Oceanology in the Noble Qur'an.

Oceanology in the Noble Qur’ân

By: Shahid Bin Waheed شاهد بن وحيد

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الحمدلله رب العالمين والصلوة والسلام على اشرف الانبياء وسيدالمرسلين نبينا محمد صل ا لله عليه وعلى آله واصحابه وازواجه اجمعين - امابعد

Thanks to be Allaah, Sustainer of the Universe, and blessing and salutation to be the most distinguish of the Messengers and foremost among the Prophets, our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allaah be on him and on his wives, children and Companions.

Pseudo-Muslim website has an article titled Oceanology in the Noble Qur’ân, which claims,

The following article was sent to me by brother/sister mdzamin_ezaz@yahoo.com; may Allah Almighty be pleased with him/her.

OCEANOLOGY
BARRIER BETWEEN SWEET AND SALT WATERS
Consider the following Qur'anic verses:
"HE has let free The two bodies Of flowing water, Meeting together: Between them is a Barrier Which they do not transgress."

[AL-QUR'AN 55:19:20]

In the Arabic text the word 'barzakh' means a barrier or a partition. The Arabic word 'maraja' literally means 'they both meet and mix with each other.' Early commentators of the QUR'AN were unable to explain the two opposite meanings for the two bodies of water, i.e. they meet and mix, and at the same time, there is a barrier between them. Modern Science has discovered that in places where two different seas meet, there is a barrier between them. This barrier divides the two seas so that each sea has ita own temperature, salinity and density. {Principles of Oceanography, Davis, pp. 92-93.} Oceanologists are now in a better position to explain this verse. There is a slanted unseen water barrier between the seas through which water from one sea passes to the other. But when the water from one sea enters the other sea, it loses its distinctive characteristic and becomes homogenized with the other water. In a way this barrier serves as a transitional homogenizing area for the two waters. This scientific phenonmenon mentioned in the QUR'AN was also confirmed by Dr. William Hay who is a well-known marine scientist and Professor og Geological Sciences at the University of Colorado, U.S.A.

The QUR'AN mentions this phenomenon also in the following verse:

"And made a separating bar Between the two bodies Of flowing water?"

[AL-QUR'AN 27:61]

This phenomenon occurs in several places, including the divider between the Mediteranean and the Atlantic Ocean at Gibralter. But when the QUR'AN speaks about the divider between fresh and salt water, it mentions the exisence of ' a forbidding partition' with the barrier.
"It is HE WHO has Let free the two bodies Of flowing water: One palatable and sweet, And the other salty and bitter; Yet has HE Made a barrier between them, And a partition that is forbidden To be passed.

[AL-QUR'AN 25:53]

Modern Science has discovered that in estuaries, where fresh (sweet) and salt water meet, the situation is somewhat different from that found in places where two seas meet. It has been discovered that what distinguishes fresh water from salt water in estuarie is a "pycnocline zone with a marked density discontinuity separating the two layers." {Oceanography, Gross, p.242. Also see Introductory Oceanography, Thurman, pp. 300-301; Oceanography, Gross, p. 244 and Introductory Oceanography, Thurman, pp.300-301} This phenomenon occurs in several places, including Egypt, where the river Nile flows into the Medierranean Sea.

Response!

I have nothing personally against the author and/or the article. But I must emphasize that,

That Glorious Qur’aan is NOT a Book of Science; it is rather a Book of GUIDANCE. However, there are scientific realities mentioned in the Glorious Qur’aan.
Author’s claim of {Early commentators of the QUR'AN were unable to explain the two opposite meanings for the two bodies of water, i.e. they meet and mix, and at the same time, there is a barrier between them.} is misrepresentation of truth.

Let us examine the facts what the early commentators have to say:

Surah Ar-Rahman 19

مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ

He has let loose the two seas (the salt and fresh water) meeting together.

**{He has Maraja the two seas}, or let them loose, according to Ibn Abbas (At-Tabari 23:29). Allaah’s statement.

Tafsir Al-Tabari / Surah Ar-Rahman 19

مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ

وَقَوْله :

{ مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ }

يَقُول تَعَالَى ذِكْرُهُ : مَرَجَ رَبّ الْمَشْرِقَيْنِ وَرَبّ الْمَغْرِبَيْنِ الْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ , يَعْنِي بِقَوْلِهِ :

{ مَرَجَ } :

أَرْسَلَ وَخَلَّى , مِنْ قَوْلهمْ : مَرَجَ فُلَان دَابَّته : إِذَا خَلَّاهَا وَتَرَكَهَا . وَبِنَحْوِ الَّذِي قُلْنَا فِي ذَلِكَ قَالَ أَهْل التَّأْوِيل . ذِكْرُ مَنْ قَالَ ذَلِكَ : 25517 - حَدَّثَنِي عَلِيّ , قَالَ : ثنا أَبُو صَالِح , قَالَ : ثني مُعَاوِيَة , عَنْ عَلِيّ , عَنِ ابْن عَبَّاس , قَوْله :

{ مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ }

يَقُول : أَرْسَلَ .
وَاخْتَلَفَ أَهْل الْعِلْم فِي الْبَحْرَيْنِ اللَّذَيْنِ ذَكَرَهُمَا اللَّه جَلَّ ثَنَاؤُهُ فِي هَذِهِ الْآيَة , أَيّ الْبَحْرَيْنِ هُمَا ؟ فَقَالَ بَعْضهمْ : هُمَا بَحْرَانِ : أَحَدهمَا فِي السَّمَاء , وَالْآخَر فِي الْأَرْض . ذِكْرُ مَنْ قَالَ ذَلِكَ : 25518 - حَدَّثَنَا ابْن حُمَيْد , قَالَ : ثنا يَعْقُوب , عَنْ جَعْفَر , عَنِ ابْن أَبْزَى

{ مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخ لَا يَبْغِيَانِ }

قَالَ : بَحْر فِي السَّمَاء , وَبَحْر فِي الْأَرْض .
25519 - حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كُرَيْب, قَالَ: ثنا ابْن يَمَان, عَنْ أَشْعَث, عَنْ جَعْفَر عَنْ سَعِيد, فِي قَوْله:

{ مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ }

قَالَ : بَحْر فِي السَّمَاء , وَبَحْر فِي الْأَرْض.
25520 - حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّد بْن سَعْد, قَالَ: ثني أَبِي, قَالَ: ثني عَمِّي, قَالَ: ثني أَبِي, عَنْ أَبِيهِ, عَنِ ابْن عَبَّاس, فِي قَوْله:

{ مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ }

قَالَ : بَحْر فِي السَّمَاء وَالْأَرْض يَلْتَقِيَانِ كُلَّ عَام.
وَقَالَ آخَرُونَ : عَنَى بِذَلِكَ بَحْر فَارِس وَبَحْر الرُّوم. ذِكْرُ مَنْ قَالَ ذَلِكَ : 25521 - حَدَّثَنَا ابْن حُمَيْد , قَالَ : ثنا مِهْرَان , عَنْ سُفْيَان , عَنْ زِيَاد مَوْلَى مُصْعَب , عَنِ الْحَسَن

{ مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ }

قَالَ : بَحْر الرُّوم , وَبَحْر فَارِس وَالْيَمَن .
25522 -حَدَّثَنَا بِشْر, قَالَ: ثنا يَزِيد, قَالَ: ثنا سَعِيد, عَنْ قَتَادَة, قَوْله:

{ مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ }

فَالْبَحْرَانِ : بَحْر فَارِس , وَبَحْر الرُّوم.
* - حَدَّثَنَا ابْن عَبْد الْأَعْلَى, قَالَ: ثنا ابْن ثَوْر, عَنْ مَعْمَر, عَنْ قَتَادَة

{ مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ }

قَالَ : بَحْر فَارِس وَبَحْر الرُّوم .
وَأَوْلَى الْأَقْوَال فِي ذَلِكَ عِنْدِي بِالصَّوَابِ قَوْل مَنْ قَالَ : عَنَى بِهِ بَحْر السَّمَاء , وَبَحْر الْأَرْض , وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ اللَّه قَالَ

{ يَخْرُج مِنْهُمَا اللُّؤْلُؤ وَالْمَرْجَان }

وَاللُّؤْلُؤ وَالْمَرْجَان إِنَّمَا يَخْرُج مِنْ أَصْدَاف بَحْر الْأَرْض عَنْ قَطْر مَاء السَّمَاء , فَمَعْلُوم أَنَّ ذَلِكَ بَحْر الْأَرْض وَبَحْر السَّمَاء

يَلْتَقِيَان

{meeting together}

Ibn Zayd said, “He prevents them from meeting by the dividing barrier He placed between them. {At-Tabari 23:31} The two seas are the fresh and salty waters, the former coming from the running rivers. This topic is also discussed in Surah Al-Furqan 25:53!

Surah Al-Furqan 53

وَهُوَ الَّذِي مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ هَذَا عَذْبٌ فُرَاتٌ وَهَذَا مِلْحٌ أُجَاجٌ وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخًا وَحِجْرًا مَحْجُورًا

And it is He Who has let free the two seas (kinds of water): this is palatable and sweet, and that is salt and bitter; and He has set a barrier and a complete partition between them.

Allaah said,

Surah Ar-Rahman 20

بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخٌ لَا يَبْغِيَانِ

Between them is a barrier which none of them can transgress.

Meaning, He has placed a barrier of land between these two types of waters, so that they do not transgress upon each other, which could spoil the characteristics they were created with.

Tafsir Al-Tabari / Surah Ar-Rahman 20

بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخٌ لَا يَبْغِيَانِ

وَقَوْله :

{ بَيْنهمَا بَرْزَخ لَا يَبْغِيَانِ }

يَقُول تَعَالَى ذِكْرُهُ : بَيْنهمَا حَاجِز وَبُعْد , لَا يُفْسِد أَحَدُهُمَا صَاحِبَهُ فَيَبْغِي بِذَلِكَ عَلَيْهِ , وَكُلّ شَيْء كَانَ بَيْن شَيْئَيْنِ فَهُوَ بَرْزَخ عِنْد الْعَرَب , وَمَا بَيْن الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَة بَرْزَخ . وَبِنَحْوِ الَّذِي قُلْنَا فِي ذَلِكَ قَالَ أَهْل التَّأْوِيل . ذِكْرُ مَنْ قَالَ ذَلِكَ : 25523 - حَدَّثَنَا ابْن حُمَيْد , قَالَ : ثنا يَعْقُوب , عَنْ جَعْفَر , عَنِ ابْن أَبْزَى