سُوْرَةُ الْمُلْكِ
Surah Al-Mulk (67) — Ayah 3
ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَـٰوَٰتٍ طِبَاقًا ۖ مَّا تَرَىٰ فِى خَلْقِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ مِن تَفَـٰوُتٍ ۖ فَٱرْجِعِ ٱلْبَصَرَ هَلْ تَرَىٰ مِن فُطُورٍ ﴿3﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Who has created the seven heavens one above another; you can see no fault in the creation of the Most Gracious. Then look again: "Can you see any rifts?"
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
ٱلَّذِى
alladhī
The One Who
خَلَقَ
khalaqa
created
سَبْعَ
sabʿa
seven
سَمَـٰوَٰتٍۢ
samāwātin
heavens
طِبَاقًۭا ۖ
ṭibāqan
one above another
مَّا
mā
Not
تَرَىٰ
tarā
you see
فِى
fī
in
خَلْقِ
khalqi
(the) creation
ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ
l-raḥmāni
(of) the Most Gracious
مِن
min
any
تَفَـٰوُتٍۢ ۖ
tafāwutin
fault
فَٱرْجِعِ
fa-ir'jiʿi
So return
ٱلْبَصَرَ
l-baṣara
the vision
هَلْ
hal
can
تَرَىٰ
tarā
you see
مِن
min
any
فُطُورٍۢ
fuṭūrin
flaw
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.
He is the One Who created the seven heavens, one above the other [6]. You will not see any flaw [7] in the creation of the Most Merciful. So look again—do you see any cracks?
[6]
The Seven Heavens and Their Nature:
According to the view of contemporary astronomers, the sky is nothing; it is merely the limit of vision, and the blue dome that appears to be shading and inclined over our heads is simply the color of the atmosphere that surrounds us on all sides. However, from the Book and Sunnah, we learn that the sky is a tangible reality. Their number is seven, and they also have gates. Furthermore, they are one above the other: one above the other, the second above the first, the third above the second, and so on. They are layered and also perfectly aligned, just as the layers of the earth or the skins of an onion are layered one above the other and are also in alignment. The only difference is that there is no distance between the layers of the earth or the skins of an onion, whereas there is a vast distance between each heaven and the next. One heaven is that upon which we see the stars twinkling every night with the naked eye, without a telescope. This heaven is closest to us; it is the first heaven, and it is referred to in the Quran as "dunya." Beyond this is the heaven whose planets are observed with the help of telescopes. Beyond that are five heavens to which even with telescopes, mankind cannot reach. The helplessness of astronomers is such that as they invent newer and more powerful telescopes to estimate the vastness and expanse of this universe, the universe appears even more vast. The universe itself is expanding, and the distances between most planets are also increasing. Seeing this situation, astronomers are left bewildered. In reality, encompassing the heavens or the entire universe is beyond human capability. If anyone from this world has ever reached these heavens, it was only the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and that too by the perfect power of Allah.
[7]
The Literal Meaning of ﴿تفاوت﴾:
﴿تفاوت﴾ ﴿فات﴾ means that something becomes so distant from a person’s reach that obtaining it becomes difficult for him, and ﴿تفاوت﴾ means that the qualities of two things are so different that each one’s quality negates the quality of the other; that is, the two things are unrelated, mismatched, incompatible, and disproportionate to each other. The meaning is that whatever Allah has created in this universe, the purpose of one does not conflict with the other, nor are they mismatched or unrelated.
The Coherent and Organized System of the Universe:
Rather, everything is fully harmonious with other things in its purpose, cooperating and interconnected and organized. If this were not the case, the system of this universe could not function at all. The survival of living creatures on this earth would be out of the question. From this harmony and absence of ﴿تفاوت﴾, it necessarily follows that the Creator of this universe can only be One. Then, only He alone has control over it, and it is absolutely necessary for such a Being to be All-Knowing and Wise.
[6]
The Seven Heavens and Their Nature:
According to the view of contemporary astronomers, the sky is nothing; it is merely the limit of vision, and the blue dome that appears to be shading and inclined over our heads is simply the color of the atmosphere that surrounds us on all sides. However, from the Book and Sunnah, we learn that the sky is a tangible reality. Their number is seven, and they also have gates. Furthermore, they are one above the other: one above the other, the second above the first, the third above the second, and so on. They are layered and also perfectly aligned, just as the layers of the earth or the skins of an onion are layered one above the other and are also in alignment. The only difference is that there is no distance between the layers of the earth or the skins of an onion, whereas there is a vast distance between each heaven and the next. One heaven is that upon which we see the stars twinkling every night with the naked eye, without a telescope. This heaven is closest to us; it is the first heaven, and it is referred to in the Quran as "dunya." Beyond this is the heaven whose planets are observed with the help of telescopes. Beyond that are five heavens to which even with telescopes, mankind cannot reach. The helplessness of astronomers is such that as they invent newer and more powerful telescopes to estimate the vastness and expanse of this universe, the universe appears even more vast. The universe itself is expanding, and the distances between most planets are also increasing. Seeing this situation, astronomers are left bewildered. In reality, encompassing the heavens or the entire universe is beyond human capability. If anyone from this world has ever reached these heavens, it was only the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and that too by the perfect power of Allah.
[7]
The Literal Meaning of ﴿تفاوت﴾:
﴿تفاوت﴾ ﴿فات﴾ means that something becomes so distant from a person’s reach that obtaining it becomes difficult for him, and ﴿تفاوت﴾ means that the qualities of two things are so different that each one’s quality negates the quality of the other; that is, the two things are unrelated, mismatched, incompatible, and disproportionate to each other. The meaning is that whatever Allah has created in this universe, the purpose of one does not conflict with the other, nor are they mismatched or unrelated.
The Coherent and Organized System of the Universe:
Rather, everything is fully harmonious with other things in its purpose, cooperating and interconnected and organized. If this were not the case, the system of this universe could not function at all. The survival of living creatures on this earth would be out of the question. From this harmony and absence of ﴿تفاوت﴾, it necessarily follows that the Creator of this universe can only be One. Then, only He alone has control over it, and it is absolutely necessary for such a Being to be All-Knowing and Wise.
