Surah Al-Baqarah >> Currently viewing Surah Baqarah Ayat 29 (2:29)

Surah Baqarah Ayat 29 in Arabic Text

هُوَ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَ لَكُم مَّا فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ جَمِيعٗا ثُمَّ ٱسۡتَوَىٰٓ إِلَى ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَسَوَّىٰهُنَّ سَبۡعَ سَمَٰوَٰتٖۚ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيۡءٍ عَلِيمٞ
Huwal lazee khalaqa lakum maa fil ardi jamee’an summas tawaaa ilas samaaa’i fasaw waahunna sab’a samaa waat; wa Huwa bikulli shai’in Aleem (section 3)

English Translation

Here you can read various translations of verse 29

Sahih International
It is He who created for you all of that which is on the earth. Then He directed Himself to the heaven, [His being above all creation], and made them seven heavens, and He is Knowing of all things.

Yusuf Ali
“It is He Who hath created for you all things that are on earth; Moreover His design comprehended the heavens, for He gave order and perfection to the seven firmaments; and of all things He hath perfect knowledge.

Abul Ala Maududi
He it is Who created for you all that there is on the Earth; He then turned to the sky and ordered it into seven heavens. And He has full knowledge of everything.

Muhsin Khan
He it is Who created for you all that is on earth. Then He Istawa (rose over) towards the heaven and made them seven heavens and He is the All-Knower of everything.

Pickthall
He it is Who created for you all that is in the earth. Then turned He to the heaven, and fashioned it as seven heavens. And He is knower of all things.

Dr. Ghali
He is (The One) Who created for you whatever is in the earth altogether. Thereafter He leveled Himself (How He did so is beyond human understanding stauling) to the heaven; so He leveled them seven heavens, and He is Ever-Knowing of everything.

Abdel Haleem
It was He who created all that is on the earth for you, then turned to the sky and made the seven heavens; it is He who has knowledge of all things.

Muhammad Junagarhi
وه اللہ جس نے تمہارے لئے زمین کی تمام چیزوں کو پیدا کیا، پھر آسمان کی طرف قصد کیا اور ان کو ٹھیک ٹھاک سات آسمان بنایا اور وه ہر چیز کو جانتا ہے

Quran 2 Verse 29 Explanation

For those looking for commentary to help with the understanding of Surah Baqarah ayat 29, we’ve provided two Tafseer works below. The first is the tafseer of Abul Ala Maududi, the second is of Ibn Kathir.

Ala-Maududi

(2:29) It is He Who created for you all that is on earth and then turned above and fashioned it into seven heavens.[34] He knows all things.[35]


34. It is difficult to explain precisely what is meant by the ‘seven heavens’. In all ages man has tried, with the help of observation and speculation, to conceptualize the ‘heavens’, i.e. that which lies beyond and above the earth. As we well know, the concepts that have thus developed have constantly changed. Hence it would be improper to tie the meaning of these words of the Qur’an to any one of these numerous concepts. What might be broadly inferred from this statement is that either God has divided the universe beyond the earth into seven distinct spheres, or that this earth is located in that part of the universe which consists of seven different spheres.

35. In this sentence attention is drawn to two important facts. First, man is warned against disbelief and rebellion against God, for God knows all that man does and none of his actions are hidden from Him. Second, it is suggested to man that if he turns away from the All-Knowing God, from the One Who is the source of all knowledge, this can only leave him grouping in the darkness of ignorance and error. When there is no source of truth knowledge except God, and when that very light which alone can illuminate man’s life can be obtained from none else but Him, what good can come out of deviation from the Truth?

Ibn-Kathir

29. He it is Who created for you all that is on earth. Then He Istawa ila the heaven and made them seven heavens and He is the Knower of everything.


Evidence of Allah’s Ability

After Allah mentioned the proofs of His creating them, and what they can witness in themselves as proof of that, He mentioned another proof that they can witness, that is, the creation of the heavens and earth. Allah said,

﴿هُوَ الَّذِى خَلَقَ لَكُم مَّا فِى الاٌّرْضِ جَمِيعاً ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى إِلَى السَّمَآءِ فَسَوَّاهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَـوَاتٍ﴾

(He it is Who created for you all that is on earth. Then He Istawa ila the heaven and made them seven heavens) meaning, He turned towards the heaven,

﴿فَسَوَّاهُنَّ﴾

(And made them) meaning, that He made the heaven, seven heavens. Allah said,

﴿فَسَوَّاهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَـوَاتٍ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ﴾

(And made them seven heavens and He is the Knower of everything) meaning, His knowledge encompasses all His creation, just as He said in another Ayah,

﴿أَلاَ يَعْلَمُ مَنْ خَلَقَ﴾

(Should not He Who has created know) (67:14).

The Beginning of the Creation

This Ayah (2:29) is explained in detail in Surat As-Sajdah where Allah said;

﴿قُلْ أَءِنَّكُمْ لَتَكْفُرُونَ بِالَّذِى خَلَقَ الاٌّرْضَ فِى يَوْمَيْنِ وَتَجْعَلُونَ لَهُ أَندَاداً ذَلِكَ رَبُّ الْعَـلَمِينَ – وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا رَوَاسِىَ مِن فَوْقِهَا وَبَـرَكَ فِيهَا وَقَدَّرَ فِيهَآ أَقْوَتَهَا فِى أَرْبَعَةِ أَيَّامٍ سَوَآءً لِّلسَّآئِلِينَ – ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى إِلَى السَّمَآءِ وَهِىَ دُخَانٌ فَقَالَ لَهَا وَلِلاٌّرْضِ ائْتِيَا طَوْعاً أَوْ كَرْهاً قَالَتَآ أَتَيْنَا طَآئِعِينَ – فَقَضَاهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَـوَتٍ فِى يَوْمَيْنِ وَأَوْحَى فِى كُلِّ سَمَآءٍ أَمْرَهَا وَزَيَّنَّا السَّمَآءَ الدُّنْيَا بِمَصَـبِيحَ وَحِفْظاً ذَلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ ﴾

(Say (O Muhammad ): “Do you verily disbelieve in Him Who created the earth in two Days And you set up rivals (in worship) with Him That is the Lord of all that exists. He placed therein (i.e. the earth) firm mountains from above it, and He blessed it, and measured therein its sustenance (for its dwellers) in four Days equal (i.e. all these four `days’ were equal in the length of time) for all those who ask (about its creation). Then He Istawa ila the heaven when it was smoke, and said to it and to the earth: “Come both of you willingly or unwillingly.” They both said: “We come willingly.” Then He finished them (as) seven heavens in two Days and He made in each heaven its affair. And We adorned the nearest (lowest) heaven with lamps (stars) to be an adornment as well as to guard (from the devils by using them as missiles against the devils). Such is the decree of the Almighty, the Knower) (41:9-12).

These Ayat indicate that Allah started creation by creating earth, then He made heaven into seven heavens. This is how building usually starts, with the lower floors first and then the top floors, as the scholars of Tafsir reiterated, as we will come to know, Allah willing. Allah also said,

﴿أَءَنتُمْ أَشَدُّ خَلْقاً أَمِ السَّمَآءُ بَنَـهَا – رَفَعَ سَمْكَهَا فَسَوَّاهَا – وَأَغْطَشَ لَيْلَهَا وَأَخْرَجَ ضُحَـهَا – وَالاٌّرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ دَحَـهَا – أَخْرَجَ مِنْهَا مَآءَهَا وَمَرْعَـهَا – وَالْجِبَالَ أَرْسَـهَا – مَتَـعاً لَّكُمْ وَلاًّنْعَـمِكُمْ ﴾

(Are you more difficult to create or is the heaven that He constructed He raised its height, and has perfected it. Its night He covers with darkness and its forenoon He brings out (with light). And the earth, after that, He spread it out. And brought forth therefrom its water and its pasture. And the mountains He has fixed firmly. (To be) a provision and benefit for you and your cattle) (79:27-33).

It is said that “Then” in the Ayah (2:29) relates only to the order of reciting the information being given, it does not relate to the order that the events being mentioned took place, this was reported from Ibn `Abbas by `Ali bin Abi Talhah.

The Earth was created before Heaven

Mujahid commented on Allah’s statement,

﴿هُوَ الَّذِى خَلَقَ لَكُم مَّا فِى الاٌّرْضِ جَمِيعاً﴾

(He it is Who created for you all that is on earth) “Allah created the earth before heaven, and when He created the earth, smoke burst out of it. This is why Allah said,

﴿ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى إِلَى السَّمَآءِ وَهِىَ دُخَانٌ﴾

(Then He Istawa ila (turned towards) the heaven when it was smoke.) (41:11)

﴿فَسَوَّاهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَـوَاتٍ﴾

(And made them seven heavens) means, one above the other, while the `seven earths’ means, one below the other.”

This Ayah testifies to the fact that the earth was created before heaven, as Allah has indicated in the Ayat in Surat As-Sajdah.

Spreading the Earth out after the Heavens were created

Sahih Al-Bukhari records that when Ibn `Abbas was question about this matter, he said that the earth was created before heaven, and the earth was spread out only after the creation of the heaven. Several Tafsir scholars of old and recent times also said similarly, as we have elaborated on in the Tafsir of Surat An-Nazi`at (chapter 79). The result of that discussion is that the word Daha (translated above as “spread”) is mentioned and explained in Allah’s statement,

﴿وَالاٌّرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ دَحَـهَا – أَخْرَجَ مِنْهَا مَآءَهَا وَمَرْعَـهَا – وَالْجِبَالَ أَرْسَـهَا ﴾

(And the earth, after that, He spread it out. And brought forth therefrom its water and its pasture. And the mountains He has fixed firmly.) (79:30-32)

Therefore, Daha means that the earth’s treasures were brought to its surface after finishing the job of creating whatever will reside on earth and heaven. When the earth became Daha, the water burst out to its surface and the various types, colors, shapes and kinds of plants grew. The stars started rotating along with the planets that rotate around them. And Allah knows best.

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surah baqarah ayat 29
surah baqarah ayat 30
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surah baqarah ayat 32
surah baqarah ayat 33

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