Surah 41. Ha-Mim, Ayah 9
| ۞ قُلْ أَئِنَّكُمْ لَتَكْفُرُونَ بِالَّذِي خَلَقَ الْأَرْضَ فِي يَوْمَيْنِ وَتَجْعَلُونَ لَهُ أَنْدَادًا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ |
| Transliteration | : | qul 'a- 'inna -kum la- takfuron bi- 'alladhe khalaqa al- 'ard. fe yawmain wa- tajcalon la- -hu andaad(an) dhaalika rabb al- caalamen |
| Pickthall | : | Say (O Muhammad, unto the idolaters): Disbelieve ye verily in Him Who created the earth in two Days, and ascribe ye unto Him rivals? He (and none else) is the Lord of the Worlds. |
| Asad | : | SAY: "Would you indeed deny Him who has created the earth in two aeons?7 And do you claim that there is any power that could rival Him,8 the Sustainer of all the worlds?" |
| Malik | : | Ask them: "Do you really deny the One Who created the earth in two periods and do you set up rivals in worship with Him while He is the Rabb of the worlds. |
| Yusuf Ali | : | Say: Is it that ye Deny Him Who created the earth in two Days? And do ye join equals with Him? He is the Lord of (all) the Worlds. 4470 |
Note - 7For the above rendering of the term yawm (lit., "day"),
as "aeon", see last third of note [43] on 7:54. As in
so many verses of the Qur'an which relate to cosmic
events, the repeated mention of the "six aeons" during
which the universe was created - "two" of which,
according to the above verse, were taken by the evolution
of the inorganic universe, including the earth - has a
purely allegorical import: in this case, I believe, an
indication that the universe did not exist "eternally"
but had a definite beginning in time, and that it
required a definite time-lapse to evolve to its present
condition.
|
Note - 8Lit., "do you give Him compeers (andad)?" For an
explanation, see note [13] on 2:22.
|
Note - 4470This is a difficult passage, describing the primal
creation of our physical earth and the physical heavens
around us. If we count the two Days mentioned in this
verse, the four Days mentioned in verse 10, and the two
Days mentioned in verse 12, we get a total of eight Days,
while in many passages the creation is stated to have
taken place in six Days: see vii. 54, n. 1031; and xxxii.
4, n. 3632. The Commentators understand the "four Days"
in verse 10 to include the two Days in verse 9, so that
the total for the universe comes to six Days. This is
reasonable, because the processes described in verses 9
and 10 form really one series. In the one case it is the
creation of the formless matter of the earth; in the
other case it is the gradual evolution of the form of the
earth, its mountains and seas, and its animal and
vegetable life, with the "nourishment in due proportion",
proper to each. Cf. also xv. 19-20.
|
Share your thoughts about this with others by posting a comment. Visit our FAQ for some ideas.
Filter Comments 
 |
For the above rendering of the term yawm (lit., "day"), as "aeon", see last third of note [43] on 7:54. As in so many verses of the Qur'an which relate to cosmic events, the repeated mention of the "six aeons" during which the universe was created - "two" of which, according to the above verse, were taken by the evolution of the inorganic universe, including the earth - has a purely allegorical import: in this case, I believe, an indication that the universe did not exist "eternally" but had a definite beginning in time, and that it required a definite time-lapse to evolve to its present condition. |
| |
Lit., "do you give Him compeers (andad)?" For an explanation, see note [13] on 2:22. |
| |
This is a difficult passage, describing the primal creation of our physical earth and the physical heavens around us. If we count the two Days mentioned in this verse, the four Days mentioned in verse 10, and the two Days mentioned in verse 12, we get a total of eight Days, while in many passages the creation is stated to have taken place in six Days: see vii. 54, n. 1031; and xxxii. 4, n. 3632. The Commentators understand the "four Days" in verse 10 to include the two Days in verse 9, so that the total for the universe comes to six Days. This is reasonable, because the processes described in verses 9 and 10 form really one series. In the one case it is the creation of the formless matter of the earth; in the other case it is the gradual evolution of the form of the earth, its mountains and seas, and its animal and vegetable life, with the "nourishment in due proportion", proper to each. Cf. also xv. 19-20. |
