﴿ ثُمَّ ٱسْتَوَىٰٓ إِلَى ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَهِىَ دُخَانٌۭ فَقَالَ لَهَا وَلِلْأَرْضِ ٱئْتِيَا طَوْعًا أَوْ كَرْهًۭا قَالَتَآ أَتَيْنَا طَآئِعِينَ ﴾

“And He [it is who] applied His design to the skies, which were [yet but] smoke; and He [it is who] said to them and to the earth, “Come [into being], both of you, willingly or unwillingly!” - to which both responded, “We do come in obedience.””

Then He turned to the heaven when it was smoke consisting of rising vapours and He said to it and to the earth “Come both of you to what I desire from you willingly or unwillingly!” taw‘an aw karhan their syntactical locus is that of a circumstantial qualifier in other words ‘Come being obedient or coerced’. They said “We come together with all those inhabiting us willingly!” tā’i‘īna mainly indicates masculine rational beings; it may also be that they are referred to in this way because they are being addressed thus.