Back to search

What is the wisdom behind prioritizing the mention of the earth over the heavens in Surat Taha, in His saying, the Almighty: "A revelation from Him who created the earth and the heavens above," while the mention of the heavens precedes that of the earth in most verses of the Holy Quran?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The mention of the earth before the heaven is found in other places. In "Badai' al-Fawa'id" by Ibn al-Qayyim, the reason for prioritizing the heaven over the earth is due to the grandeur of Allah's signs within it. However, the prioritization of the earth over it in Surat Yunus is because the context is one of warning and threat to humanity, informing them of Allah's complete knowledge of their deeds. Thus, their dwelling place (the earth) was mentioned first. The prioritization of the earth over the heaven in the context of Surat Taha might be for the sake of rhyme and rhythm (faṣil).

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy