The arabic word يوم (ywm) means day or age. “يوم yaum pl. ايام ayyam day; pl. also: age, era, time…” I think is very simple really.
In this context the Qur’an declares.
ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ
“Allah is the One Who made skies and earth and what is in between in 6 ‘YAUM’.
From this verse and the verses quoted before, it is very clear that the creation and development of the universe occurred in 6 ‘YAUM’. ‘YAUM’ conventionally refers to 7 days of the week subject to the rise and setting of the sun. However, the Quranic concept of ‘YAUM’ is not the same as the one which is in common use for the following reasons:-
The Qur’an has used the word ‘YAUM’ for a variable length of time. For example is Surah Alsajda: V-5 immediately after the description of creation Allah says:
يُدَبِّرُ ٱلأَمْرَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ إِلَى ٱلأَرْضِ ثُمَّ يَعْرُجُ إِلَيْهِ فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ مِّمَّا تَعُدُّونَ
“He is the One Who plans everything from earth to heavens and then everything will reach Him in a day equivalent to 1000 years in your calculation.”
Similarly in AL-MAARIJ. V-4 “YAUM” is used to describe a period of 50000 years.
تَعْرُجُ ٱلْمَلاَئِكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ
“It will happen at a time when angels and Jibraeel will rise towards Him on a day equal to 50 thousand years.” (AL-MAARIJ, 70:1)
The phrase سِتَّةِ أَيَّام (six days or periods) is used for the duration of the creation of the sun, the earth and other heavenly bodies themselves. Obviously day and night as we see them could not exist before the existence of the Sun and the Earth.
So it is quite obvious that the Quranic meaning of ‘YAUM’ is “one period of time” which is of variable length. This could be equal to our millions or billions of years. This concept of ‘YAUM’ has also been accepted and used from the earlier interpreters of the Qur’an e.g.
(i) IMAM ABUSAUD ALAMADI (951 A.H.) in his interpretation of the Quran says that 6 days mean 6 periods of time, not our 6 days subject to the rise of the sun because at that time the earth and other planetary bodies did not exist.
(ii) IMAM RAGHIB ASFAHANI in his ‘AL-MUFRADAAT’ says ‘YAUM’ is used for time which has variable length.
(iii) ALLAMA ALUSI while describing the meaning of this verse of SURAH YUNUS used the same concept.
(iv) ABDULLAH BIN ABBAS, a companion of the Prophet (PBUH) is also quoted to have described that ‘YAUM’ is not like our days of the week.
So it is clear that the universe was created in 6 periods of time.
In this context the Qur’an declares.
ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ
“Allah is the One Who made skies and earth and what is in between in 6 ‘YAUM’.
From this verse and the verses quoted before, it is very clear that the creation and development of the universe occurred in 6 ‘YAUM’. ‘YAUM’ conventionally refers to 7 days of the week subject to the rise and setting of the sun. However, the Quranic concept of ‘YAUM’ is not the same as the one which is in common use for the following reasons:-
The Qur’an has used the word ‘YAUM’ for a variable length of time. For example is Surah Alsajda: V-5 immediately after the description of creation Allah says:
يُدَبِّرُ ٱلأَمْرَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ إِلَى ٱلأَرْضِ ثُمَّ يَعْرُجُ إِلَيْهِ فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ مِّمَّا تَعُدُّونَ
“He is the One Who plans everything from earth to heavens and then everything will reach Him in a day equivalent to 1000 years in your calculation.”
Similarly in AL-MAARIJ. V-4 “YAUM” is used to describe a period of 50000 years.
تَعْرُجُ ٱلْمَلاَئِكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ
“It will happen at a time when angels and Jibraeel will rise towards Him on a day equal to 50 thousand years.” (AL-MAARIJ, 70:1)
The phrase سِتَّةِ أَيَّام (six days or periods) is used for the duration of the creation of the sun, the earth and other heavenly bodies themselves. Obviously day and night as we see them could not exist before the existence of the Sun and the Earth.
So it is quite obvious that the Quranic meaning of ‘YAUM’ is “one period of time” which is of variable length. This could be equal to our millions or billions of years. This concept of ‘YAUM’ has also been accepted and used from the earlier interpreters of the Qur’an e.g.
(i) IMAM ABUSAUD ALAMADI (951 A.H.) in his interpretation of the Quran says that 6 days mean 6 periods of time, not our 6 days subject to the rise of the sun because at that time the earth and other planetary bodies did not exist.
(ii) IMAM RAGHIB ASFAHANI in his ‘AL-MUFRADAAT’ says ‘YAUM’ is used for time which has variable length.
(iii) ALLAMA ALUSI while describing the meaning of this verse of SURAH YUNUS used the same concept.
(iv) ABDULLAH BIN ABBAS, a companion of the Prophet (PBUH) is also quoted to have described that ‘YAUM’ is not like our days of the week.
So it is clear that the universe was created in 6 periods of time.
