Are the Seven Earths Mentioned in Hadith Located Beneath Us Like the Heavens Are Above?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
What does “down to the seven earths” mean in the hadith about unjustly usurping land? Does this imply that the seven earths are below us, unlike the heavens, which are above?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.
Allah Will Punish the Usurper of the Land
Sa‘id ibn Zayd (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said,
“Whoever wrongly seizes a plot of land, Allah will make him carry seven earths around his neck.” [Muslim]
عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ زَيْد أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ مَنْ اقْتَطَعَ شِبْرًا مِنْ الْأَرْضِ ظُلْمًا طَوَّقَهُ اللَّهُ إِيَّاهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مِنْ سَبْعِ أَرَضِينَ
The hadith mentions that an individual who usurps another’s piece of land will be made to carry the burdens of their injustices into the assembly point (mahshar) at the time of judgment, represented as a “collar” around their necks.
Once all of this is accounted for, they will all form a physical collar that encircles their necks, which will expand to accommodate the weight of their misdeeds, similar to how the skin of a disbeliever is described as thick.
The individuals are punished by being cast down to the depths of the earth up to seven earths, and then they would also wear a collar of burdens they carried throughout their lives until judgment is finalized.
The mention of this “collar” is linked to other hadiths (narrations or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) that support this interpretation. [‘Ityubi, Sharh Muslim]
Nature of the Seven Earths
The verse of the Quran in Surat al-Talaq reads:
“Allah is the One who created the seven skies, and the earth the like of them. The Command (i.e., Revelation) is made to descend between them, so that you may know that Allah is All-Powerful over all things and that Allah has certainly encompassed all things through (His) knowledge.” [Quran 65:12]
Imam Suyuti, in his tafsir (exegesis) of the Quran, notes that this verse indicates that there are seven “earths” (or “lands”), just as there are seven skies. [Suyuti, Tafsir al-Jalalayn]
The Tafsir works explore the nature and possibilities of these seven earths in detail. This link provides further explanation.
Please go through the valuable answers and links below. Insha’Allah, they will provide you with guidance and direction.
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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.
