Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: (And the sea held in check)
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Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: (And the sea held in check)]
Allah the Exalted said: [Surat al-Tur: 6] Regarding the word (the sea), it was said: The intended meaning is the sea upon which is the Throne of the Most Merciful (Mighty and Majestic), as Allah the Exalted said: [Surat Hud: 7] .
And it was said: The intended meaning is the sea on the earth; because it is visible, the known one in which are signs of Allah that astound the minds.
And the correct view is: That the intended meaning is the sea of the earth; because the (al) in "the sea" is for mental familiarity,Meaning: The familiar sea that you know,So Allah swore by it because of the great signs within it: With its fish, waves, and other things we know and do not know, and among the greatest of the signs of Allah within it is what He the Exalted referred to in His saying: (held in check) meaning: prevented,And from it, tethering the dog means: In the language, the meaning here is notIn the language, it is said: "I tethered the dog" means: I tied it so it would not escape,The sea held in check: Prevented by the power of Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
We all know that the earth is spherical, and if we looked at this sea according to nature, it would overflow onto the earth; because there are no walls to prevent it, and the earth is spherical like a ball, so if we looked at this sea according to nature, we would say: It must overflow onto the earth and drown it, but Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) held it back by His power (Glorified and Exalted is He), so it is held in check -Meaning: Prevented - from overflowing onto the earth and drowning its people, and this is a sign among the signs of Allah. Pour - for example - water over a ball; where does it go? It covers it to the right and left, but this sea cannot overflow onto the earth by the power of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). And look at the wisdom: sometimes the days of the tide and ebb come, and the same sea extends greatly for several meters and perhaps miles, then it recedes from what extended it. If He had willed, it would have remained extended and the earth would have drowned. Who turned it back? It is Allah. For this reason, this sea is worthy of Allah swearing by it.
In the sea are great signs, it is said: There is nothing on the land of animals and trees that does not have a counterpart in the sea, rather more; because the sea in relation to the dry land represents about (70%), which is very large, so it contains things that are not on the land,Meaning: There is a fish in the shape of a human, and in the shape of a wolf, and in the shape of a drum, and in the shape of a snake, and in the shape of a scorpion, and it contains things for which we see no counterpart on the land. These are among the signs of Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
And the sea held in check,So the greatest sign in the sea is that it is held in check, meaning: Prevented from overflowing onto the earth and drowning its people.
And it was said the intended meaning of held in check is that which will be kindled, meaning: It is kindled, as Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said: [Surat al-Takwir: 6] meaning: it is kindled, so these are two opinions,The sea held in check means the first opinion: Prevented,And the sea held in check which will be kindled, meaning: Kindled, and when does this happen? On the Day of Resurrection. This water that we observe now, which if a coal fell into it or passed over a coal would extinguish it; on the Day of Resurrection it will be fire. This water will be kindled and become fire. This is among the signs of Allah (Mighty and Majestic),These are two opinions: The first: held in check, prevented from overflowing onto the earth and drowning its people.
The second: The *masjur* is the one that will be kindled, i.e., ignited, and that will be on the Day of Resurrection.
Can we say: Is the intended meaning both meanings? Yes, because there is no contradiction between this and that, so both are among the signs of Allah (Mighty and Majestic),Meaning: Whether we say: held in check, prevented from overflowing onto the earth,Or the held in check which will be kindled, meaning: Or kindled, all of this is among the signs of Allah.
Allah the Exalted said:
And the overflowing sea
وَالْبَحْرِ الْمَسْجُورِand His Throne had been upon water
وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِAnd it was said: The intended meaning is the sea on the earth; because it is visible, the known one in which are signs of Allah that astound the minds.
And the correct view is: That the intended meaning is the sea of the earth; because the (al) in "the sea" is for mental familiarity,Meaning: The familiar sea that you know,So Allah swore by it because of the great signs within it: With its fish, waves, and other things we know and do not know, and among the greatest of the signs of Allah within it is what He the Exalted referred to in His saying: (held in check) meaning: prevented,And from it, tethering the dog means: In the language, the meaning here is notIn the language, it is said: "I tethered the dog" means: I tied it so it would not escape,The sea held in check: Prevented by the power of Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
We all know that the earth is spherical, and if we looked at this sea according to nature, it would overflow onto the earth; because there are no walls to prevent it, and the earth is spherical like a ball, so if we looked at this sea according to nature, we would say: It must overflow onto the earth and drown it, but Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) held it back by His power (Glorified and Exalted is He), so it is held in check -Meaning: Prevented - from overflowing onto the earth and drowning its people, and this is a sign among the signs of Allah. Pour - for example - water over a ball; where does it go? It covers it to the right and left, but this sea cannot overflow onto the earth by the power of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). And look at the wisdom: sometimes the days of the tide and ebb come, and the same sea extends greatly for several meters and perhaps miles, then it recedes from what extended it. If He had willed, it would have remained extended and the earth would have drowned. Who turned it back? It is Allah. For this reason, this sea is worthy of Allah swearing by it.
In the sea are great signs, it is said: There is nothing on the land of animals and trees that does not have a counterpart in the sea, rather more; because the sea in relation to the dry land represents about (70%), which is very large, so it contains things that are not on the land,Meaning: There is a fish in the shape of a human, and in the shape of a wolf, and in the shape of a drum, and in the shape of a snake, and in the shape of a scorpion, and it contains things for which we see no counterpart on the land. These are among the signs of Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
And the sea held in check,So the greatest sign in the sea is that it is held in check, meaning: Prevented from overflowing onto the earth and drowning its people.
And it was said the intended meaning of held in check is that which will be kindled, meaning: It is kindled, as Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said:
And when the seas are filled with flame
وَإِذَا الْبِحَارُ سُجِّرَتْThe second: The *masjur* is the one that will be kindled, i.e., ignited, and that will be on the Day of Resurrection.
Can we say: Is the intended meaning both meanings? Yes, because there is no contradiction between this and that, so both are among the signs of Allah (Mighty and Majestic),Meaning: Whether we say: held in check, prevented from overflowing onto the earth,Or the held in check which will be kindled, meaning: Or kindled, all of this is among the signs of Allah.