Tafsir of Al-Furqan 25:53

"And He is the One who let the two seas meet..."

Meaning: He sent them into their channels, just as horses are sent into a pasture (marj), as has been narrated from Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with them both. It is also said that the form amraja is used in this context, though it is said that maraja is the dialect of the Hijaz, while amraja is the dialect of Najd. The root of al-marj, as Al-Raghib said, is mixing. It is said, "Their affair was marija," meaning it became mixed. Pasture land is called marj because of the intermingling of plants within it.

"The two seas" refers to the great body of sweet water and the great body of salty water, without restriction to two specific seas. This is a return to the previously mentioned proofs. His saying, "This is sweet, furat..." means intensely sweet. Its measure is fu'al from fart, and it is an inverted form of raft (to break), because it breaks and suppresses the vehemence of thirst. It is also said that it means cold, as stated in Majma' al-Bayan. This is either an inaugural sentence or a circumstantial state (hal) assuming an implied verb—meaning, it is said of them, "This is sweet, furat, and this is salty, ujaj."

It is also said that it is a circumstantial state without an implied verb, meaning He merged the two seas, they being different—one intensely sweet and the other likewise salty. The demonstrative pronoun serves the purpose of a pronoun. Ujaj means intensely salty, as we have indicated. It is named so because drinking it increases the "flame" (ajij) of thirst. Al-Raghib said: It is intensely salty and hot, from the ajij (blaze) of fire. Others say it is bitter; Al-Tabari narrated this from Qatada. Still others say it is hot, acting as the opposite of furat for those who interpreted it as cold.

Talha bin Musarrif and Qutayba from Al-Kisa'i read it as milh with a fatha on the mim and a kasra on the lam here and in Fatir. Abu Hatim said: This is a rejected reading. Abu al-Fath said: They intended malihan (salty) and lightened it by removing the alif, as was said bard for barid in the verse: "My heart became cold, desiring no food / Except for a little arada / And salyan that is cold / And a bundled ‘ak." It is also said it is a lightening of mali', because it has come to mean salty. Abu al-Fadl al-Razi said in the book Al-Lawami': It is an anomalous, rare dialect, not a lightening of anything. Yes, it is like milh in the reading of the majority, meaning "salty." The most eloquent way to describe water is ma'un milhun, not ma'un mali'un, although the latter is correct, as Al-Azhari reported from Al-Kisa'i, and Tha'lab also acknowledged its correctness. Al-Khafaji said: The correct view is that it is heard from the Arabs, as the linguists have confirmed, and they cited many pieces of evidence for it. On this basis, whoever deemed Imam Abu Hanafi—may Allah be pleased with him—to be mistaken for saying ma'un mali'un has himself erred, being ignorant of the status of this Imam.

"And He placed between them a barrier..."

Meaning: A partition. This is an Arabic word, though it is said its root is barzah and it was Arabized. This barrier refers to what prevents them from mixing, as ‘Abd bin Humayd, Ibn Jarir, and Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Al-Hasan: "That which intervenes between them of earth," like the land that intervenes between the two parts of the Tigris. It is called a "sea" (bahr) due to its vastness, and because the application of "sea" to a great river has become common, it has become its literal meaning; therefore, there is no difficulty in the dual form. If you reject its literal status, then the consideration of dominance (taghlib) resolves the difficulty between the two great bodies of water. The meaning is their separation in their courses; otherwise, they eventually terminate into the sea, as do all other great rivers.

The evidence of this act regarding His perfect power—Exalted be He—is that it is contrary to the requirement of nature. The nature of water is to have cohesive parts, to be gathered, submerging the earth and surrounding it from all directions as the air surrounds it. The nature of the earth is likewise to have cohesive parts, with no chasms or highlands, not being submerged in water and contained within it like the center of a circle, as the philosophers have established. They mentioned causes for the exposure of what is exposed of the earth and the existence of its lowlands and highlands, which is a matter not free from debate.

"Between them" is an adverb for "placed," or it could be a state of "barrier." It is apparent that the tanwin in "a barrier" is for glorification, meaning: He placed between them a great barrier, such that throughout the passing of ages, the water of one sea does not permeate it to reach the other and alter its taste.

"And a forbidden partition."

Meaning: A severe repulsion, as if each of them seeks refuge from the other with that statement. The intended meaning is the adherence of each to its own attribute of sweetness or saltiness. The sweet sea does not turn salty in its place, nor does the salty sea turn sweet in its place. This is from the perfection of His power—Exalted is He—and His consummate wisdom. Sweetness and saltiness are not due to the nature of the earth nor the nature of the water, otherwise, all would be sweet or all would be salty. It is mentioned in the wisdom of making the great sea salty that it does not become foul through long stagnation and the passage of time. It is said this is also the secret behind making human tears salty. There are other wisdoms of which Allah Most High is most knowing.

The apparent view is that "forbidden" (hijran) is a conjunction to "barrier," meaning: He placed between them this word. The intent behind this is what you have heard just now, and it is among the most eloquent and delightful of speech. It is also said that it is in the accusative case due to an implied verb, meaning: They both say, "A forbidden partition." From Al-Hasan, it is reported that the intent of the "partition" (hijr) is the earth that is barred between them, and the interpretation of the barrier in a similar fashion has preceded. The combination of the two, in that case, is for added emphasis regarding the matter of the partition. What we have presented is better and deeper in significance. It is also said that the barrier is an invisible barrier from His power—Exalted is He—and the words "forbidden partition" indicate complete distinction and lack of mixing. Its root is the speech of one who seeks refuge from what he fears, as has been detailed. The summary of the verse's meaning is that He is the One who created the two seas as mixed in sight, but separate in reality by His power—the most complete separation, such that the sweet does not mix with the salty, nor the salty with the sweet, and the taste of neither is changed by the other at all.

This has been narrated from the majority, but the objection to this is that it contradicts what is perceived. Great rivers like the Tigris and those that join it, the Nile, and others that people observe, when they reach the sea, the taste of a not insignificant portion of them changes at the point of contact, and likewise, the taste of a not insignificant portion of the sea changes at the point of contact. This change varies in degree, little or much, according to the variation of flow and its causes—from air or other factors—in strength or weakness, as has been reported by a multitude of testimonies. No one has ever reported witnessing on earth two seas, one sweet and one salty, that met without the taste of either changing at all. It is not plausible for anyone with the slightest taste to apply this verse to two seas on earth that are like this, as no one has ever observed them, as is clear. I see no basis for interpreting the verse as mentioned, and to commit to this and similar cold, strained interpretations—despite the clarity of an interpretation that has no turbidity—only provides a cause for the infidels to slander the Great Quran and hold evil thoughts about the Muslims.

It is also said: The barrier means an intermediary. Meaning, He placed between the intensely sweet sea and the intensely salty sea an intermediate water that is neither intensely sweet nor intensely salty. It is a portion of the sweet furat water at the meeting place that has been mixed with something of the salty ujaj water, which suppressed the vehemence of its sweetness; and a portion of the salty ujaj water at the meeting place that has been mixed with something of the sweet furat water, which suppressed the vehemence of its saltiness. The intense repulsion between them, understood from His saying "a forbidden partition," refers to that which is beyond this—that which is not affected by the other, but remains upon its attribute of intense sweetness or intense saltiness. This is as you see.

It is also mentioned in Al-Bahr that the two seas are two specific seas: the Sea of Rome (Mediterranean) and the Sea of Persia. It is mentioned in Al-Durr al-Manthur from Al-Hasan via a narration from Ibn Abi Hatim, and this is among the most wondrous of wonders, because both of these seas are salty ujaj. How can it be valid to intend them here along with His saying, "This is sweet, furat, and this is salty, ujaj"? Indeed, it might be valid for what will come, if Allah wills, from the verse in Surah Ar-Rahman—meaning His saying: "He has merged the two seas, meeting; between them is a barrier [so] neither transgresses."—because there is no mention of what prevents them there. What is narrated from Al-Hasan, if authentic, perhaps pertains to that verse, and Al-Suyuti erred in his narration regarding the discussion of this verse. Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Sa'id bin Jubayr that the two seas are the sea of the sky and the sea of the earth, and he mentioned the same in Al-Bahr from Ibn Abbas, and that they meet every year. This is something I do not say regarding the verse, nor do I believe in the authenticity of its transmission from those I have heard, even if the verse is suited to it, due to what preceded of His saying: "And We have sent down from the sky pure water." On the view that the rain comes from a sea in the sky, it is more complete, and its evidence for the perfection of the power of Allah—Exalted is He—is more apparent. As for you, you have the choice, and Allah is the Guardian of Success.