17وَلَقَد خَلَقنا فَوقَكُم سَبعَ طَرائِقَ وَما كُنّا عَنِ الخَلقِ غافِلينَMuhammad AsadAnd, indeed, We have created above you seven [celestial] orbits;1 and never are We unmindful of [any aspect of Our] creation.Lit., "seven path", which may signify the orbits of the visible planets or - as the classical commentators assume - the "seven heavens" (i.e., cosmic systems) repeatedly spoken of in the Qur'an. In either case, the number "seven" is used metonymically, indicating multiplicity. See in this connection note 20 on 2:29.