Surah Al-Qamar 54:12
ﱫ ﱬ ﱭ ﱮ ﱯ ﱰ ﱱ ﱲ ﱳ
And caused the earth to burst with springs, and the waters met for a matter already predestined.
Tafsir of Al-Qamar 54:12
Tafsir
Mafatih al-Ghayb
Verse range: 54:12
Al-Qamar (The Moon): (12) And We caused the earth to gush forth with springs...
And in this [phrasing] there is a rhetorical power that is not present in the statement of one who says: "And We caused the springs of the earth to burst forth." This is a clarification of distinction in many instances. If you say, "Zayd became extremely distressed" (ḍāqa Zaydun dhara'an), it affirms something that your statement "Zayd's distress became narrow" (ḍāqa dhara'u Zayd) does not affirm. And in this [verse] there are several issues:
Issue 1:
He said: {And We caused the earth to gush forth with springs} (wa fajjarnā al-arḍa 'uyūnan), and He did not say, "And We opened the heavens as doors" (wa fataḥnā al-samā'a abwāban). This is because the heaven is greater than the earth, and this [phrasing] is for exaggeration (mubālaghah). This is why He said: "The doors of the heaven" (abwāb al-samā'), and did not say: tubes (anābīb), or openings (manāfidh), or channels (majārī), or others.
As for His saying, {And We caused the earth to gush forth with springs}, it is more eloquent than saying, "And We caused the springs of the earth to burst forth" (wa fajjarnā 'uyūn al-arḍ), because the former is literal and contains no exaggeration. The validity of this statement is sufficient if one establishes three springs in the earth. In the case of the heaven, only the statement "So We sent down water or waters from the sky" (fa anzalnā min al-samā'i mā'an aw miyāhan) would be appropriate with this structure.
Similar to what we mentioned regarding meaning (though not regarding the miracle) is His saying: {Have you not seen that Allah sends down water from the sky, then makes it flow as springs in the earth?} (Az-Zumar: 21), where there is no exaggeration. His speech does not resemble the speech of Allah, nor does it come close to it, although I mentioned it as an example, for {And to Allah belongs the highest similitude} (An-Nahl: 60).
Issue 2:
Are the 'uyūn (springs/eyes) in the context of water springs literal or metaphorical? We say: The famous view is that the word 'ayn (eye/spring) is polysemous. The apparent meaning is that it is literal for the eye that is the instrument of sight, and metaphorical for other things. As for the springs of water, it is either because they resemble the seeing eye from which tears emerge, or because the water in the spring is like the light in the eye. However, it is a well-established metaphor that has become dominant to the extent that it does not require a contextual clue (qarīnah) for its use, except to distinguish between the two types of 'ayn. Just as the word is not taken to mean the seeing eye except with a clue, similarly it is not taken to mean the gushing spring except with a clue, such as: "I drank from the spring" (sharibtu min al-'ayn) and "I bathed in it," and other things found in a spring source. It is also said: 'ānahu ya'īnuhu (he afflicted him with the evil eye), and 'ayyanahu ta'yīnā (he designated it), its literal meaning being making it such that the eye falls upon it, and 'āyanahu mu'āyanatan wa 'iyānan (he witnessed it), and 'ayyana (it became designated such that the eye falls upon it).
Issue 3:
His saying, {Then the water met} (fāltqā al-mā'u). It has been recited as fāltqā al-mā'ān (the two waters met), meaning the two types: the water of the sky and the water of the earth. The dual form is used for the names of genera when interpreted as a type (ṣinf). They are also collected (in the plural). It is said: I have two dates (tamrān) and dates (tumūr and atmār) interpreted as two types and their types. The correct and famous reading is {Then the water met} (fāltqā al-mā'u), and it has a subtle meaning.
When He said, {So We opened the doors of the heaven with water pouring down} (Al-Qamar: 11), He mentioned the water and mentioned the pouring (inhemār), which is descending with force. When He said, {And We caused the earth to gush forth with springs}, it was a beautiful rhetorical enhancement to say something that indicates the water erupted from it with force. So He said: {Then the water met}, meaning the water erupted forcefully from the spring (al-'ayn) until it rose and met the water of the sky. If it had flowed with a weak current, it would not have met the water of the sky; rather, the water of the sky would have descended upon it and connected with it. Perhaps the meaning of {And the oven boiled over} (Hud: 40) is similar to this.
And His saying, {upon a matter already decreed} ( 'alā amrin qad quddir). There are interpretations for this:
- Upon a state that Allah, the Exalted, decreed as He willed.
- Upon a state where the measure of one water was decreed in proportion to the other.
- Upon all measures. This is because people differed: some said the water of the sky was more, some said the water of the earth, and some said they were equal. So He said: whatever the measure was.
The first interpretation points to the magnitude of the Flood event, as the indefinite nature of the matter (tanqīr al-amr) indicates this. One says: "Something happened to so-and-so," which cannot be fully described, pointing to its greatness.
There is another possibility: that {the water met} means they gathered upon the matter of their destruction, which was a predestined, decreed matter. This refutes the astrologers who claim the Flood was due to the conjunction of the seven planets around an aquatic sign. Drowning was not the primary objective; rather, it was a consequence of the necessary occurrence of the Flood. So He said: It was not except for a matter already decreed. This is supported by the fact that Allah revealed to Noah that they would be among those who are drowned.