The apparent meaning of the verse indicates that the earth was created before the heavens, while some verses indicate the opposite. What is your opinion?

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The questioner : The apparent meaning of the verse indicates that the earth was created before the heavens, while some verses indicate that the earth was created after the heavens. What is your opinion?

The Shaykh : This requires an answer. Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said:

⁽²⁷⁾ Are you a more difficult creation or is the heaven? Allah constructed it. ⁽²⁸⁾ He raised its ceiling and proportioned it. ⁽²⁹⁾ And He darkened its night and extracted its brightness. ⁽³⁰⁾ And after that He spread the earth.

أأنتم أشد خلقا أم السماء بناها رفع سمكها فسواها وأغطش ليلها وأخرج ضحاها والأرض بعد ذلك دحاها

[An-Nazi'at 79:27-30]

Is this sequence a sequence in time, or a sequence in mention? Some said it is a sequence in mention, meaning that, in addition to that, He spread out the earth. Others said that Allah created the earth before the heavens, as is the custom for every structure, where its base is the first, and then He spread out the earth. And the word "spread out" (daha) is explained by the same verse:

He extracted from it its water and its pasture,

أخرج منها ماءها ومرعاها

[An-Nazi'at 79:31]

This is closer, because the default is that the sequence is a sequence in time, not a sequence in mention.

Source alathar.net

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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