The Duration of the Creation of the Heavens and the Earth and What Is Between Them
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Fatwa No. ( 20164 )
Q: It is known that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) created the heavens and the earth in six days, and this is established in the Book and the Sunnah. However, there is a hadith in (Sahih Muslim ) that the creation of the heavens and the earth and Adam (peace be upon him) was in seven days. How do we reconcile the verses of the six days with this hadith in (Sahih Muslim )? We ask for clarification. May Allah reward you with good.
A : The established and correct position, indicated by the authentic evidence, is that Allah created the entire universe, its heavens and its earth and what is between them, in six days, as He informed us in His Book, saying:[Al-A'raf 7:54] . And Allah the Exalted said: [As-Sajdah 32:4] And He said: [Qaf 50:38] and other
That is one of the many signs. The days are Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. As for Saturday, no creation took place on it, because it is the seventh day, and it is named "Saturday" (al-Sabt) from the word for severance or cessation. The authentic hadiths indicate that the heavens and the earth and what is between them were created in six days. As for the hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) in the wording:Sahih Muslim 2789, it was reported by Imam Ahmad , al-Nasa'i , and Muslim from different chains, and it includes the seven days. Al-Bukhari and more than one of the hadith masters have spoken about the fact that this hadith is a narration from Abu Hurayrah from Ka'b al-Ahbar , and it is not traced back to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); rather, some of the narrators erred in tracing it back to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Therefore, this mawquf hadith (stopping at a Companion) is not strong enough to contradict the verses and the authentic marfu' hadiths (traced to the Prophet), so it is not used as evidence against them. By this, the difficulty is resolved and reconciliation between them is achieved. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: It is known that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) created the heavens and the earth in six days, and this is established in the Book and the Sunnah. However, there is a hadith in (Sahih Muslim ) that the creation of the heavens and the earth and Adam (peace be upon him) was in seven days. How do we reconcile the verses of the six days with this hadith in (Sahih Muslim )? We ask for clarification. May Allah reward you with good.
A : The established and correct position, indicated by the authentic evidence, is that Allah created the entire universe, its heavens and its earth and what is between them, in six days, as He informed us in His Book, saying:
Indeed, your Lord is Allah, who created the heavens and earth in six days and then established Himself above the Throne
إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى عَلَى الْعَرْشِIt is Allah who created the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them in six days; then He established Himself above the Throne
اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى عَلَى الْعَرْشِAnd We did certainly create the heavens and earth and what is between them in six days
وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍThat is one of the many signs. The days are Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. As for Saturday, no creation took place on it, because it is the seventh day, and it is named "Saturday" (al-Sabt) from the word for severance or cessation. The authentic hadiths indicate that the heavens and the earth and what is between them were created in six days. As for the hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) in the wording:
Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, created the clay on Saturday and He created the mountains on Sunday and He created the trees on Monday and He created the things entailing labour on Tuesday and created light on Wednesday and He caused the animals to spread on Thursday and created Adam (peace be upon him) after 'Asr on Friday; the last creation at the last hour of the hours of Friday, i. e. between afternoon and night.
خلق الله التربة يوم السبت، وخلق الجبال يوم الأحد، وخلق الشجر فيها يوم الاثنين، وخلق المكروه يوم الثلاثاء، وخلق النور يوم الأربعاء، وبث فيها الدواب يوم الخميس، وخلق آدم بعد العصر يوم الجمعة، آخر الخلق في آخر ساعة من ساعات يوم الجمعة فيما بين العصر إلى الليل
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.