Quranic view of the creation process : flawless sky
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Peace,
After having dealt with the theme of the earth and mountains in episode 1 (https//free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=9611683.0), we will now discuss the creation ad the function of the sky, al-samâ, in the singular, or the heavens, al-samawât, in the plural, from a Quranic point of view without falling into anachronism.
1/ - Its elevation
The representation of the created sky is notably characterised by its "elevation", raf' (with the consonant 'ayn), above the earth.
This elevation is visually obvious.
It is mentioned from the outset in some passages presumably from Mecca. This is the case in , a verse that is part of a creative sequence whose logic may be surprising from a point of view outside the milieu and the period under consideration, but which again refers to a perfectly determined framework of life. This time, in fact, instead of evoking man through his harmonious shaping as in , it is the camels, ibil, that are suddenly installed at the centre of the Creation device as if to focus all attention on them. Here we find a focus on one of the vital elements that condition the survival of the Arabian tribes."And at the sky, how it is raised aloft, wa-ilā l-samāi kayfa rufiʿa?"
2/ - A construction that does not collapse
The main theme that concerns the Qur'anic sky is indeed that of its "construction", binâ'.
This term (root BNY) refers to the house in sedentary areas as well as to the tent that is erected in the camp. But whether it is one or the other, they must constitute a safe shelter for the man and his family.
Thus, the sky must be solid so that it does not leak, as can happen to human dwellings (a human fear)."Have you not seen that Allah, alam tara anna l-laha, holds fast the sky, yum'siku l-samāa, so that it does not fall to the earth, an taqaʿa ʿalā l-
arḍi, except because He would have allowed it, illā bi-idh'nihi ?" -His creative action refers to the image of an assembly whose parts have been properly adjusted. This meaning is found in the root SWY, which is present in .
"Above you , fawqa-kum, We have built, banaynā, seven, sabʿan, of unfailing solidity, shidāda."
The passage is ancient. It is elliptical. Here The Quran doesn't told us what these "seven" are. The intention is not to identify a material or an element of the construction of heaven. It is to give a measure of its importance, which goes beyond the imaginable norms of earthly construction for these tribesmen of the 7th century. The nature of these seven elements is discovered shortly afterwards. The sky is then presented in well nested tiers, tibâq, while the number seven is repeated.
", it is He who has fashioned, khalaqa, seven heavens, sab' samawât, by fitting
them perfectly together, tibâqan."The root TBQ (with the consonant of the emphatic t) gives the idea of covering by perfectly fitting the shape of the covered object. Tibâq is the verbal noun of the derived verbal form tâbaqqa.
The Qur'an takes up the number seven, which is found in a Babylonian ancestry and then passes through the biblical field. The verse , which mirrors the seven heavens with seven earths, is probably related to the midrash.3/ - The defence of heaven or how to repel the Jinn
An adornment intervenes as a reported element that is attached to what is called the "lower heaven", al-samâ' al -dunyâ. The "lower heaven" is that which is seen when one is below it, from the earth. It is therefore the sky in a visual relationship from a human perspective.
In this ornament given to be contemplated is that of the "towers/constellations", burûdj, which line the sky. They serve as a defense against any intrusion of the "demons" (shayâtîn, which designates here the demon-jinns). This celestial security perimeter seems to be modelled on the towers linked by the earthen walls that protect the cities of Arabia. There is also an earthly use of the word burûdj in .Three passages refer to that which is placed in the lower sky above the earth. These are luminaries.
In two cases the term masabîh (plural of misbâh) is used, the meaning of which is a "small light".
In another case, it refers to the round and shining heavenly body/stars, kawâkib. They have above all a defensive function."And We have adorned the lower heaven with lamps, masabîh, and We made it with projectiles against the devils; and We prepared for them the retribution of the
blazing Fire""We have adorned the lower heaven with the decoration of stars,"
"to guard against every rebellious devil."
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"But if any of them who snatches a part, he is pursued by a piercing flame ."