Does Qur'an (41:9-12) contradict science?

Question

Assalamualykum, Allah says in surat Fussilat:

Say, "Do you indeed disbelieve in He who created the earth in two days and attribute to Him equals? That is the Lord of the worlds. And He placed on the earth firmly set mountains over its surface, and He blessed it and determined therein its [creatures'] sustenance in four days without distinction - for [the information] of those who ask. Then He directed Himself to the heaven while it was smoke and said to it and to the earth, "Come [into being], willingly or by compulsion." They said, "We have come willingly." And He completed them as seven heavens within two days and inspired in each heaven its command. And We adorned the nearest heaven with lamps and as protection. That is the determination of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing. 41:9-12

Allah here says he created earth first, then created the rest of the universe ? We all know that that would not be true, as scientifically the universe is created first, afterwards are planets including earth, there are many celestial bodies created before earth.

So can someone explain to me what Allah meant? May Allah give you hidaya.

Answer 1

Aleykum Selam, My Arabic is not good but I believe your mistake is one of translation or misinterpretation of these ayas as a sequence of events one after the other.

"Then He directed Himself to the heaven"

The English translation that you are using says "then" implying that first earth was created "then" the next step was the heavens.

Yusuf Ali's translation of the same aya reads:

"Moreover He comprehended in His design the sky, "

"Moreover" and "then" are not the same meaning. Unlike "then", "moreover" does not necessarily imply a sequence of one after the other. The transliteration for phrase in question reads:

"Thumma Astawá 'Ilá As-Samā'i"

"Thumma" has no exact equivalent in English. Its use in most contexts in the Quran means "and again" to emphasize an important point.

For example:

102.3 Kallā Sawfa Ta`lamūna
But nay, ye soon shall know (the reality).

102.004 Thumma Kallā Sawfa Ta`lamūna
Again, ye soon shall know!

Also, the rest of the aya implies that Allah created the earth and the "Sema" independently of each other and later they willingly joined together in a harmonious relation. So, Allah is saying that the time period for the "Sema" creation and the "Ard" creation are independent of each other, not one after the other in sequence, as the incorrect translation of "thumma" into "then" implies.