Tafseer of The Heights · Al-A'raaf · 7:54
Indeed, your Lord is Allah, who created the heavens and earth in six days and then established Himself above the Throne. He covers the night with the day, [another night] chasing it rapidly; and [He created] the sun, the moon, and the stars, subjected by His command. Unquestionably, His is the creation and the command; blessed is Allah, Lord of the worlds.
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.
The explanation of His word: إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى عَلَى الْعَرْشِ يُغْشِي اللَّيْلَ النَّهَارَ يَطْلُبُهُ حَثِيثًا ("Truly, your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then He rose above the Throne; He makes the night cover the day, which pursues it swiftly").
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: Truly, your master and the Disposer of your affairs, O people, He is the One worshipped, to whom the worship of every thing is due, "Who created the heavens and the earth in six days," and these are Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, as in:
14773 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Al-Ḥajjāj ibn al-Minhāl related to us, saying: Abū ʿAwāna related to us, on the authority of Abū Bishr, on the authority of Mujāhid, who said: The beginning of creation was the Throne, the water, and the air; and the earth was created from the water. The beginning of creation was on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and creation was completed on Friday, and the Jews took Saturday as their Sabbath. And one of the six days is like a thousand years of what you count.
"Then He rose above the Throne."
We have already dealt previously with the meaning of "the rising" (al-istiwāʾ) and the disagreements of the people concerning it, in a manner that makes repetition unnecessary.
As for His word: "He makes the night cover the day, which pursues it swiftly," He says: He brings the night over the day and makes it cover it, until its freshness and light disappear. "Which pursues it," He says: the night pursues the day. "Swiftly" (ḥathīthan), that is to say: rapidly.
And in accordance with what we have said about that, the exegetes spoke.
Mention of who said that:
14774 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭalḥa, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: "Which pursues it swiftly," he says: rapidly.
14775 — Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn related to me, saying: Aḥmad ibn al-Mufaḍḍal related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: "He makes the night cover the day, which pursues it swiftly," he said: He makes the night cover the day with its light, and it pursues it rapidly until it overtakes it.
The explanation of His word: وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ وَالنُّجُومَ مُسَخَّرَاتٍ بِأَمْرِهِ أَلا لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالأَمْرُ تَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ (54) ("and the sun and the moon and the stars, made subservient by His command. Truly, to Him belong the creation and the command. Blessed is Allah, the Lord of the worlds") (7:54).
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: Truly, your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth and the sun and the moon and the stars, all of that by His command; Allah commanded them, and they obeyed His command. Truly, to Allah belong the entire creation, and the command which is not opposed and not rejected, to the exclusion of all else, and to the exclusion of what the polytheists (mushrikīn) worshipped of gods and idols which neither harm nor benefit, which neither create nor command. Blessed is Allah, our Worshipped One, to whom the worship of every thing is due, the Lord of the worlds.
14776 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: Hishām Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, saying: Baqiyya ibn al-Walīd related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Ghaffār ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-Anṣārī related to me, on the authority of ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-Shāmī, on the authority of his father — and he had enjoyed the company of the Prophet ﷺ — who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Whoever does not praise Allah for a good deed he has performed, but praises himself, his gratitude is scant and his deed is fruitless. And whoever claims that Allah has given the servants any share of the command has disbelieved in what Allah sent down to His prophets, because of His word: "Truly, to Him belong the creation and the command. Blessed is Allah, the Lord of the worlds."