18:109 Al-Kahf (The Cave)

أي: قل لهم مخبرا عن عظمة الباري، وسعة صفاته، وأنها لا يحيط العباد بشيء منها: { لَوْ كَانَ الْبَحْرُ ْ} أي: هذه الأبحر الموجودة في العالم { مِدَادًا لِكَلِمَاتِ رَبِّي ْ} أي: وأشجار الدنيا من أولها إلى آخرها، من أشجار البلدان والبراري، والبحار، أقلام، { لَنَفِدَ الْبَحْرُ ْ} وتكسرت الأقلام { قَبْلَ أَنْ تَنْفَدَ كَلِمَاتُ رَبِّي ْ} وهذا شيء عظيم، لا يحيط به أحد. وفي الآية الأخرى { ولو أن ما في الأرض من شجرة أقلام والبحر يمده من بعده سبعة أبحر ما نفدت كلمات الله إن الله عزيز حكيم ْ} وهذا من باب تقريب المعنى إلى الأذهان، لأن هذه الأشياء مخلوقة، وجميع المخلوقات، منقضية منتهية، وأما كلام الله، فإنه من جملة صفاته، وصفاته غير مخلوقة، ولا لها حد ولا منتهى، فأي سعة وعظمة تصورتها القلوب فالله فوق ذلك، وهكذا سائر صفات الله تعالى، كعلمه، وحكمته، وقدرته، ورحمته، فلو جمع علم الخلائق من الأولين والآخرين، أهل السماوات وأهل الأرض، لكان بالنسبة إلى علم العظيم، أقل من نسبة عصفور وقع على حافة البحر، فأخذ بمنقاره من البحر بالنسبة للبحر وعظمته، ذلك بأن الله، له الصفات العظيمة الواسعة الكاملة، وأن إلى ربك المنتهى.

يقول تعالى: قل يا محمد لو كان ماء البحر مدادا للقلم الذي يكتب به كلمات الله وحكمه وآياته الدالة لنفد البحر قبل أن يفرغ كتابة ذلك " ولو جئنا بمثله " أي بمثل البحر آخر ثم آخر وهلم جرًا بحور تمده ويكتب بها لما نفدت كلمات الله كما قال تعالى " ولو أن ما في الأرض من شجرة أقلام والبحر يمده من بعده سبعة أبحر ما نفدت كلمات الله إن الله عزيز حكيم " وقال الربيع بن أنس إن مثل علم العباد كلهم في علم الله كقطرة من ماء البحور كلها وقد أنزل الله ذلك " قل لو كان البحر مدادا لكلمات ربي لنفد البحر قبل أن تنفد كلمات ربي " يقول لو كانت تلك البحور مدادًا لكلمات الله والشجر كله أقلام لانكسرت الأقلام وفني ماء البحر وبقيت كلمات الله قائمة لا يفنيها شيء لأن أحدًا لا يستطيع أن يقدر قدره ولا يثني عليه كما ينبغي حتى يكون هو الذي يثني على نفسه إن ربنا كما يقول وفوق ما نقول إن مثل نعيم الدنيا أولها وآخرها في نعيم الآخرة كحبة من خردل في خلال الأرض كلها.

The Words of the Lord can never be finished

Allah says: `Say, O Muhammad, if the water of the sea were ink for a pen to write down the words, wisdom and signs of Allah, the sea would run dry before it all could be written down.

وَلَوْ جِئْنَا بِمِثْلِهِ

(even if We brought like it) means, another sea, then another, and so on, additional seas to be used for writing. The Words of Allah would still never run out. As Allah says:

وَلَوْ أَنَّمَا فِى الاٌّرْضِ مِن شَجَرَةٍ أَقْلاَمٌ وَالْبَحْرُ يَمُدُّهُ مِن بَعْدِهِ سَبْعَةُ أَبْحُرٍ مَّا نَفِدَتْ كَلِمَـتُ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ

(And if all the trees on the earth were pens and the sea (were ink), with seven seas behind it to increase it, yet the Words of Allah would not be exhausted. Verily, Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.) 31:27 Ar-Rabi` bin Anas said, "The parable of the knowledge of all of mankind, in comparison to the knowledge of Allah, is that of a drop of water in comparison to all of the oceans." Allah revealed that:

قُل لَّوْ كَانَ الْبَحْرُ مِدَاداً لِّكَلِمَـتِ رَبِّى لَنَفِدَ الْبَحْرُ قَبْلَ أَن تَنفَدَ كَلِمَـتُ رَبِّى

(Say: "If the sea were ink for the Words of my Lord, surely, the sea would be exhausted before the Words of my Lord would be finished,) Allah says that even if those oceans were ink for the Words of Allah, and all the trees were pens, the pens would be broken and the water of the sea would run dry, and the Words of Allah would remain, for nothing can outlast them. For no one can comprehend the greatness of Allah or praise Him as He deserves to be praised, except the One Who praises Himself. Our Lord is as He says He is and He is beyond what we can say. The blessings of this world, the beginning and end of it, in comparison to the blessings of the Hereafter, are like a mustard seed compared to the entire world.

Say ‘If the sea in other words if its waters were ink midād is what one writes with for the Words of my Lord Words that testify to His laws and His marvels such that these Words are written with it the sea would be spent in recording them before the Words of my Lord were spent read as tanfada or yanfada even though We brought the like of it namely the like of the sea as replenishment’ in order to add it to the other sea it would also be spent while they God’s Words would not be exhausted madadan ‘as replenishment’ in the accusative because it is a specification.

The purpose of the last sentence: لَا يَبْغُونَ عَنْهَا حِوَلًا (and will not wish to move from there - 108) is to tell that this station of Jannah is a never-ending, ever-lasting blessing for them. The reason is that Allah Ta’ ala has promulgated His command to the effect that whoever has entered Jannah will never be expelled from there. But, there was the possibility of some doubt crossing someone's heart, for human beings naturally get fed up by living at one place. They wish to move out and go to other places. Now, if they were not allowed to go elsewhere out of Jannah, they might start feeling the pinch of a sort of restriction. This was answered in the verse by saying that taking Jannah on the analogy of other places is rank ignorance. Once a person goes into the Jannah, everything he saw and lived within the mortal world would find all that trifling in the presence of the bliss and beauty of Jannah and - so blessed in that manner - no one would ever even think of going out of here.

(Say: Though the sea became ink for the Words of my Lord�) [18:109]. Ibn 'Abbas said: �When the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, told them (� and knowledge ye have been vouchsafed but little), the Jews said: 'How can this be when we have been given the Torah? He who has been given the Torah has been given abundant goodness!' Upon which this verse was revealed (Say: Though the sea became ink for the Words of my Lord�)�.