A Question on "Six or Eight
Days of Creation"_
After reading over your response to
Mr. Katz concerning the number of days for creation I had a few
questions. First, I was always under the impression that the Qur'an did not imply
particular numbers when it came to creation, but in fact referred to a large span of time.
Second, the concept of “day” to my knowledge was not necessarily established in
the days of the revelation of the Qur'an. In other words, there was no 24-hour clock
etc. The concept was based on the sunrise and sunset, so is the implication that God made
the world in two sunrises and sunsets such as the ones we experience now? If that is the
case, was it not that in earlier times the length of the days were different than they are
now and so at creation 2 days were a longer period of time? Third and most importantly, it
seems like a limitation is placed upon the nature of God if His works are subjected to the
boundaries of time. Surely, God states that if he wants something to be, he just says,
“be”. If an entity can create simply by saying “be”, where would the
concept of time, let alone two days come in?
Reply
If my explanation
of the word "day" as used in the related verses of the Qur'an is accepted
to be true, then these verses would imply more or less the same meaning as you have
mentioned. The only difference would be that the verses of the Qur'an would be
specifically mentioning that this "large span of time" consisted of
"six" periods.
As far as your second observation is
concerned, even if the modern clock came into general use around 1600 AD, yet it is quite
obvious that the people of old were quite familiar with the concept of days, months and
years. The use of clock has been to divide days into hours, minutes and seconds. The
concept of a "day" is quite independent of the use of clocks. Moreover, as I
have tried to establish that the implication of the word "yawm" in the
Arabic language was nor restricted to the concept of the "sunrise to sunset"
day. It was used for a "period of time" as well. If the related verses are seen
in this perspective, it would be quite clear that whatever the length of days in the
beginning of time, the implication of the verses is not greatly effected.
Your third observation is because of a
misconception of the Arabic words "Kun Fayaku'n". You may kindly
refer to one of my earlier articles in response to one of the
criticisms on the Qur'an, which explains the implication of this phrase in the light
of the Qur'an.
I hope this helps. In case any aspect
remains unclear, please feel free in writing back to me at your convenience.
Regards