How do we reconcile the verse: "And the heaven We constructed with strength, and indeed, We are its expander," with the hadith that the seven heavens are like a ring thrown into a desolate land compared to God's Footstool (Kursi), and the Footstool is like a ring thrown into a desolate land compared to God's Throne (Arsh)?

The exegetes have mentioned several interpretations for the meaning of Allah's saying: "And indeed, We are expanders" (51:47), including: capable, possessing vastness, expanders of provision, and We made the sky vast. There is no contradiction between the vastness of the sky and the fact that the Kursi encompasses the heavens and the earth. Rather, it is an affirmation of the greatness of Allah's creation. Al-Baghawi mentioned that the meaning of "His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth" (2:255) is that it fills and encompasses them. Al-Sabuni likened the seven heavens and the earths in relation to the Kursi to a ring cast in a desert. In summary, the creation of the heavens and the earth is magnificent, but Allah's Kursi is greater than them and encompasses them both.