بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

In the name of God the Merciful


At the beginning, we start by the “sky” or “heaven”; because it is the origin, and to it the final resort will be.

[Disproving the idea that the sky consists of one or more hard solid layers]:
Some people think that the sky is a hard material layer that fills the space, and that it is composed of seven layers, some of them consists of red hyacinth or ruby, some of them of white jewel, while another layer is of greenish jewel …etc. I say: the sky is the space and nothing else. Therefore, the Quranic revelation 13: 19 where God – be exalted – says :
أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاء مَاء
The explanation:
( He sends down –from the sky – water ), means: He makes the water fall down from the space; this is indicated by His saying – be exalted – in the Quran 34: 2
يَعْلَمُ مَا يَلِجُ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَا يَخْرُجُ مِنْهَا وَمَا يَنزِلُ مِنَ السَّمَاء وَمَا يَعْرُجُ فِيهَا وَهُوَ الرَّحِيمُ الْغَفُورُ
The explanation:
( [God] knows what [animals] go inside the earth and what [animals] come out from it, and what [birds] descend from the sky and what [flying animals] ascend through it, and he is the Most Merciful, the Most Forgiving.)

Therefore, (and what [flying birds] ascend through it) gives a proof that the sky is not a hard material layer; if it were a hard layer, then He might say: what [flying animals] ascend to it; but God – be exalted – said: وما يعرجُ فيها i.e. (and what [flying animals] ascend through it); it means: while he is ascending, he is in the sky from the beginning of his ascension till he reaches to where he wants.

This is like His saying –be exalted – in the Quran 57: 4
يَعْلَمُ مَا يَلِجُ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَا يَخْرُجُ مِنْهَا وَمَا يَنزِلُ مِنَ السَّمَاء وَمَا يَعْرُجُ فِيهَا وَهُوَ مَعَكُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ
The explanation:
( [God] knows what goes inside the earth and what comes out of it, and what descends from the sky and what ascends through it; and He is with you wheresoever you may be; and God sees well all that you do.)

God –be celebrated His praise – said also in the Quran 30: 48
اللَّهُ الَّذِي يُرْسِلُ الرِّيَاحَ فَتُثِيرُ سَحَابًا فَيَبْسُطُهُ فِي السَّمَاء كَيْفَ يَشَاء
The explanation:
(God is He Who sends the winds and they stir up [and collect] clouds which He spreads in the sky as He pleases.)

So if there were solid layers above us, then He would say: And spreads them under the sky as He pleases.

Moreover, God – be exalted – said in the Quran 6: 126
فَمَن يُرِدِ اللّهُ أَن يَهْدِيَهُ يَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهُ لِلإِسْلاَمِ وَمَن يُرِدْ أَن يُضِلَّهُ يَجْعَلْ صَدْرَهُ ضَيِّقًا حَرَجًا كَأَنَّمَا يَصَّعَّدُ فِي السَّمَاء
The explanation:
(Whomsoever God desires to guide, He makes him rejoice in [accepting] the Islam; whomsoever He desires to lead astray, He makes him dejected [accepting not the invitation to the Islam] and embarrassed, as if he were engaged in ascending in the sky.)

In addition, He –be exalted –said in the Quran 17: 93
أَوْ يَكُونَ لَكَ بَيْتٌ مِّن زُخْرُفٍ أَوْ تَرْقَى فِي السَّمَاء
The explanation:
(Or you* have a house decorated [with gold], or you ascend up into heaven**, …etc.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[*i.e. Mohammed – peace be on him. These were some of the miracles which the idolaters of Mecca – arrogantly – demanded of Mohammed in order that they might believe him.
**i.e. in order to bring down a book from heaven, written in it that you, Mohammed, are a messenger from God, and that you had really ascended in the sky; we may then believe!]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Therefore, His saying –be exalted – أو تَرقى في السّماءِ the explanation: (or you ascend up into heaven), indicates that the sky is the space; because if there was a solid material layer then He would say: or you ascend to the sky or heaven.

The Arabic poetry includes some examples indicating that the word “sky” gives the same meaning.

Therefore, any word “sky” in the Quran (in singular) means the space, but when it comes in plural, it will have some other meaning that we shall explain in details in what follows, by the help of God – be exalted and be celebrated His praise.

From the book of
the universe and the Koran
on this link
http://quran-ayat.com/universe/index...Sky_or_Heaven_