Help with translation of "canopy"

[PureExistence1]

Salaam everyone, 

Just wondering if anyone here can help expound upon this ayah.

Part XXIV

AL-MU'MIN

64. God is He Who made for you the earth to stay and the heaven a canopy, and shapened you, and made goodly your forms, and provided you with sustenance with goodly things; that is God your Lord; Hallowed (2) is then God the Lord of the worlds.

- اللَّهُ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ

قرارًا وَالسَّمَاء بِنَاء

وَصَوَّرَكُمْ فَاحْسَنَ صُوَرَكُمْ

وَرَزَقَكُم مِّنَ الطَّيِّبَتِ

ذَلِكُمُ اللهُ رَبُّكُمْ

فَتَبْرَكَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَلَمِينَ 

 

I want to know if "canopy" is really the best word to translate whatever the arabic word is to.

"Canopy", at least as i know a canopy to be, does not fit with what the reality of the sky is. The sky is not a covering, rather, the earth and everything else exists in space much as a fish exists in a fish tank surrounded by water...(Idk if thats a good analogy-hopefully my point gets across) 

We wouldnt call the water surrounding a fish a "canopy", so why would we consider the cosmos a canopy/ a covering of the earth? 

Edited September 18 by PureExistence1

[PureExistence1]

Earth (and moon) in space and surrounded by spaceFish in water, surrounded by water...

Edited September 18 by PureExistence1

[PureExistence1]

Im not seeing a "canopy" effect here as far as heaven and the earth is concerned. And as far as i know, this ayah isnt referring to the "7 layers/coverings" of the atmosphere that has been postulated in other ayahs.

Edited September 18 by PureExistence1

[AbdusSibtayn]

1 hour ago, PureExistence1 said:

The sky is not a covering,

The sky does shade us from a lot of radiation and interstellar material from space. Plus its relative position is above us. It is like a roof in a sense, more of a greenhouse roof. 

The 'sky' in colloquium will include everything it comprises, whether the atmosphere or the clouds, and not just the inter-planetary vacuum. Remove its constituents- the clouds which reflect and scatter the blue light, the suspended planetary dust, air etc and you won't have a sky anymore. Just vacuum. 

Edited September 18 by AbdusSibtayn

[Borntowitnesstruth]

2 hours ago, PureExistence1 said:

Salaam everyone, 

Just wondering if anyone here can help expound upon this ayah.

Part XXIV

AL-MU'MIN

64. God is He Who made for you the earth to stay and the heaven a canopy, and shapened you, and made goodly your forms, and provided you with sustenance with goodly things; that is God your Lord; Hallowed (2) is then God the Lord of the worlds.

- اللَّهُ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ

قرارًا وَالسَّمَاء بِنَاء

وَصَوَّرَكُمْ فَاحْسَنَ صُوَرَكُمْ

وَرَزَقَكُم مِّنَ الطَّيِّبَتِ

ذَلِكُمُ اللهُ رَبُّكُمْ

فَتَبْرَكَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَلَمِينَ 

 

I want to know if "canopy" is really the best word to translate whatever the arabic word is to.

"Canopy", at least as i know a canopy to be, does not fit with what the reality of the sky is. The sky is not a covering, rather, the earth and everything else exists in space much as a fish exists in a fish tank surrounded by water...(Idk if thats a good analogy-hopefully my point gets across) 

We wouldnt call the water surrounding a fish a "canopy", so why would we consider the cosmos a canopy/ a covering of the earth? 

It refers to the role of atmosphere that it plays, you may know that role of canopy is to protect the house from rain and other harsh environment. Similarly, the role of canopy for sky is that it saves earth from harsh outwardly environment such as effects of ultraviolet rays.

[samy]

Peace and blessings to you,

I don't know Arabic well enough to answer you correctly. The best method is to search the Holy book and see how the Lord God uses the word (بِنَاء) in all its forms in all where its found. For example, this is just one of many, there's banaahaa

Ash-Shams 91:5  ٥- وَالسَّمَاءِ وَمَا بَنَاهَا
by the sky and how He built it (- Abdel Haleem)
And [by] the sky and He who constructed it (- Saheeh International)
By the Firmament and its (wonderful) structure ; (- A. Yusuf Ali)

Now we see more words like, build, construct, and structure associated with the sky, or firmament, above. All praise is to the Good Lord Allah, and He knows best. 

Edited September 18 by samy