
7:54 Certainly your Rabb is Allah Who has created the heavens and the earth in six Days, then He is established on the Throne of Power. He causes the night to cover the day,— which pursues it incessantly. And the sun, and the moon and the stars,— obedient to His command. Do not the creation and the command belong to Him? Blessed is Allah, Rabb of all the worlds!
7:54 Both the Bible and the Qur'ān says the heaven and the earth were created in six days ( Gen. 2:2). Since the Bible provides no definition of a 'day' and since Christian belief strongly advocate six solar days were used to create the earth, it must be interpreted literally. On the other hand, on three instances the Qur'an defined yawm as equivalent to a thousand years (22:47; 32:5) or fifty thousand years (70:4). Based on such analogy, the term yawm (lit. days ), can be interpreted metonymically to mean stages and epochs (see 7:54; 10:3; 11:7; 25:59; 32:4; 41:9-12; 50:38; 57:4). It is important to note that 'days' mentioned in this verse has nothing to do with the human perception of a day measured by rising and setting of the sun; since there was no sun before the creation. The 'arsh (lit. throne) is more symbolic to seat of power, agreed by all classical and modern commentators. Rāzī mentioned it is God's indescribable majesty; Zamakhsharī stated it is His Sovereignty, or His Dominion. The command and control of Allāh is not just limited to the earth, its creation and maintenance, but to the entire universe (2:255; 10:3; 13:2 etc.). The cycle of day and night, the orbital movement of the sun, the moon and the stars follow one universal law established by Allāh.
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