Surah At-Talaaq (65) — Ayah 12

(Ayah 12) ➊ At the end of { اَللّٰهُ الَّذِيْ خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمٰوٰتٍ … :} the Surah, in order to draw attention to the greatness of the commands mentioned within it, the creation of the heavens and the earth, the descent of His commands within them, and the mention of His knowledge and power have been stated, so that it remains in mind Who is the One giving these commands. In this the Surah, which consists of twelve (12) verses, the mention of Allah Almighty begins with His Taqwa, which appears about thirty (30) times in the form of His name, His pronoun, and attribution to Him, and at the end, the introduction of this Great Being is repeated with these attributes. (Ibn Ashur)
➋ The nature of the seven heavens has been described by Allah Almighty Himself, that they are layered one above the other, as He said: « اَلَمْ تَرَوْا كَيْفَ خَلَقَ اللّٰهُ سَبْعَ سَمٰوٰتٍ طِبَاقًا » [ نوح : ۱۵ ] "Have you not seen how Allah created the seven heavens one above another."
➌ In the Noble Qur'an, the mention of the sky has come in the singular form {’’ السَّمَاۤءُ ‘‘} as well as in the plural form {’’ سَمٰوٰتٍ ‘‘ }, but the mention of the earth has only come in the singular form; the mention of seven layered earths like the heavens has not been stated. Here it is said that Allah is the One Who created seven heavens and from the earth their like, that is, similar. One meaning of being similar could be that the earth, in its greatness, blessing, population, and sphericity (being round), is like the heavens. The second meaning, which most commentators have taken, is that just as there are seven heavens layered above, so too are there seven earths, one above the other. As evidence, they present the Sahih hadith narrated by Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ مَنْ أَخَذَ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ شَيْئًا بِغَيْرِ حَقِّهِ خُسِفَ بِهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ إِلٰي سَبْعِ أَرَضِيْنَ ] [ بخاري، المظالم، باب إثم من ظلم شیئا من الأرض : ۲۴۵۴ ] "Whoever takes anything from the earth without its right, he will be made to sink down through the seven earths on the Day of Resurrection." The seven earths mentioned in the hadith obviously refer to the seven layers of this very earth on which we live, but whether the seven earths mentioned in the verse also refer to these layers, or there are six other earths like ours, only Allah Almighty knows. Looking at the vastness of the universe, it is not far-fetched that there may be other earths like ours, which are inhabited just like our earth, as He said: «وَ مَا یَعْلَمُ جُنُوْدَ رَبِّکَ اِلَّا ھُوَ » [ المدثر : ۳۱ ] "And none knows the armies of your Lord except Him." And Allah Almighty alone created the heavens and the earth; no one was present at that time to be fully aware of their secrets, as He said: « مَاۤ اَشْهَدْتُّهُمْ خَلْقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضِ» [ الکھف : ۵۱ ] "I did not make them witness to the creation of the heavens and the earth." The skill of invention that Allah Almighty has granted to man, through which powerful telescopes have been invented, and astronomers observe the universe with them, every day brings new discoveries. For us, it is sufficient that Allah Almighty has created seven earths just as He created seven heavens. As for their nature and specific meaning, only Allah Almighty knows. He has kept it undetailed, and in that is our benefit, because if its actual nature had been described, due to our intellectual limitations, it is possible that many people would have denied it.
➍ The command of Allah Almighty is of two types: one is the cosmic command, that is, whatever He wills, He says {’’ كُنْ‘‘} (Be), and it becomes; and the other is the legislative command, that is, Allah Almighty sends down His commands through the angels, meaning that between the heavens and the earth, the cosmic and legislative commands of Allah Almighty descend. In this too, the importance of the commands mentioned in this the Surah is being expressed, that they are the commands of the Creator and Owner of these magnificent heavens and earths.
➎ That is, the reason for telling you about the creation of the earth and the heavens is so that you may know the complete power of Allah Almighty over everything and His encompassing knowledge of everything. Then, when you become aware of His power and knowledge, you will not dare to disobey His commands.