the Seventeenth Verse of Surah Al- Mominun

The term “seven ways” in the seventeenth verse of Surah Al-Mominun which has only been used in Quran once is generally interpreted as “seven heavens” or “seven overhead ways” and it has become the origin of some doubts. Exclusive attention to one meaning and ignoring the others, and paying no heed to the context of this verse and its collocations are possibly the origin of this viewpoint. Considering that the words “seven, ways, and over” have other meanings as “replication and exaggeration”, guilds and practices” and “locations and abundance” respectively, and also according to the meaning and context of the previous and next verses, two possibilities can be presented; one meaning of “seven ways” is seven existential ways during human creation and creation completion. The other meaning which is beyond human creation is creation of other creatures and abundant groups of the worlds’ creatures. Accepting either one of the viewpoints negates synonymy of “seven ways” with “seven heavens”. Therefore, considering all meaningful aspects of the words in combination, collocations, and context are necessary requirements for accurate understanding of Quranic words and sentences.