ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Philosophy of Islamic Laws Question 34: What Is Meant By ‘Seven Heavens’? Question: What is the purpose of the Qur’an in pointing towards 'seven heavens'? Answer: Islamic scholars and commentators have narrated some clarifications regarding 'seven heavens' (towards which indication are made in the Holy Qur’an also). Here by seven is meant to be multiplication (to be more). It means that He has created many heavens, i.e. He has created a number of times.

And mostly it so happens that, in Arabic, Persian, Urdu or other languages, the mention of numbers is done in the sense of plenty. It means that a number is mentioned but no definite quantity is meant. The purpose of saying is to convey plenty. For example, generally we say in Urdu that, I said this to you fifty times, or I have demanded from him ten times. However, it is not necessary that, the act should have been done for exactly fifty or ten times.

But it is meant that I have said this many times or I have demanded that thing a number of times. The Holy Qur’an says about the word of Allah and the things known to Allah in this way: “ And were every tree that is in the earth (made into) pens and the sea (to supply it with ink), with seven more seas to increase it, the words of Allah would not come to an end… ”[^1] It is obvious, here seven indicates excess, otherwise as we know, if there is an addition of ten or hundred oceans also, then too the unfathomed knowledge of Allah cannot be written, because Allah is by all means beyond words.

In the same way many other numbers 'sabeen' 'seventy', etc. also, are used in the sense of excess in the Holy Qur’an or other words (either in speech or writing) in Arabic and other languages. And the meaning of those numbers is not some definite number, but it is intended to point towards the excess of something.

By seven heavens it was meant to be those planets, which were known to the people of that period or they are those planets, which the general public of the present age can see with naked eyes. By seven heavens are meant the multiple layers of different airs and gases that encircle the earth. Still, according to the views of some great intellectuals, those small stars, galaxies and Milky Way, which are seen, all are part of the first heaven and beyond that six still bigger worlds are there.

And by seven heavens the Holy Qur’an means all those seven worlds, which exist in the Universe.