The Holy Prophet^-SW may tell them that they are denying the Being Who^-SWT created the earth in two days. They ascribe to Him^-SWT rivals and take them as deities who have not created anything and are humble creation themselves. It is Allah^-SWT Who is the Creator as well as the Sustainer of all the worlds. It is by His^-SWT Wisdom that He^-SWT created the earth in two days and pegged it with huge mountains and placed in it unlimited bounties for the nourishment of every species till the end of time, completing this task in four days. This explanation also amply answers the query of the Jews of Madinah on the subject.

 

He^-SWT then turned to the heaven which was initially like smoke. He^-SWT told both heaven as well as the earth, commensurate to their level of understanding that His^-SWT decisions will be implemented therein which they will not be able to impede. It was now up to them to accept this willingly or under duress. Both pledged obedience. Some Commentators suggest that this conversation is metaphorical, while the fact is that every creation can communicate with Him. He^-SWT created seven heavens in two days and perfected each in its relevant affairs. He^-SWT adorned the nether heaven with lamps that also protect it. All these are the works of the Supreme Being, the Dominant and the all-Knowing.

 

Stages of Creation of the Earth and the Heavens

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The Jews of Madinah often sought clarifications from the Holy Prophet^-SW. They asked him^-SW to explain the stages of the creation of the earth and the heaven. These Ayat were revealed to answer this question. He^-SWT completed the earth in its present form with all its physical features, mountains and rivers followed by perfection of all the heavens, taking six days for the whole process. And if they do not wish to understand the Message being conveyed by the Holy Prophet^-SW even now, they may be reminded of the doom that follows a denial, as had befallen the 'Ad and the Thamud .

 

The incident of ‘Utbah bin Rab’iah

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One of the chieftains of Quraish of Makkah, 'Utbah bin Rabi'ah was sitting by the K'abah with his comrades one day while the Holy Prophet^-SW sat all by himself at a distance from this crowd. 'Utbah^-RAU took leave of them to have a word with the Holy Prophet^-SW in order to allure him away from Islam with some lucrative offer. After the stalwarts like Hadhrat 'Umar^-RAU and Hamza^-RAU had embraced Islam, the Quraish had changed their tactics and had resorted to seduction. 'Utbah^-RAU walked up to the Holy Prophet^-SW t and sought his^-SW permission to speak, which was duly granted. He said: “O’ my nephew! We are respectable people, while you^-SW are of a noble descent amongst us. We had a grand social system which your^-SW Message has disrupted; our beliefs are declared ungodly, our judicial system labeled cruel and our forefathers pronounced as infidels. Now if you^-SW want money, we shall make it available to you^-SW. If you^-SW want State power, we are willing to accept you as our ruler. If you^-SW are possessed by the Jinn, we are prepared to get you^-SW treated.”

 

The Holy Prophet^-SW patiently listened to the detailed discourse of 'Utbah and started reciting this Surah from the very beginning. As he reached thirteenth Ayat, concerning the doom that had befallen the 'Ad and Thamud, 'Utbah placed his hand on the Holy Prophet^-SW ‘s  mouth and begged him^-SW to stop betiding his nation of such a destruction, and walked away. His comrades asked him about the result of his meeting. He informed them that he had heard a recitation which was neither poetry nor sorcery and advised the Quraish that if they did not wish to believe in him it was up to them but they should not hinder his way. He advised them to let the Arabs deal with him. If they succeeded in defeating him the Quraish would achieve their goal, and if he turned victorious the Quraish will still be in power indirectly. Having heard him, they ignored his advice labelling him to have been spellbound by the Holy Prophet^-SW‘s magic.

 

Worship Vis a Vis Destruction of Ad and Thamud

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The reason behind the destruction of 'Ad and Thamud was that Allaah^-SWT ’s Messengers^-AS were sent unto them one after the other to worship none save Allaah^-SWT . Worship denotes complete obedience. It is not confined to Salat and fasting; rather it encompasses the entire code of living and this is the aspect very difficult to accept. They too declared that a human being could not possibly excel them in planning, and had Allaah^-SWT disapproved of their system, the best amongst humans, He^-SWT would have sent angels with a better social, political and judicial system. Therefore, what their Prophet^-AS said was not acceptable to them. The 'Ad were unduly ignorant when they declared that there was no one more powerful than them as to punish them, and as such they were not afraid of the Prophet-^AS ‘s warning. They failed to appreciate the powers of the One Who^-SWT had made them so powerful. They knew the Message to be true both logically as well as traditionally, but refused to obey out of obduracy. Allaah^-SWT sent unto them stormy winds as punishment. It was as if inauspicious days had engulfed them.

 

Inauspicious Day

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Not a single day is bad or inauspicious. This Ayah refers to those days of their life which, because of their evil doings, proved to be inauspicious for them. This punishment was to humiliate them in this world while the eternal doom will be total abjection and nobody will be able to help them.

 

Allah^-SWT had indicated the path of guidance to the Thamud too, but they preferred to stick to their evil and tyrant ways. So destruction and humiliation befell them in sequel their conduct.