Actually, it had to be interpreted in a non-literal way if the Quran were not to contradict itself, because the verses describing the 6 day creation, show earth and food on it was before making of the 7 heavens, while we read in an obvious literal expression:
أَأَنْتُمْ أَشَدُّ خَلْقًا أَمِ السَّمَاءُ ۚ بَنَاهَا {27}
[Shakir 79:27] Are you the harder to create or the heaven? He made it.
رَفَعَ سَمْكَهَا فَسَوَّاهَا {28}
[Shakir 79:28] He raised high its height, then put it into a right good state.
وَأَغْطَشَ لَيْلَهَا وَأَخْرَجَ ضُحَاهَا {29}
[Shakir 79:29] And He made dark its night and brought out its light.
وَالْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ دَحَاهَا {30}
[Shakir 79:30] And the earth, He expanded it after that.
أَخْرَجَ مِنْهَا مَاءَهَا وَمَرْعَاهَا {31}
[Shakir 79:31] He brought forth from it its water and its pasturage.
وَالْجِبَالَ أَرْسَاهَا {32}
[Shakir 79:32] And the mountains, He made them firm,
مَتَاعًا لَكُمْ وَلِأَنْعَامِكُمْ {33}
[Shakir 79:33] A provision for you and for your cattle.
So one had to be about metaphorical reality and the other literal, and this was true when Quran was revealed as it is now with scientific knowledge.
أَأَنْتُمْ أَشَدُّ خَلْقًا أَمِ السَّمَاءُ ۚ بَنَاهَا {27}
[Shakir 79:27] Are you the harder to create or the heaven? He made it.
رَفَعَ سَمْكَهَا فَسَوَّاهَا {28}
[Shakir 79:28] He raised high its height, then put it into a right good state.
وَأَغْطَشَ لَيْلَهَا وَأَخْرَجَ ضُحَاهَا {29}
[Shakir 79:29] And He made dark its night and brought out its light.
وَالْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ دَحَاهَا {30}
[Shakir 79:30] And the earth, He expanded it after that.
أَخْرَجَ مِنْهَا مَاءَهَا وَمَرْعَاهَا {31}
[Shakir 79:31] He brought forth from it its water and its pasturage.
وَالْجِبَالَ أَرْسَاهَا {32}
[Shakir 79:32] And the mountains, He made them firm,
مَتَاعًا لَكُمْ وَلِأَنْعَامِكُمْ {33}
[Shakir 79:33] A provision for you and for your cattle.
So one had to be about metaphorical reality and the other literal, and this was true when Quran was revealed as it is now with scientific knowledge.
