21:31-32

21:31-32

21:31

And We have set on the earth mountains standing firm, lest it should shake with them, and We have made therein broad highways (between mountains) for them to pass through: that they may receive Guidance.

21:32

And We have made the heavens as a canopy well guarded: yet do they turn away from the Signs which these things (point to)!

In discussing the Qurʾānic description of the “raising of the heavens without visible supports,” commentators note that the Arabic noun samāʾ primarily signifies “that which is above.” In the Qurʾān, the word frequently appears in its plural form, samāwāt, and may carry several related meanings. It can refer to (1) the visible sky or atmospheric heavens, sometimes including clouds; (2) the vast cosmic space in which celestial bodies—such as stars, solar systems, and galaxies—move; or (3) the abstract notion of divine forces originating from God, who is metaphorically described as being “above” all creation. Some interpreters suggest that the verse most plausibly refers to the second meaning, namely the cosmic universe. From this perspective, the passage describes the spatial realm in which celestial bodies—planets, stars, nebulae, and galaxies—remain suspended while moving continuously according to forces such as gravitational attraction and centrifugal motion (Asad, n.d.)..

The Message of the Qur’an (p. 1197). The Book Foundation. Kindle Edition.