Surah Hud (11) — Ayah 7

(Ayah 7) ➊ {وَ هُوَ الَّذِيْ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضَ فِيْ سِتَّةِ اَيَّامٍ:} In the above verse, Allah’s perfect knowledge is established, and in this verse, the perfection of Allah’s power is described. For the creation of the heavens and the earth in six days, see Surah Al-A’raf (54) and Ha Mim As-Sajdah (9 to 12).

➋ {وَ كَانَ عَرْشُهٗ عَلَى الْمَآءِ:} This verse proves that before the creation of the heavens and the earth, Allah’s Throne was upon water. As for what was created first, there are various narrations. Imran bin Husain (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that some people from Yemen asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about the beginning of this matter (the universe), so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ كَانَ اللّٰهُ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ شَيْءٌ قَبْلَهٗ وَكَانَ عَرْشُهٗ عَلَی الْمَاءِ ثُمَّ خَلَقَ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَكَتَبَ فِيْ الذِّكْرِ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ] [ بخاری، التوحید، باب : « و کان عرشہ علی الماء » : ۷۴۱۸ ] “Allah was, and there was nothing before Him, and His Throne was upon water. Then He created the heavens and the earth and wrote everything in the Reminder (the Preserved Tablet).” Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [كَتَبَ اللّٰهُ مَقَادِيْرَ الْخَلَائِقِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَّخْلُقَ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ بِخَمْسِيْنَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ قَالَ وَ عَرْشُهٗ عَلَي الْمَاءِ] [ مسلم، القدر، باب حجاج آدم و موسٰی صلی اللہ علیہما وسلم : ۲۶۵۳ ] “Allah wrote the decrees of the creation fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth, and His Throne was upon water.”

In the narrations of Sunan Tirmidhi (3109) and Ibn Majah (182), it is mentioned that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked: “Where was our Lord before the creation?” In reply, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ كَانَ فِيْ عَمَاءٍ مَا تَحْتَهُ هَوَاءٌ وَمَا فَوْقَهُ هَوَاءٌ] The meaning of { ’’عَمَاءٌ‘‘} is written in An-Nihayah: cloud, a thin cloud, or an unknown thing, the reality of which we are unaware, as if we are blind to it. The translation of the hadith is: “Allah was in a ‘ama’ (an unknown thing), above which was emptiness and below which was emptiness.” But Shaykh Nasiruddin Al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him), and before him Razi and other scholars (may Allah have mercy on them), have declared it weak, while in matters of evidence, especially in creed and such an important issue, only a Sahih hadith can be relied upon. The Sahih hadith that sheds light on this issue is that Ubadah bin Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) said, I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: [ إِنَّ أَوَّلَ مَا خَلَقَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالَی الْقَلَمُ فَقَالَ لَهُ اكْتُبْ فَقَالَ رَبِّ وَ مَاذَا أَكْتُبُ؟ قَالَ اكْتُبْ مَقَادِيْرَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حَتّٰی تَقُوْمَ السَّاعَةُ ] [ أبوداوٗد، السنۃ، باب في القدر : ۴۷۰۰۔ ترمذی: ۳۳۱۹ ] “Indeed, the first thing Allah created was the Pen. He said to it: ‘Write.’ It said: ‘O my Lord, what should I write?’ He said: ‘Write the decrees of everything until the Hour is established.’” This hadith is Sahih; Shaykh Al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) also declared it Sahih. Our Shaykh Muhammad Abduh (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote that this is correct, but Shaykh Muhammad Abduh (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote that the creation of the Pen and the writing of the decree occurred after the water and the Throne. Perhaps his reasoning is from this verse: «{ وَ كَانَ عَرْشُهٗ عَلَى الْمَآءِ }». (And Allah knows best.) Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) also mentioned that the Throne and water were created before the Pen, and he mentioned some evidence for this. See the first chapter of Fath Al-Bari under {’’ كِتَابُ بَدْءِ الْخَلْقِ ‘‘}. In one narration, it is mentioned that the first thing created was the intellect, but that narration is weak. Ibn Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote in {’’المنار المنيف ‘‘} that all hadiths regarding the intellect are false.

➋ {لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ اَيُّكُمْ اَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا:} Just as Allah has knowledge of all past and present matters, He also knows what will happen in the future. However, knowledge of a future event as if it has already occurred can only be after it actually happens. The meaning of testing is that what is to happen according to Allah’s knowledge comes into existence and becomes apparent to everyone, and the result is also made clear to others. In the Qur’an, wherever the words {’’ لِيَعْلَمَ ‘‘} and {’’ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ ‘‘} and similar expressions appear, this is what is meant.

➌ {اَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا:} That is, the test is not only to see who is bad and who is good in action, but Allah is such an Appreciator that He also considers the degrees of goodness in action, to see who is better, as He said: «{ هُمْ دَرَجٰتٌ عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ وَ اللّٰهُ بَصِيْرٌۢ بِمَا يَعْمَلُوْنَ }» [آل عمران : ۱۶۳ ] “They (those seeking Allah’s pleasure) are in varying degrees with Allah, and Allah is All-Seeing of what they do.” Even in evil deeds, not everyone is treated the same; the hypocrites are in the lowest level of the Fire, while Abu Talib will only be wearing shoes of fire. As for how one can know that he is doing a good deed, this can only be known through what Allah has informed. Therefore, the scholars are agreed that there are two conditions for a good deed: one, that the deed is done purely for Allah; and two, that it is in accordance with the Book and Sunnah, because whatever is in them is what Allah has informed.

➍ {وَ لَىِٕنْ قُلْتَ اِنَّكُمْ مَّبْعُوْثُوْنَ …:} Even after mentioning with evidence Allah’s attributes of knowledge, power, and creation, if you say to these polytheists that the Lord with such tremendous powers will resurrect you after death, they, despite knowing and accepting Allah’s knowledge, power, the creation of the heavens and the earth, their own creation, and His being the Owner of the Mighty Throne, will, upon hearing about resurrection, say in complete ignorance and lack of reason that this is nothing but clear magic, meaning that resurrection has no reality, and those who have believed in it have been bewitched. Someone should ask them, then how did you escape being affected by this magic?

7. 1 This very thing has also been mentioned in Sahih ahadith. Thus, in one hadith it is stated that 'Allah Almighty wrote the destinies of the creatures fifty thousand years before the creation of the heavens and the earth.' At that time, His Throne was upon water. Sahih Muslim

7. 2 That is, these heavens and the earth have not been created in vain or without purpose, rather the objective is the trial of humans (and jinn), to see who performs good deeds. Note: Allah Almighty has not said here who does more deeds, but rather who does better deeds. This is because a good deed is one that is done solely for the pleasure of Allah, and secondly, that it is in accordance with the Sunnah. If even one of these two conditions is missing, then it will not be considered a good deed, no matter how abundant it may be; it will have no value in the sight of Allah.

7. He is the One Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and His Throne [11] was upon the water. He did this to test you as to which of you is best in deeds. And if you say to them, "You will surely be raised up after death," the disbelievers will certainly say, "This is nothing but clear [12] magic."

[11]
Among Material Things, Water Was Created First:

From this verse and the aforementioned hadith, it is understood that the creation of water took place before the creation of the earth and the heavens. Where was this water, and is this water the same as the well-known water, or was it some kind of liquid substance? These are questions beyond our understanding, and we are not obliged to comprehend them. However, it is certainly known that before the creation of the heavens and the earth, the Throne of Allah was upon the water, and after creation, this Throne is above the seven heavens and the Kursi.

[12]
The Purpose of the Creation of the Universe is the Creation of Adam; The World is the Abode of Test:

Several realities emerge from this verse, for example, the purpose of the creation of the earth, the heavens, and other things in the universe is the creation of Adam. This earth, these heavens, this sun, this moon, these winds, these spaces were created because, without them, man could not survive. And the purpose of the creation of Adam is that man may be tested in this world, and the inevitable result of a test is that some people will do good deeds and succeed, and some will do bad deeds and fail. The successful and good people will be given a good reward for their good deeds, and the evil-doers will be given full punishment. Then, some good or bad deeds require a long period for their full recompense, which is impossible to obtain in this world. Therefore, it is necessary that after this worldly realm, another realm be established in which every kind of person can be given the full recompense for their deeds. This is an argument for the Hereafter. Moreover, the coherent and organized system of this existing universe testifies that it is created by a Being who is All-Knowing and All-Aware, and it is running according to His will. Nor is it possible that this universe is merely the result of coincidences, nor is it possible that all this is just a game or amusement, because such harmony is impossible in playful matters. Nor is it possible that man, after living whatever kind of life he wishes in this world, simply dies and there is no one to question him. Therefore, the establishment of the Hereafter and the resurrection of the dead after giving them life again becomes necessary. And when the disbelievers, who deny the Day of Resurrection, hear such arguments, they immediately cry out that this statement is clear magic, which has impressed and enchanted many people, but this magic will not work on us.