be clear that these verses do not in any way constitute a
contradiction.

Where is Allah?
By
Ansar Al 'Adl

The allegation is as follows:

Where is Allah and his throne? Allah is nearer than the jugular vein [50:16], but he is also on
the throne [57:4] which is upon the water [11:7], and at the same time so far away, that it takes
between 1,000 and 50,000 years to reach reach him [32:5, 70:4].

This is a very important issue of Aqeedah and deserves a clear response, as it can sometimes lead
to confusion and deviation.

1. Allah's Supremacy
The true believer affirms that Allah is ascended above His throne, above the seven heavens.
67:17-18 Are you sure that He Who is Above the heaven will not cleave the earth beneath you?
Or are you sure that He Who is above the heaven will not send against you a stone-charged
hurricane.
87:1 Declare your Rubb, the Supreme, to be far removed from every imperfection or impurity.
Commenting on this verse, Mahmood Murad explains:
The "Supreme", linguistically, is in the superlative signifying that Allah is higher than everything
and is above all things in essence, power, and invincibility
2. Allah's Maiyyah
Allah says:
57:4 He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in Six Days, and then ascened the Throne.
He knows what enters within the earth and what comes forth out of it, what comes down from
heaven and what mounts up to it. And He is with you wheresoever ye may be. And Allah sees
well all that ye do.
To some, this verse may appear to be advancing two conflicting ideas. On one hand, it says that
Allah is ascended over the throne, over the seven heavens, while later it says that He is with us
wherever we are. The latter concept is known as Allah's maiyyah, or the nature of His closeness
to us.
According to the Qur'an and Sunnah, we understand that Allah encompasses all things in His
knowledge, seeing, hearing, power, authority, etc., but not in His essence. When Allah says He is
with the believers, this is understood in terms of support and approval.
Elaborating on this concept, Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Saalih Al-Uthaymeen (d. 2001CE) writes:

Maiyyah in the Arabic language that the Qur'an was revealed in does not necessitate that
something be mixed with other things or combined in the same place, rather it refers to
something being with something else in a general way. The exact meaning is to be defined by the

context...
The truth must be that Allah is with His Creation in a way that means He encompasses them by
way of His knowledge, power, hearing, seeing, planning, authority, etc., while He remains above
the Throne, above all of His Creation. (Ibn Uthaymeen, Concerning the Beautiful Names and
Attributes of Allaah, T.R.O.I.D. Publications, 2003, pp.105-106)

So the truth about where Allah is, is that He is beyond His Creation, and ascended over the
Throne.
3. This explanation of Allah's maiyyah is also sufficient to explain verses like 50:16-17 which
reads:
50:16 It was We Who created man, and We know what dark suggestions his soul makes to him:
for We are nearer to him than (his) jugular vein, when the two (guardian angels) appointed to
learn (his doings), learn (and noted them), one sitting on the right and one on the left.
From the previous explanation we would understand that any verse describing Allah's closeness
to His Creation, does not describe the closeness of His essence, but rather the encompassing
nature of His powers.
Nevertheless, verse 50:16-17 has been interpreted differently by the Scholars of Tafsir, and we
shall provide their explanation as well.
In the referred verses, many people do not read 50:17, and they stop at 50:16.
But if one reads the whole phrase, we find it says:
And we are closer to Him than His jugular vein, when the two (guardian angels) appointed to
learn (his doings), learn (and noted them).
Hence, what is being referred to here is the closeness of the Angels and not the closeness of
Allah. The question is, why has Allah attributed the closeness of the Angels to Himself?
This will be better understood if we examine the following verses:
15:9 We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from
corruption).
75:18 But when We have recited it, follow thou its recital
Just as the Angels brought down the message by the leave of Allah and recited it to the Prophet
Muhammad pbuh, so are they closer to the human being than the jugular vein, by the leave of

Allah. In both cases, the actions of the angels are attributed to Allah because they occur by His
command.

This is the understanding of the early Muslim scholars, and can be found in prominent tafisr such
as Ibn Kathir.
4. With regards to the following verse,
11:7 He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days - and His Throne was over the
waters - that He might try you, which of you is best in conduct...
let us examine so related narrations:
Imran bin Husayn said "....The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) said, 'Allah was
before everything and His Throne was over the water. He then wrote in the Preserved Tablet
mentioning everything.'... (Ahmad 4:431)
And furthermore,
It is recorded that Abdullah ibn Amr bin Al-As said that the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu
alaihi wasallam) said, "Verily Allah measured the amount of sustenance of the creatures fifty
thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth, and His Throne was over the
water (Muslim 4:2044)
The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) said, Do you see what He has spent since
He created the Heavens and the Earth? Yet all that has not decreased what is in His Right Hand.
His Throne is over the water and in His other Hand is the bounty or power to bring about death,
and He raises some people and brings others down(Bukhari 9:515)
This makes it very clear as to what the verse is referring to, but what the water in the verse
denotes, is open to interpretation.
As Adel M. A. Abbas writes in his book, His Throne Was On Water:
The book's title is taken from the verse "His throne was on water," a verse whose splendor and
scientific implication invite further reflection. The recent discovery by quantum mechanics
researchers that outer space is full of virtual particles and antiparticles that materialize constantly
in pairs may shed some light on this verse. This, together with the creation of the universe and
the refashioning of the skies into concentric oval or ball-shaped layers, is illustrated on the
cover. (Abbas, His Throne was on Water, Amana Publications, 1997, p. ix)

The author of the referred book has gone into great detail explaining his rather fascinating
scientific interpretation of verse 11:17, which deals with the structure and creation of the
universe. One may consult the book for more information.
5. And finally, concerning 32:5 and 70:4, this has been dealt with in our response to the third
alleged contradiction on The Length of God's Days. For the purpose of this response, we would
just like to emphasize that the length of the period taken to ascend to God does not necessarily
relate to the distance of God, Himself.
To conclude, Allah's power is All-encompassing, but we affirm that he is ascended over His
Throne, above the seven heavens. The Most High, Glorified and Exalted is He.