Apostate prophet inspired by above; What is Al Sama' in the Quran?

In answer to the video "43 Scientific Mistakes in the Quran"

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 specifically 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 structure 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 (the Arabic says . 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 opened 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 existence 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.

Al-sama' is thus a purposefuly chosen broad term, which the Quran uses with great eloquence in order to convey its ideas. By its very nature as a word accepting several meanings in its range the Quran successfully achieves its goal without disrupting nor confirming the natural worldview of its addressees.

The Quran is meant to provide spiritual, not scientific guidance.

The miraculous way of the Quranic speech, its description of the universe and nature made sense to the ancient people all the while maintaining sufficient flexibility and space so that when the intellect and knowledge of men reach its peak, then that same Book becomes a permanent evidence. For example the verses 2:22,20:53,40:64 draw the image of a comfortable and protective tent with a sheltering binaa' above (the word is applied to tents and canopies and the like used by Bedouins). The ancients, just like us today, would firstly understand that the binaa' provides them with protection which in turn would ignite their God-consciousness and gratitude

88:18-20"And the heaven, how it is reared aloft, And the mountains, how they are firmly fixed, And the earth, how it is made a vast expanse".

This is the spiritual intent of the verses and if that is appreciated then the Quran has fully reached its objective. The readers and listeners can then go after the collateral, indirect and ambiguous meanings. They may inject their own erroneous views of nature onto the broad and ambiguous terms by equating binaa' with a solid physical canopy, just like we can blend our current scientific knowledge with the general words, so as to equate binaa'/structure with the protective atmosphere and upwards such as the magnetosphere. The Quran's ambiguous wording on the other hand would neither confirm nor negate any of the 2 interpretations. The only explicit stance of the Quran is as regards the spiritual portent of the verse, which both ancient and modern readers can grasp regardless of their understanding of nature.

Al-sama' just as with the earlier example of binaa' can easily be interpreted in light of our current knowledge. It may refer to the protective layers surrounding the Earth like a complex structure/binaa' 2:22,40:64 well guarded 21:32 by Allah through the laws of physics He established.