فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ (عليه السلام) فَلَعَلَّكَ تَزْعُمُ أَنَّهُمَا كَانَتَا رَتْقاً مُلْتَزِقَتَيْنِ مُلْتَصِقَتَيْنِ فَفُتِقَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا مِنَ الْأُخْرَى فَقَالَ نَعَمْ فَقَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ (عليه السلام) اسْتَغْفِرْ رَبَّكَ فَإِنَّ قَوْلَ اللَّهِ جَلَّ وَ عَزَّ كانَتا رَتْقاً يَقُولُ كَانَتِ السَّمَاءُ رَتْقاً لَا تُنْزِلُ الْمَطَرَ وَ كَانَتِ الْأَرْضُ رَتْقاً لَا تُنْبِتُ الْحَبَّ فَلَمَّا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى الْخَلْقَ وَ بَثَّ فِيهَا مِنْ كُلِّ دَابَّةٍ فَتَقَ السَّمَاءَ بِالْمَطَرِ وَ الْأَرْضَ بِنَبَاتِ الْحَبِّ So Abu Ja’far -asws said: ‘Perhaps you think that these two used to be stuck together and there were separated from each other?’ He said, ‘Yes’.
Abu Ja’far -asws said: ‘Seek Forgiveness from your Lord -azwj , for it is in the Words Allah -azwj Mighty and Majestic that they were closed up, meaning that the sky used to be closed up and no rain descended from it, and the earth was closed up and did not grow any seed (vegetation). So, when Allah -azwj Blessed and Exalted Created the creatures, He -azwj Spread therein all kinds of animals. He -azwj Opened up the sky by the rain and the earth by the seed’.
فَقَالَ الشَّامِيُّ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ مِنْ وُلْدِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَ أَنَّ عِلْمَكَ عِلْمُهُمْ The Syrian said, ‘I testify that you -asws are from the children of the Prophets -as and that your -asws knowledge is their -as knowledge’. [29] في كتاب الاحتجاج للطبرسي (ره) عن ابى عبد الله عليه السلام حديث طويل وفيه قال السائل: فخلق النهار قبل الليل ؟ قال: نعم خلق النهار قبل الليل، و الشمس والقمر والارض قبل السماء.
قال عز من قائل: اخرج منها ماءها ومرعاها In the book Al-Ihtijaj Al-Tabarsy: ‘From Abu Abdullah -asws , a lengthy Hadeeth, in which the questioner asked, ‘The Creation of the day was before (the creation) of the night?’ He -asws said: ‘Yes. Allah -azwj Created the day before the night, and the sun and the moon, and the earth, before the sky. The Mighty Said: He Brings forth from it, its water and its pasturage [79:31] ’.