Tafseer of The Believers · Al-Muminoon · 23:17
And We have created above you seven layered heavens, and never have We been of [Our] creation unaware.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
He, exalted is His mention, says: Indeed, We have created above you, O mankind, seven heavens, some of them above others. The Arabs call everything that lies above something else a ṭarīqa (layer). The seven heavens were called seven ṭarāʾiq (layers) only because some of them lie above others, and thus each heaven among them is a ṭarīqa.
And in accordance with what we have said concerning the explanation of this, the people of exegesis have spoken.
Mention of who said that:
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning the word of Allah: (وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا فَوْقَكُمْ سَبْعَ طَرَائِقَ) (Indeed, We have created above you seven layers) — he said: the ṭarāʾiq are the heavens.
And His word: (وَمَا كُنَّا عَنِ الْخَلْقِ غَافِلِينَ) (and We were not heedless of the creation) — He says: We were, in Our creating of the seven heavens above you, not heedless of Our creation that is beneath them. Rather, We were guarding them, lest it should fall upon them and destroy them.
