Tuesday, March 5, 2013

[21].Al-Anbiya' [The Prophets]: Ayat 31-32



Ayat 31. And We have placed on the earth firm mountains, lest it should shake with them, and We placed therein broad highways for them to pass through, that they may be guided.
Ayat 32. And We have made the heaven a roof, safe and well guarded. Yet they turn away from its signs (i.e. sun, moon, winds, clouds, etc.).
[Tafseer] And We have set on the earth mountains standing firm, lest it should shake with them, and We have made therein broad highways (between mountains) for them to pass through: that they may receive Guidance. Lest it should shake with them: here "them" refers back to "they" at the end of the preceding verse, meaning "Unbelievers". It might be mankind in general, but the pointed address to those who do not realise and understand Allah's mercies is appropriate, to drive home to them the fact that it is Allah's well-ordered providence that protects them normally from cataclysms like earthquakes, but that they could for their iniquities be destroyed in an instant, as the 'Ad and the Thamud were destroyed before them. As pointed out in above, if the surface of the earth were levelled up, it would all be under water, and therefore the firm mountains are a further source of security for life which has evolved in terrestrial forms. Though the mountains may seem impassable barriers, yet Allah's providence has provided broad passes between them to afford highways for human communications. In both the literal and the figurative sense. Literally, these natural mountain highways direct men in the way they should go. Figuratively, these wonderful instances of Allah's providence should turn men's thoughts to the true guidance of Allah in life and spiritual progress. And We have made the heavens as a canopy well guarded yet do they turn away from the Signs which these things (point to)! Canopy well-guarded: the heavens form a canopy that is secure from falling down: they also form a sublime spectacle and a Mystery that man can only faintly reach. Perhaps also the mystery of spiritual life is metaphorically hinted
Hazrat Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah [SAWW](PBUH) took hold of my hand and said,  "Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, created the earth on Saturday, the mountains on Sunday, the trees on Monday, the things entailing labour on Tuesday, light on Wednesday, He spread out animals of all kinds on Thursday, and created Adam in the afternoon on Friday, and it was the last hour of Friday between the afternoon and the night.''
[Muslim Book 39, Chapter 02, Hadith # 6707] 
Lesson : as mentioned above in Surah Al-Anbiya' Ayat 31."We have placed on the earth firm mountains" What does "Day'' mean, and how long can it be? Its reality only Allah knows. We observe a day of 24 hours. However, the days of the formation of the universe are evidently different from our earthly days. According to the Arabic language, a day may mean just a moment, but also aeons of time. In the Qur'an also, Allah has mentioned that a `day' may be of one thousand or fifty thousand years.

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