THE two verses preceding the ones we are discussing today spoke about the creation of the earth, the blessings God placed in it, and the fact that He apportioned the sustenance provided in it to keep all creatures alive for as long as God determined them to live. The next two verses speak of the design God made for the sky.
What is meant here by the application of God’s design is that it was His will to do so. The word, ‘then’, may not signify a chronological order; rather, it may mean turning to something higher. In our sense, the sky is higher. “Then, He applied His design to the sky, which was but smoke.” Scientists believe that before the existence of stars there was what they call the nebula, a cloud of gas, or rather, smoke.
The verse then adds a statement expressing an awesome truth: “and said to it and to the earth: Come, both of you, willingly or unwillingly. They both said: We do come willingly.” This is a remarkable reference to the fact of the universe being under God’s control. It submits to its Creator and willingly does His bidding. This leaves only man who, in most cases, submits to God’s law unwillingly. The law inevitably applies to him and he cannot take himself out of its domain. Man is no more than a little gear in the great machinery of the universe. All universal laws apply to him, whether he likes them or not. Yet he is the only creature who does not make the same submission as the earth and the sky. He always tries to deviate from an easy and smooth path, and, thus, he collides with the laws of nature, which will inevitably overpower him. He will then submit, albeit unwillingly. Exceptions to this are God’s servants who, in their hearts, concepts, desires and actions, are not in conflict with the overall divine law. These people submit willingly and find their way easy and smooth. They move in line with the movement of the universe, turning to God and living in harmony with all that exists. They are able to achieve wonders and produce miracles. They have no conflict with any force in the universe; on the contrary, they derive from its powers.
We, humans, submit to God’s law unwillingly. How much better it would be for us to submit willingly, as do the earth and the skies. We would then enjoy the happiness that results from being consistent with the rest of the universe. At times, we also come up with what is absurd! The wheel of God’s will turns in the way, direction and speed set for it, turning the universe with it according to well defined laws of nature. Yet we, out of all creation in the universe, try to force the wheel to run faster or slower, responding to what may motivate us of worry, selfishness, greed, fear or desire. We may move to this side or that, while the rest of creation moves along a well defined way. This inevitably means that we run into a collision here or there, endure pain or suffer a fatal crash. Thus, all our efforts and power go to waste. We should know, however, that when we truly believe, submit to God and relate to the rest of the universe, we will clearly understand our role, coordinate our movements with those of the universe, and move at the right time and speed, within the right space. Thus our movements will benefit by the power God has placed in the universe to produce truly great results. We will experience no arrogance or conceit because we know the source of the power that enabled us to accomplish our great deeds. We will be certain that we do not achieve such results by our own efforts working in isolation. Instead, we achieve them when only we derive all that we do from the greatest power.
When we do this on our short journey spent on planet earth that submits willingly to God, we feel happy, comfortable and reassured. Indeed, the whole planet joins us on its own journey to its Lord. Moreover, we will enjoy the great peace that pours into our spirits as we live in a friendly universe submitting to its Lord. We will join the universe in willing submission to Him and, as a result, we will have no conflict with the universe, because we are part of it and we move with it in the same direction.
“They both said: We do come willingly. So He decreed that they become seven heavens in two days, and assigned to each heaven its task.” These two days may be the same as those in which the stars were formed from the nebulas, or during which the creation was completed as God only knows how. The assignment of tasks to each heaven refers to the operation of the natural laws in them, in accordance with God’s directives. What, then, does the term ‘heaven’ mean? We have no definite answer. The word may refer to a measure of distance. On the other hand, each galaxy may be called a heaven, or several galaxies with varying distances may be called heavens. The word also admits several other possibilities.
