Al Mu’minūn

وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا فَوْقَكُمْ سَبْعَ طَرَآئِقَ وَمَا كُنَّا عَنِ الْخَلْقِ غَافِلِينَ

17. “And We have created above you seven paths, and We are never unmindful of (Our) creation.”

Perhaps the objective of the Arabic word /tara’iq/ here is the paths of the angels or the paths and orbits of the planets. Maybe its purpose is the seven heavens that are linked to each other. The previous verses brought up the creation of man while this verse is about the creation of the skies. After mentioning the signs in the microcosm, which are the signs of Allah’s grandeur in the entities of our beings, the Holy Qur’an now proceeds to touch upon the signs in the macrocosm and reflects upon the grandeur of creation in the heavens and the earth.

First, it says:

“And We have created above you seven paths, ..”

The Arabic word /tara’iq/ is the plural form of the word /tariqah/, which means a path or a level. If we take the first meaning into consideration, the content of the verse would mean that Allah has created above us seven paths. Perhaps these paths are for the coming and going of the angels, or they are the orbits of the planets. If we take the second meaning into consideration, the holy verse would mean that Allah has created above us seven levels i.e., seven heavens.

We have already spoken at length on this topic. What is important to note here is that if we take the number seven as symbolic of numerousness, thus the noble verse will mean that there are countless universes, planets and stars above us. We must not confuse the meaning of the word /tariqah/ as an orbit with the Ptolemaic system of the universe in which the planetary spheres lie above each other like the layers of an onion. We must not imagine that the Holy Qur’an is based upon this wrong theory. Paths and levels indicate other worlds located within different distances away from our world, and in proportion to us, each one is located above the other, some are near and others far.

If we interpret the number seven literally, it would mean that with the exception of this universe (this realm of planets, stars and galaxies) that we can observe, there are six universes above it to which human knowledge has yet to attain. When we look carefully at the map of the solar system and the location of the planets, we can find another interpretation for this verse. Two of the nine planets orbiting the sun, that is, the orbits of the two planets, Mercury and Venus, are below the orbit of the earth, i.e., they are closer to the sun, while the orbits of the other six planets are above that of the earth and as such, they are like levels placed one above the other.

When we add the orbit of the moon around the earth to that number, the seven orbits or levels become complete. The expanse and grandeur number of the heavenly bodies and their paths may give the illusion that Allah could never be aware of all of them, so immediately at the end of the verse the Qur’an says:

“...and We are never unmindful of (Our) creation.”

The emphasis on the word ‘creation’ here indicates that creation is in itself an expression of Allah’s knowledge and mindfulness. Can the Creator be possibly unmindful of His creation? There is another probable interpretation of this verse and that is that He created many paths for the angels above us, He is not ignorant of us, and His angels also observe and watch our deeds. Allah is both the Creator and the Observer. The universe is Allah’s presence.