the skies of this world, above which are six more invisible heavens. And yet others surmise that the seven heavens are not restricted to the Manifest World, and they conceive of them as levels of creation in this world, the hereafter, and the Unseen and their worlds. All of these [classes of people] profit from the Qur’an’s abundant blessings in accordance with their capacities and receive their shares from its table, which encompasses all these understandings.
Now consider the five aspects of the positioning of the verse’s first sentence; that is, “It is He who has created for you all that is on earth (Hū alladhī khalaqa la-kum mā fī’l-arḍ jamī‘an):”
The First: The previous verse pointed out the bounty of life and existence, while this one indicates the bounty of permanent existence (al-baqā´) and its causes.
The Second: When the previous verse proves that man is at the highest degree, that is, he will return to the Most High, it arouses the listener’s mind and he asks: “How could lowly man have had the capacity [to sustain] this high rank if it hadn’t been for the Most High’s grace and His drawing him to it?” So this phrase as though replies to the question, saying that man has a truly elevated place in his Creator’s sight since He has subjugated all the world to him.
The Third: On the previous verse indicating the occurrence of the resurrection of the dead and Great Gathering for mankind, the listener starts to ask: “What is man’s importance that the resurrection should be brought about for him and the world destroyed for his happiness?” And this phrase as though replies: “Seeing that all that the earth contains has been prepared for his use and all its species [of beings] have been subjugated to him, he must have supreme importance since this shows he is the fruit of creation.”
The Fourth: With the words “to Him will you return” the previous verse implies that [in the hereafter] intermediaries will be removed and all recourse and authority will be confined to the Most High. In this world however man has numerous things and authorities to which he has recourse, so this phrase states that causes and intermediaries disclose the hand of power and that the true place of recourse [in this world too] is Allah the Most High, and that causes only intervene for certain instances of wisdom. For the Most High creates everything man needs.
The Fifth:_The preceding verse having alluded to eternal happiness, this one points out the previous grace and favours that necessitate it. That is,