Page 64 - How Do The Unwise Interpret The Qur'an ?
P. 64
HOW DO THE UNWISE INTERPRET THE QUR'AN?
own mandate. We adorned the lowest heaven with
lamps and guarded it. That is the decree of the
Almighty, the All-Knowing. (Surah Fussilat: 9-12)
If the days mentioned in the above verses are calculated, they
add up to 8. Whereas it is stated in verse 3 of Surah Yunus and
others that the Earth, the skies and everything in between were
created in 6 days. This situation could appear incomprehensible to
a superficial reader who refuses to use his mind and logic or to pay
close attention. Those who approach the Qur'an to try to discover
faults and contradictions frequently cite the above verse.
Yet, if a person concentrates and uses wisdom he can readily
see that there is absolutely no paradox at all. If we pay attention to
the periods of time stated in the verses we can reach the following
calculations:
- It took four days from the time the universe was started until
the sustenance had been made ready, or rather the necessary
environment for living things was suitable, along with the creation
of plants and animals.
- The beginning of this period, namely the shaping of the Earth
along with the universe, or in short the creation of the world, took the
initial two of these four days. So, these two days are not a separate
time frame from those first four days. They are, to be more precise,
the first two days of the four days mentioned in the next verse.
- In the 11th and 12th verses state that the sky was formed in
2 days. In conclusion, they add up to 6 days.
In short, the verses explain the separate time frames for each
of the events that take place within the six days of creation.
It is imperative to clarify the point that the term "day"
mentioned in these verses is not used to refer to a 24 hour-day but
instead to indicate the different periods and phases.
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