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Ayah
Word by Word
ءَأَنتُمۡ
Are you
أَشَدُّ
a more difficult
خَلۡقًا
creation
أَمِ
or
ٱلسَّمَآءُۚ
the heaven
بَنَىٰهَا
He constructed it
ءَأَنتُمۡ
Are you
أَشَدُّ
a more difficult
خَلۡقًا
creation
أَمِ
or
ٱلسَّمَآءُۚ
the heaven
بَنَىٰهَا
He constructed it
Translation
Are you a more difficult creation or is the heaven? He [i.e., Allāh] constructed it.
Tafsir
Are you (read a-antum pronouncing both hamzas, or by substituting an alif for the second one, not pronouncing it and inserting an alif between the one not pronounced and the former, or without [this insertion]), namely, [you] the deniers of the Resurrection, harder to create or the sky which He has built?, harder to create (banaahaa: an explication of the manner of [its] creation).
Creating the Heavens and the Earth is more difficult than repeating Creation
In refutation of the claim rejecting resurrection due to the renewal of creation after its original state, Allah says;
أَأَنتُمْ
Are you `O people'
أَشَدُّ خَلْقًا أَمِ السَّمَاء
more difficult to create or is the heaven...
meaning, `rather the heaven is more difficult to create than you.'
As Allah said;
لَخَلْقُ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ أَكْـبَرُ مِنْ خَلْقِ النَّاسِ
the creation of the heavens and the earth is greater than the creation of mankind; (40:57)
And His saying;
أَوَلَـيْسَ الَذِى خَلَقَ السَّمَـوتِ وَالاٌّرْضَ بِقَـدِرٍ عَلَى أَن يَخْلُقَ مِثْلَهُم
بَلَى وَهُوَ الْخَلَّـقُ الْعَلِيمُ
Is not the One Who created the heavens and the earth, capable of creating the similar to them.
Yes, indeed!
He is the Supreme Creator, the All-Knowing. (36:81)
Then Allah says,
بَنَاهَا
He constructed,
He explains this by His statement,
رَفَعَ سَمْكَهَا فَسَوَّاهَا
He raised its height, and has perfected it.
meaning, He made it a lofty structure, vast in its space, with equal sides, and adorned with stars at night and in the darkness.
Then Allah says,
وَأَغْطَشَ لَيْلَهَا وَأَخْرَجَ ضُحَاهَا
Its night He covers and He brings out its forenoon.
meaning, He made its night dark and extremely black, and its day bright, luminous, shining and clear.
Ibn Abbas said,
He did Aghtasha of its night means that He made it dark.
Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Sa`id bin Jubayr and a large group have said this as well.
In reference to Allah's statement,
وَأَخْرَجَ ضُحَـهَا
And He brings out its forenoon.
meaning, He illuminated its day.
Then Allah says,
وَالاْاَرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ دَحَاهَا
And after that He spread the earth,
He explains this statement by the statement that follows it,
أَخْرَجَ مِنْهَا مَاءهَا وَمَرْعَاهَا
And brought forth therefrom its water and its pasture.
It already has been mentioned previously in Surah 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.
In reference to the statement of Allah,
وَالْجِبَالَ أَرْسَاهَا
And the mountains He has fixed firmly,
meaning, He settled them, made them firm, and established them in their places. And He is the Most Wise, the All-Knowing. He is Most Kind to His creation, Most Merciful.
Allah then says,
مَتَاعًا لَّكُمْ وَلاِنْعَامِكُمْ
As provision and benefit for you and your cattle.
meaning, He spread out the earth, caused its springs to gush forth, brought forth its hidden benefits, caused its rivers to flow, and caused its vegetation, trees, and fruits to grow. He also made its mountains firm so that it (the earth) would be calmly settled with its dwellers, and He stabilized its dwelling places.
All of this is a means of beneficial enjoyment for His creatures (mankind) providing them of what cattle they need, which they eat and ride upon. He has granted them these beneficial things for the period that they need them, in this worldly abode, until the end of time and the expiration of this life.
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