The Sixteenth Flash

First of all, it indicates that Dhul-QarnaynA righteous and powerful ruler mentioned in the Qur’an (18:83–98), to whom Allah granted authority and the means to undertake great journeys. He is known for his justice and for building a barrier to protect a people from Yājūj and Mājūj (Gog and Magog).’s journey westward coincided with a period of intense heat, marshy lands, sunset, and volcanic activity; and in this way it points to great and instructive events, such as the complete crossing of Africa.

It is well known that the visible movement of the sun is only apparent and in reality points to the hidden movement of the earth. The actual setting of the sun is not intended here. The word “spring” is a comparison; from afar, a vast sea may appear like a small pool.

From the mysteries of eloquence, it is profoundly meaningful and fitting to compare a sea, seen behind vapours and mists produced by heat, to a muddy spring, and to use the word ‘ayn, which in Arabic may mean “spring,” “eye,” and “sun.”^[1]

Just as it appeared so to Dhul-QarnaynA righteous and powerful ruler mentioned in the Qur’an (18:83–98), to whom Allah granted authority and the means to undertake great journeys. He is known for his justice and for building a barrier to protect a people from Yājūj and Mājūj (Gog and Magog). from a distance, so the heavenly address of the Qur’an—which descends from the Supreme Throne and is the Word of the One Who governs the heavenly bodies—speaks of the obedient sun, which serves as a lamp in the guesthouse of the All-Merciful, as though it were setting in a spring like the Atlantic Ocean. This manner of speech befits its grandeur and exaltedness. Through its miraculous style, it presents the sea as a hot spring and a steaming eye, as it appears to heavenly gazes.

In short, describing the Atlantic Ocean as a “muddy spring” refers to how this vast sea, from Dhul-QarnaynA righteous and powerful ruler mentioned in the Qur’an (18:83–98), to whom Allah granted authority and the means to undertake great journeys. He is known for his justice and for building a barrier to protect a people from Yājūj and Mājūj (Gog and Magog).’s viewpoint and at a great distance, could appear like a spring. But the gaze of the Qur’an, which is near to all things, cannot be bound by the limited perception of a human being.

Rather, since the perspective of the Qur’an encompasses the heavens, it sometimes sees the earth as a field, sometimes as a palace, sometimes as a cradle, and sometimes as a page. For this reason, it calls the Western Atlantic Ocean, covered with mist and vapour, a “spring”—and this shows the greatness of its exaltedness.