سُوْرَةُ الْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ
Surah Al-Muminoon (23) — Ayah 17
وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا فَوْقَكُمْ سَبْعَ طَرَآئِقَ وَمَا كُنَّا عَنِ ٱلْخَلْقِ غَـٰفِلِينَ ﴿17﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And indeed We have created above you seven heavens (one over the other), and We are never unaware of the creation.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَلَقَدْ
walaqad
And indeed
خَلَقْنَا
khalaqnā
We (have) created
فَوْقَكُمْ
fawqakum
above you
سَبْعَ
sabʿa
seven
طَرَآئِقَ
ṭarāiqa
paths
وَمَا
wamā
and not
كُنَّا
kunnā
We are
عَنِ
ʿani
of
ٱلْخَلْقِ
l-khalqi
the creation
غَـٰفِلِينَ
ghāfilīna
unaware
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
17. And We have created above you seven layers (of heavens) [18], and We are never unmindful of Our creation [19].
[18] In the previous verses, Allah Almighty presented the argument related to the self, whose logical conclusion was: ﴿فَتَبٰرَكَ اللّٰهُ اَحْسَنُ الْخٰلِقِيْنَ﴾ Now, a few arguments from the universe are being presented.
The Creation of the Universe and Its Maintenance:
Some scholars have interpreted "sab‘a tara’iq" as the seven heavens or seven layers, as in the statement of Allah: ﴿اَلَمْ تَرَوْا كَيْفَ خَلَقَ اللّٰهُ سَبْعَ سَمٰوٰتٍ طِبَاقًا....﴾ And some have taken it to mean seven paths, which are the routes for the angels’ coming and going in the heavens. And since the heavens are seven, these paths are also seven. Some scholars have interpreted them as the paths or orbits of the seven planets. Since, at the time of the Quran’s revelation, the Ptolemaic theory of astronomy was considered correct, and according to this theory, there are only seven revolving planets: the Moon, Venus, Mercury, the Sun, Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn. Therefore, the Quran mentioned seven paths according to the knowledge and understanding of the people. Although there could be more than this. And "fawqakum" (above you) has one meaning which is commonly understood, and another meaning is that the creation of the heavens, or the planets and their orbits, is much higher and greater than your own creation. This meaning is also supported by this verse of the Noble Quran: ﴿لَخَلْقُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالْاَرْضِ اَكْبَرُ مِنْ خَلْقِ النَّاسِ﴾
[19] That is, after creating Our creation, We also continue to maintain it permanently, because anything that is used can, at some point, become faulty; its movement and function can change, and if it is not maintained in time, it can become ruined and destroyed. And we see that the system of the universe is so coherent and organized that not even the slightest difference occurs in it, nor does any collision take place anywhere. This is a strong argument that there is an administrator of this universe who is constantly and strictly maintaining this gigantic creation.
[18] In the previous verses, Allah Almighty presented the argument related to the self, whose logical conclusion was: ﴿فَتَبٰرَكَ اللّٰهُ اَحْسَنُ الْخٰلِقِيْنَ﴾ Now, a few arguments from the universe are being presented.
The Creation of the Universe and Its Maintenance:
Some scholars have interpreted "sab‘a tara’iq" as the seven heavens or seven layers, as in the statement of Allah: ﴿اَلَمْ تَرَوْا كَيْفَ خَلَقَ اللّٰهُ سَبْعَ سَمٰوٰتٍ طِبَاقًا....﴾ And some have taken it to mean seven paths, which are the routes for the angels’ coming and going in the heavens. And since the heavens are seven, these paths are also seven. Some scholars have interpreted them as the paths or orbits of the seven planets. Since, at the time of the Quran’s revelation, the Ptolemaic theory of astronomy was considered correct, and according to this theory, there are only seven revolving planets: the Moon, Venus, Mercury, the Sun, Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn. Therefore, the Quran mentioned seven paths according to the knowledge and understanding of the people. Although there could be more than this. And "fawqakum" (above you) has one meaning which is commonly understood, and another meaning is that the creation of the heavens, or the planets and their orbits, is much higher and greater than your own creation. This meaning is also supported by this verse of the Noble Quran: ﴿لَخَلْقُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالْاَرْضِ اَكْبَرُ مِنْ خَلْقِ النَّاسِ﴾
[19] That is, after creating Our creation, We also continue to maintain it permanently, because anything that is used can, at some point, become faulty; its movement and function can change, and if it is not maintained in time, it can become ruined and destroyed. And we see that the system of the universe is so coherent and organized that not even the slightest difference occurs in it, nor does any collision take place anywhere. This is a strong argument that there is an administrator of this universe who is constantly and strictly maintaining this gigantic creation.
