Surah Al-Furqaan (25) — Ayah 53

(Ayah 53) ➊ The meaning of { وَ هُوَ الَّذِيْ مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ …: ’’ فُرَاتٌ ‘‘ ’’فَرُتَ يَفْرُتُ‘‘} is to break apart; sweet water quenches thirst, so it is called {’’ فُرَاتٌ ‘‘ }. The evidences of monotheism that started from {’’ اَلَمْ تَرَ اِلٰى رَبِّكَ كَيْفَ مَدَّ الظِّلَّ ‘‘}—this is their fourth sequence. In this verse as well, there is mention of Allah’s oneness, the perfection of His power, and His favors upon mankind—all three things. A verse with a similar meaning is in Surah Ar-Rahman: «{ مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيٰنِ (19) بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخٌ لَّا يَبْغِيٰنِ }» [ الرحمٰن : ۱۹، ۲۰ ] “He has let loose the two seas, meeting together, between them is a barrier which they do not transgress.” In {’’ وَ هُوَ الَّذِيْ ‘‘}, both the subject and predicate being definite conveys the meaning of exclusivity: that it is Allah alone who merges the two seas in this way, no one else has any part in it. About seventy (70) percent of the earth’s surface is covered by sea, whose water is extremely salty; apparently, there is no sea of sweet water mixed with it, and it is certain that Allah’s word can never be wrong. Therefore, the commentators have mentioned several applications of this verse, and all are correct. One application is that in Arabic, the word “bahr” is used for a large body of water, so it is used for both sea and river. Thus, it refers to the two large bodies of water on earth: one sweet, in the form of rivers, lakes, and streams, and the other salty, in the form of the sea. Despite being close to each other, Allah has placed a barrier of land between them, due to which they remain in their respective places; neither does the salty water overpower the sweet, nor the sweet overpower the salty. This is clearly observed on islands, where a river of sweet water flows right alongside the extremely salty sea water.

Another application is that it refers to the two seas of water beneath the earth, each of whose currents run right alongside each other; if you install a well at one place, sweet water comes out, and sometimes if you install another well nearby, salty water comes out—even the water on one side of a wall is sweet and on the other side is salty; neither affects the other’s saltiness or sweetness. In my opinion, this is the clearest case; every person can observe it, and there is no room for any atheist to object to it. A third application is the place where the water of a large river falls into the sea and goes far inside it; its color and taste remain distinct from the sea water, and an invisible barrier remains between them. The commentator Abu Hayyan writes: {’’ وَ نِيْلُ مِصْرَ فِيْ فَيْضِهِ يَشُقُّ الْبَحْرَ الْمَالِحَ شَقًّا بِحَيْثُ يَبْقٰي نَهْرًا جَارِيًا أَحْمَرَ فِيْ وَسْطِ الْمَالِحِ لِيَسْتَقِي النَّاسُ مِنْهُ ‘‘} [ البحر المحیط ] “That is, the Nile River of Egypt, during its flood season, cuts through the salty sea and flows far into the middle of the salty sea as a red river, from which people obtain drinking water.” A fourth application is that between the salty and bitter seas, there are such reservoirs whose water is completely sweet. Abu Hayyan has also written: {’’ وَ تَرَي الْمِيَاهَ قِطْعًا فِيْ وَسْطِ الْبَحْرِ الْمَالِحِ فَيَقُوْلُوْنَ هٰذَا مَاءٌ ثَلْجٌ فَيَسْقُوْنَ مِنْهُ مِنْ وَسْطِ الْبَحْرِ ‘‘} [ البحر المحیط ] “That is, in the middle of the salty sea, (sweet) water appears in patches, about which people say that it is water from ice, and in the middle of the sea, they obtain drinking water from it.”

In Tafheem-ul-Quran it is stated: “Even within the sea, at various places, there are springs of sweet water, whose water retains its sweetness even amidst the extremely bitter water of the sea. The Turkish admiral Sidi Ali Reis (Katib Rumi), in his book ‘Mir’at al-Mamalik’ (written in the sixteenth century), points out such a place inside the Persian Gulf, where he wrote that there are springs of sweet water beneath the salty water, from which he himself used to obtain drinking water for his fleet. In modern times, when the American company began extracting oil in Saudi Arabia, initially they too used to obtain water from these very springs in the Persian Gulf; later, wells were dug near Dhahran and water was taken from them. Near Bahrain as well, there are springs of sweet water under the sea bed, from which people used to obtain drinking water until some time ago.”

➋ In what way is there a reminder of blessing in this verse? For this, there is no special need to mention the benefits of sweet water from the sweet and salty seas, because the life of every living being on land depends on it. However, the observation of Allah’s blessing in the salty sea is seen in many ways. In “Tafsir Ahsan-ul-Bayan” it is stated: “There is great wisdom of Allah in keeping the sea water salty. If sweet water remains stagnant for a long time, it becomes spoiled; its taste, color, or smell changes. Salty water does not spoil, nor does its taste, color, or smell change. If the water of these stagnant seas were also sweet, it would become foul-smelling, making it difficult for humans and animals to live on earth. Added to this would be the stench of dead animals in it. Allah’s wisdom is such that for thousands (millions) of years these seas have existed, thousands (millions, even tens of millions) of animals die in them and decompose in them, but Allah has kept such an amount of salinity (minerals) in them that it does not allow even a bit of foul smell to develop in the water; the winds that rise from them are also pure, and their water is also pure, even their dead (animals) are lawful, as is mentioned in the hadith: [ هُوَ الطَّهُوْرُ مَاءُهُ وَ الْحِلُّ مَيْتَتُهُ ] [أبوداوٗد، الطہارۃ، باب الوضوء بماء البحر : ۸۳ ] “Its (the sea’s) water is pure and its dead (animal) is lawful.” (Ahsan-ul-Bayan) This great reservoir of water is also the easiest means of transporting thousands or millions of tons of goods to different places, an unlimited treasure of food and necessities of life, and the source for the creation of clouds and rain to provide sweet water to all living beings and plants. In addition, it has a major role in the alternation of seasons. See also Surah Fatir (12), An-Nahl (14), Al-Hajj (65), Az-Zukhruf (11, 12), and Al-Jathiyah (12).

53-1. You call sweet water "Furat"; "Farat" means to cut off, to break. Sweet water quenches thirst, meaning it ends it. "Ujaj" means extremely salty or bitter.

53-2. Which do not let each other mix. Some have interpreted "Hijran Mahjura" to mean "Haraman Muharrama" — it has been made forbidden for them that sweet water becomes salty or salty water becomes sweet. And some commentators have translated "Maraja al-Bahrayn" as "Khalaqa al-Ma’ayn" — He created two waters, one sweet and the other salty. Sweet water is that which is found among settlements in the form of rivers, springs, and wells, which humans use for their needs. And salty water is that which is in the vast seas spread in the east and west, which are said to make up three-fourths of the earth, and one-fourth is land where humans and animals reside. These seas are still, but tides continue to occur in them and the turbulence of waves remains ongoing. There is great wisdom of Allah in keeping the sea water salty. If sweet water remains stagnant for a long time, it becomes spoiled; its taste, color, or smell changes. Salty water does not spoil, nor does its taste, color, or smell change. If the water of these still seas were also sweet, it would develop a stench, making it difficult for humans and animals to live on earth, especially with the added stench of dead animals in it. Allah’s wisdom is such that these seas have existed for thousands of years, and thousands of animals die in them and decompose within them, but Allah has placed such an amount of salt and minerals in them that it does not allow any stench to develop in their water. The winds rising from them are also pure, and their water is also pure, even their dead (sea creatures) are lawful, as in the hadith. Muwatta Imam Malik. Ibn Majah.

And He it is Who has merged the two seas [65], one fresh and sweet, and the other salty and bitter, and He has set a barrier and a firm partition between them [66].

[65]
The Literal Meaning of "Maraj":

The literal meaning of "maraj" is to mix two things together or for them to intermingle in such a way that the individual identity and properties of both remain intact. For example, "ghusn mareej" means intertwined branches (Mufradat Imam Raghib). In this verse, Allah Almighty has mentioned one of His most astonishing signs of power, and this sign is so common that countless people have witnessed it. Geographers and students studying geography are well aware of this reality that within the seas, there are such rivers flowing as if they are flowing on the surface of the earth.

Causing Cold Currents in Hot Water and Hot Currents in Cold Water is Also a Great Sign of Allah:

Somewhere, hot water currents are flowing, somewhere cold water currents, somewhere saline water, somewhere sweet water, and these currents are so long that within the sea itself, they extend from one country to another. Then sometimes it happens that above is saline water, and below, a river of cold and sweet water is flowing, and sometimes it happens that on one side, a river of saline water is flowing, and right next to it, a river of sweet water is flowing, and these waters remain within their own boundaries. They do not intermingle. And sailors, due to their familiarity, are able to obtain cold and sweet water from the sea, and I myself have seen at two places, Chitral and Karachi, that on one side, a hot water spring is gushing forth, and right next to it, a cold and sweet water spring is gushing forth, even though the water table beneath the ground is the same. And Allah Almighty has given this example of His sign of power for this very reason, that this matter has already come under the observation of common people. Now, the point is that just as it is a property of water or any liquid that it flows, it is also a property that if it is of the same kind, it mixes together. If, at such places, Allah Almighty has taken away this property of water, it is so that cold and sweet water may be available for drinking to the creatures living within or on the shores of the sea, so that they may sustain their lives. Will the heedless human still not see, with the eye of insight, this sign, this magnificent blessing, and power of Allah?

[66] Here, the word "hijran mahjura" is not used figuratively, but rather in its original and literal meaning.