In this post I am going to provide further evidence that Muhammad actually believed that his god created the heavens only after he had already created the earth. This will refute and expose modern Muslim polemicists for dishonestly and deceitfully twisting and butchering the Quran to make it comport with recent scientific theories and facts. All bold and/or capital emphasis will be mine.

The Islamic scripture is quite explicit that the heavens were only created after Allah had already made and fashioned the earth:

He it is Who created for you all that is in the earth. THEN (thumma) turned He to the heaven, and fashioned it as seven heavens. And He is knower of all things. S. 2:29 Pickthall

The Quran is equally clear that the Muslim deity created the earth and heavens in six days:

Who created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in six Days, then He mounted the Throne. The Beneficent! Ask anyone informed concerning Him! S. 25:59 Pickthall – Cf. Q. 10:3; 11:7; 32:4; 57:4

The Muslim expositors explain that Allah began creating on Sunday and finished on Friday.

And verily We created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in six days the first of which was Sunday and the last of which was Friday and no weariness no fatigue touched Us this was revealed as a refutation of the Jews’ claim that God rested on the Saturday and lay down upon the Throne. The preclusion of weariness in His case is absolute on account of His transcending of the attributes of creatures and the non-existence of any contiguity between Him and other beings His command when He wills a thing is just to say to it ‘Be’ and it is Q. 36:82. (Tafsir Al-Jalalayn https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=74&tSoraNo=50&tAyahNo=38&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2; bold emphasis mine)

Certain interpreters likened each day to a thousand years of our reckoning:

(And verily We created the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them) of created beings and marvels, (in six Days) of the days of the beginning of the life of the world, each day the equivalent of 1,000 years of present days, the first day being Sunday and the last Friday, (and naught of weariness touched Us) We were not tired as claimed by the Jews who said: when Allah finished the creation of the heavens and earth, he put one leg on the other and rested on Saturday. The enemies of Allah have lied against Allah. (Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=73&tSoraNo=50&tAyahNo=38&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2)

It is apparent that these statements are plainly derived from God’s Word, the Holy Bible, which states that a thousand years in the sight of God is like a day and vice-versa:

“For a thousand years in Your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a night watch in the night time.” Psalm 90:4

“But, beloved, do not be ignorant of this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” 2 Peter 3:8 MEV

This next verse is interesting for what it denies:

And verily We created the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, in six Days, and naught of weariness touched Us. S. 50:38 Pickthall

It is apparent that the foregoing text has the following biblical references in view:

“Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or your sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Exodus 20:8-11

“The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Speak also to the children of Israel, saying, ‘You must surely keep My Sabbaths, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you. You shall keep the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who defiles it will surely be put to death. For whoever does any work on it, that person will be cut off from among his people. Six days may work be done, but on the seventh is the Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day will surely be put to death. Therefore the children of Israel must keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever, for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’” Exodus 31:12-17 – Cf. Genesis 2:1-3

Here is where it gets all the more interesting.

The Muslim commentators claim that Muhammad composed Q. 50:38 in response to the Jews who had asked him about the creation of the cosmos:

(And verily We created the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, in six Days, and naught of weariness touched Us) [50:38]. Al-Hasan and Qatadah said: “The Jews said: ‘Allah created the creation in six days and rested on the seventh, Saturday’, which they call the Sabbath, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse”. Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Tamimi informed us> ‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Ja‘far al-Hafiz> Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hasan> Hannad ibn al-Sari> Abu Bakr ibn ‘Ayyash> Abu Sa‘d al-Baqqal> ‘Ikrimah> Ibn ‘Abbas who said: “The Jews came to the Prophet and asked him about the creation of the heavens and earth. He said to them: ‘Allah created the earth on Sunday and Monday; He created the mountains [and what they contain of benefits] on Tuesday; He created the trees and water on Wednesday; HE CREATED HEAVEN ON THURSDAY; ON FRIDAY, HE CREATED THE STARS, SUN AND MOON’. ‘And what after that, O Muhammad?’ the Jews asked. He said: ‘Then, He established Himself on the Throne’. They said: ‘You would have answered correctly, if you added: and then He rested’. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was furious. This verse was then revealed (And verily We created the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, in six Days, and naught of weariness touched Us. Therefor (O Muhammad) bear with what they say) [50:38-39]”. (‘Alī ibn Ahmad al-Wahidi, Asbab al-Nuzul; https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=86&tSoraNo=50&tAyahNo=38&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2)

It is narrated on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas that he said: The Jews came to The Messenger of Allah and asked him about the creation of the heavens and the earth, he said: “Allah created the earth on Sunday and Monday, the mountains and what they have of benefits on Tuesday; and on Wednesday, He created the trees, water, cities, valleys and deserts; AND ON THURSDAY HE CREATED THE HEAVEN; AND ON FRIDAY HE CREATED THE STARS, THE MOON AND THE ANGELS till only three hours remained out of it. In the first hour, He created the death terms till those who die would die. In the second, He cast evil on everything of benefit to the people. In the third hour He created Adam and made him to dwell in Paradise and commanded Iblis to fall in prostration to him and then drove him out of Paradise in the last hour”. The Jews said: “Then, what is next O Muhammad?” He said: “Then, Allah established Himself on the Throne (of authority in a way fit for His Majesty)”.

They said: “You have told the truth if you complete it”. They added: “Then, He took rest”. The Messenger of Allah grew angry so much thereupon Allah revealed this Qur’anic Verse. [Al-Hakim who renders it SAHIH] (Jalal Al-Din Al-Suyuti, Reasons and Occasions of Revelation of the Holy Qur’an (Lubab An-Nuqul Fi Asbab An-Nuzul), translated by Dr. Muhammad Mahdi Al-Sharif [Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut 2015], p. 369)

768– Al-Hasan and Qatada said that this verse was revealed about the Jews who said that Allah created the creatures in six days and then rested. The seventh day was Saturday, so they call it the day of rest. So Allah revealed the verse.

769– Ibn Abbas said that the Jews came to the Prophet and asked him about the creation of the skies and lands. He replied, “Allah created the land on Sunday and Monday, the mountains on Tuesday, the sky on Wednesday and Thursday, AND THE SUN, MOON AND STARS ON FRIDAY. So, the Jews asked, “What then?” He replied, “Then He established Himself over His throne.” However they said, “It would be better to say that he rested.” The issue caused the fury of the Prophet and for this reason this verse was revealed. (Imam Al-Wahidi An-Naisaburi, Reasons and Occasions of Revelation of the Holy Quran: English-Arabic Text, translated by Haythem Kreidly [Dar Al-Kotob Al-ilmiyah, Beirut, 2^nd edition 2012], p. 522)

According to the sound, authentic traditions of Muhammad, Allah created the heavens and their constellations, including the angels, only after he had already made the earth and all of its nourishments. This is in clear contradiction with modern scientific theories of the origins of the universe.

That’s not all.

The following so-called authentic narration claims that it took Allah more than six days to create all things, and that Allah had already begun creating on Saturday as opposed to Sunday:  

Abu Haraira reported that Allah’s Messenger took hold of my hands and said: Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, created the clay on Saturday and He created the mountains on Sunday and He created the trees on Monday and He created the things entailing labour on Tuesday and created light on Wednesday and lie caused the animals to spread on Thursday and created Adam after ‘Asr on Friday; the last creation at the last hour of the hours of Friday, i.e. between afternoon and night. (Sahih Muslim, Book 039, Number 6707 https://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=039&translator=2&start=0&number=6706)

This means that it took Allah more than six days to create the entire creation, a view supported by the following Quranic ayat:

Say (O Muhammad, unto the idolaters): Disbelieve ye verily in Him Who created the earth in two Days, and ascribe ye unto Him rivals? He (and none else) is the Lord of the Worlds. He placed therein firm hills rising above it, and blessed it and measured therein its sustenance in four Days, alike for (all) who ask; THEN (thumma) turned He to the heaven when it was smoke, and said unto it and unto the earth: Come both of you, willingly or loth. They said: We come, obedient. Then He ordained them seven heavens in two Days and inspired in each heaven its mandate; and We decked the nether heaven with lamps, and rendered it inviolable. That is the measuring of the Mighty, the Knower. S. 41:9-12 Pickthall

The Muslim scripture once again confirms that the heavens (which supposedly are seven in number) were only created after the earth and its nourishments had already been formed. And rather than it taking Allah to create all things in six days, the above passage claims that it actually took him eight days to do so. I.e., 2 + 4 + 2 = 8 days of creation.

As the late, great Christian apologist and theologian Dr. Robert A. Morey put it:  

How Many Days of Creation?

The very first problem in the Quran concerns the number of days it took God to create the world.

When you add up all the days mentioned in Sura 41:9, 10, 12 the Quran says that it took God eight days to create the world (4 days + 2 days + 2 days = 8 days).

But it only took six days according to the Bible (Genesis 1:31). Thus the Quran begins its contradiction of the Bible in the very first chapter of the Bible.

A Muslim friend objected to this, stating that the Hebrew text of the Bible was no doubt corrupted at this point and that it originally said that the creation took eight days.

I pointed out that there was no evidence in the Hebrew manuscripts of any corruption. Also, the Bible elsewhere says that the world was created in six days (Exodus 20:11).

Then I pointed out that the Quran in Suras 7:51 and 10:3 agreed with the biblical account that the creation of the world took only six days.

If six days is wrong, then the Quran in Suras 7 and 10 is wrong. But if eight days is wrong, then Sura 41 is wrong.

Using classic Muslim reasoning, he responded that then the Quran did not say eight days.

I added up the days mentioned in Sura 41 as 4 + 2 + 2 = 8.

He then added it up and came up with 4 + 2 + 2 = 6 “because 4 is divisible by 2 and hence 4 is actually a 2!”

When I pointed out that the Arabic said 4 and not 2, it did not faze him. He argued that 4 = 2, otherwise he would be trapped into having to admit that the Quran was in error.

Thus he made the utterly ridiculous statement that 4 = 2 rather than simply accepting the fact that Muhammad made an error at this point. (Morey, Islamic Invasion: Confronting the World’s Fastest Growing Religion [Christian Scholars Press, Revised and expanded edition 1992], pp. 155-157)

To make it even more confusing, the Quran elsewhere says that Allah made the earth’s nourishments only after he had already created the heavens!

Are ye the harder to create, or is the heaven that He built? He raised the height thereof and ordered it; And He made dark the night thereof, and He brought forth the morn thereof. And AFTER THAT (ba’da) He spread the earth, And produced therefrom the water thereof and the pasture thereof, And He made fast the hills, A provision for you and for your cattle. S. 79:27-33 Pickthall

So now which is it. Did Allah first create the earth and all that it contains? Or did he create the seven heavens before making the earth’s nourishments and provisions? And did it take Allah six or eight days to bring the entire creation into existence?

With the foregoing in perspective, it is time for Muslims to stop deceiving the masses into believing that their scripture perfectly comports with modern scientific theories and discoveries. The fact is that the Quran is an incoherent, inconsistent and unintelligible book filled with irreconcilable contradictions, containing historical anachronisms and fairy tales which Muhammad tried to pass off as sacred history.

This is a point that even the unbelievers of Muhammad’s day were fully aware of:

Those who disbelieve say: This is naught but a lie that he hath invented, and other folk have helped him with it, so that they have produced a slander and a lie. And they say: Fables of the men of old which he hath had written down so that they are dictated to him morn and evening. Say (unto them, O Muhammad): He who knoweth the secret of the heavens and the earth hath revealed it. Lo! He ever is Forgiving, Merciful. S. 25:4-6 Pickthall

What really makes the Quran miraculous is that there are people who actually believe it is a miracle sent down by the one true God of Abraham.

Now that is truly a miracle, albeit a satanic one at that!

FURTHER READING

A Quran Blunder: The Days and Order of Creation

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