Shaykh al-Islām—may Allah Most High have mercy on him—was asked:

Concerning the creation of the heavens and the earth and the arrangement of the two luminaries and the stars: are they fixed in the celestial spheres, which move with them? Or do they move while the sphere remains stationary? Or do both move? Are the celestial spheres the heavens themselves, or are they distinct from them? Are the stars confined to the lowest heaven? If the sun and moon are in some of the heavens, does their light illuminate all the heavens? Do they move from one heaven to another? Are the earths seven in number, or are there creatures between them, or are some above others? Do the edges of the heavens rest upon a mountain, or is the earth within heaven like an egg within its shell, with the sea beneath that and the wind beneath it? Is there a sea above the heavens, beneath the Throne?

He replied:

All praise is due to Allah. These questions require an extensive discussion that this sheet cannot accommodate. The person asking them needs knowledge of several disciplines to receive fully satisfactory answers, for they involve disagreements and lengthy discussions. Nevertheless, we shall offer him an account as circumstances permit.

As for his question, “Are the celestial spheres the heavens themselves, or are they distinct from them?” there are two well-known views on this. Those who identify the two, however, cite as evidence the words of the Most High:

“Have you not seen how