CIRA International looking up to heaven; what are the 7 Quranic heavens and earth?

In answer to the video "How important is the number 7 - Scientific Miracles of the Quran Ep. 11"

Al-sama' is a general term to mean "what is above". This is established in classical Arabic as well as pre-Islamic literature where the word is used for the roof of a house or the top of a mountain. The Quran refers to the different created heavens being in layers until we reach the furthest point possible which is the real sama'/above, the ultimate above overlooking everything and above which there is nothing. So there might be a sama' above another sama'. The Quran may refer to all of those entities together with sama', or to one of them specificaly with sama' or to one object within any of them as sama'. It is the context of its use that determines the meaning such as 71:11 where the sending of the sama' stands for the sending of the "cloud". It calls sama' the area where we are, above the ground composed of jaww/air where birds fly, clouds move 16:79,30:48. This is speaking of the atmosphere. 

This atmosphere, which appears like a canopy above the earth is used in the context of imagery where a parallel is made between the hospitability of our world and the tent of the desert nomad, with its comfortable floor (earth), elsewhere likened to a cradle 20:53,78:6 and its stretched roof providing protection 2:22,40:64. That is why many translators rendered binaa', meaning a strucutre in these verses, as "roof" or "canopy". The Quran also says, there are seven layered heavens 2:29,67:3. It is a knowledge of creation present among the prophets since at least the time of Noah 71:15. Each heaven is firm and has its distinctions 41:12,78:12. The Quran thus uses the word sama' generically and specifically. When it calls the clouds sama', or the air we breath in which birds fly as sama', it is being generic. 

When it speaks of the 7 created, layered, distinguished samawaat, it is being specific. The first of those specific samawaat is sama' addunya, which is outter space. In the story of the prophet's ascent throughout the heavens, it says that he went up from an earthly location until he arrived to sama' addunya, the first heaven where he made a stop. A gate was opened for him, allowing him to enter and ascend within it. This doorway allowed him to reach the location of the prophet Adam. This was still inside sama' addunya, or outter space. After that point, new realms openned up for him; the 2nd, 3rd, until the 7th heaven

"..Then he took my hand and ascended with me to the nearest heaven, when I reached the nearest heaven, Gabriel said to the gatekeeper of the heaven, 'Open (the gate).'...So the gate was opened and we went over the nearest heaven and there we saw a man..."

Just as it is specific when it speaks of the seven created heaven, the Quran emphatically states, that this earth of ours is created in the same number seven 65:12. These earths may be scattered in the universe that is within our reach or throughout the other created realms. This by the way points to the existance of lifeforms elsewhere in the universe

42:29"And one of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and what He has spread forth in both of them of living beings; and when He pleases He is all-powerful to gather them together".

In 10:66 the entities spread through the heavens are described with the pronoun "man" which is only used for creatures with an intellect, as opposed to "ma" used two verses later that also covers inanimate entities.