What is the meaning of the saying of Allah the Exalted: "Say, if the sea were ink for the words of my Lord, the sea would be exhausted before the words of my Lord are exhausted, even if We brought the like of it as a supplement"? And to what does it point?
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The questioner : Allah the Exalted says in Surat al-Kahf: [Al-Kahf 18:109] What is the meaning of this verse? And to what does it point?
The Shaykh : This verse points to the clarification of the greatness of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and that He, Glorified and Exalted is He, has always been and continues to be a Speaker, because He has always been and continues to be an Doer, and every action is by His will (Exalted and Majestic is He). And when He wills to create something, He merely says to it: "Be," and it is. The creations of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) continue to exist, for in Paradise there is eternity and no death, and in the Fire there is eternity and no death. And thus, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is always eternal and everlasting, and there is no limit to His words and no end to His words. So if the sea were ink for the words of Allah, meaning: a dye with which the words of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) are written, the sea would be exhausted before the words of Allah are exhausted, because the sea has a limit to which it ends, and the words of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) have no limit. And Allah the Exalted said in another verse:[Luqman 31:27].
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
Say, "If the sea were ink for [writing] the words of my Lord, the sea would be exhausted before the words of my Lord were exhausted, even if We brought the like of it as a supplement."
قُلْ لَوْ كَانَ الْبَحْرُ مِدَادًا لِكَلِمَاتِ رَبِّي لَنَفِدَ الْبَحْرُ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَنفَدَ كَلِمَاتُ رَبِّي وَلَوْ جِئْنَا بِمِثْلِهِ مَدَدًاThe Shaykh : This verse points to the clarification of the greatness of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and that He, Glorified and Exalted is He, has always been and continues to be a Speaker, because He has always been and continues to be an Doer, and every action is by His will (Exalted and Majestic is He). And when He wills to create something, He merely says to it: "Be," and it is. The creations of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) continue to exist, for in Paradise there is eternity and no death, and in the Fire there is eternity and no death. And thus, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is always eternal and everlasting, and there is no limit to His words and no end to His words. So if the sea were ink for the words of Allah, meaning: a dye with which the words of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) are written, the sea would be exhausted before the words of Allah are exhausted, because the sea has a limit to which it ends, and the words of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) have no limit. And Allah the Exalted said in another verse:
And if whatever trees upon the earth were pens and the sea [was ink], replenished thereafter by seven [more] seas, the words of Allah would not be exhausted
وَلَوْ أَنَّمَا فِي الأَرْضِ مِنْ شَجَرَةٍ أَقْلامٌ وَالْبَحْرُ يَمُدُّهُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ سَبْعَةُ أَبْحُرٍ مَا نَفِدَتْ كَلِمَاتُ اللَّهِThe questioner : May Allah reward you with good.