أَوْ كَظُلُمَاتٍ فِي بَحْرٍ لُّجِّيٍّ يَغْشَاهُ مَوْجٌ مِّن فَوْقِهِ مَوْجٌ مِّن فَوْقِهِ سَحَابٌ ظُلُمَاتٌ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ إِذَا أَخْرَجَ يَدَهُ لَمْ يَكَدْ يَرَاهَا وَمَن لَّمْ يَجْعَلِ اللَّهُ لَهُ نُورًا فَمَا لَهُ مِن نُّورٍ

Or like the manifold darkness in a deep sea, covered by billow upon billow, overcast by clouds; manifold [layers of] darkness, one on top of another: when he brings out his hand, he can hardly see it. One whom Allah has not granted any light has no light.

EXEGESIS

Lujjī (deep) originally comes from the verb lajja, meaning to pursue something. When used for water, it means a sea that has big waves, which come one pursuing the other.[1]

Alternatively, it may mean a very deep sea;[2] or a sea so vast that its shores cannot be seen,[3] similar to the verse about Bilqīs, So when she saw it, she supposed it to be a great expanse of water (lujjah), and she bared her shanks (27:44).

Saḥāb (clouds) is from saḥaba, which originally means to stretch out. Clouds are named saḥāb because they are stretched out over the sky.[4]

Lam yakad yarāhā (he can hardly see it) has been understood by the exegetes in various ways:

1. He cannot see it.[5]
2. He cannot see it at all, and cannot even come close to seeing it.[6]
3. He cannot see it except after great effort, like in the verse, And they slaughtered it, though they were about not (mā kādū) to do it (2:71).[7]
4. He cannot hope to see it.[8]

The best option is perhaps the third one, as we shall explain.

EXPOSITION

This is the second parable given of disbelief. This time the efforts of the faithless are likened to someone trapped in a stormy sea, covered with waves and storm clouds. Like the wanderer in the desert, the traveller lost at sea desperately seeks salvation, but no shores are in sight.

The faithful follow the light of guidance and maʿrifah (true understanding), which shines for them, revealing the true nature of things (verse 35). The faithless are either following mirages, or they are so lost in darkness that they can barely see what is right in front of them. Lack of faith is the same as lack of maʿrifah. This is very similar to the parable in the beginning of Sūrat al-Baqarah: Their parable is that of one who lighted a torch, and when it had lit up all around him, Allah took away their light, and left them sightless in a manifold darkness. Deaf, dumb, and blind, they will not come back (2:17-18).[9] The lack of working senses equates the spiritual blindness of ignorance.

In brief, in the previous verse we were told that the faithless followed illusionary mirages, their actions amounting to naught, whereas in this verse we are told how they are lost in layers of darkness, one upon the other, having no direction and no hope. A person who rejects God and the hereafter loses bearing, and either chases meaning in meaningless things, or is lost in the stormy seas of an existential crisis, suffering from lack of meaning, purpose, and direction.

Or like the manifold darkness in a deep sea: the manifold darkness is layers of ignorance that veil the heart and blind it to the light of maʿrifah.[10]

While in the previous verse the illusionary water of the mirage represented the (false) hope for salvation, here it represents the very real threat of death and destruction. Looking at the two verses we realise the disbelievers benefit from neither light nor water. Their light and water is merely an illusionary mirage, or they are stuck in darkness and surrounded by lethal waves of water. If water and light represent spiritual life and guidance, these things will not benefit them, since they refuse to take heed, As for the faithless, it is the same to them whether you warn them or do not warn them, they will not have faith (2:6). When the guidance and message of God comes to them and they refuse it, it only acts as a vehicle for their destruction.

Covered by billow upon billow, overcast by clouds: all these descriptions are meant to highlight not only the depth of darkness and how lost these people are, but they also paint quite a fearful picture as well. Going to the open sea is already a daunting task, where one is at the mercy of the water. Now we are told to imagine a dark and stormy sea, billowing with waves, with clouds covering any light from the sun, moon, or stars (which were used for navigation).[11] The contrast is stark when compared to the serenity and peacefulness of the preceding verses.

Manifold [layers of] darkness, one on top of another: darkness is not just misguidance, but even worse than that, as darkness bars from seeing and identifying misguidance for what it is.[12] When speaking of ignorance (jahl), the scholars usually divide it into two parts. The first is plain ignorance (jahl basīṭ) where one is aware of their own ignorance. In other words, I do not know something, and I know that I am unaware of it. The second is compound ignorance (jahl murakkab) where one is unaware of their own ignorance. That is, I do not know something, yet I think I know it.[13]

The ignorance of the faithless is of this second type. It is layers of darkness, which is precisely why it is so hard to convince them that they are mistaken, because they think they have it all figured out. If one is lost and knows they are lost and comes upon a stranger who shows them the way, they will eagerly accept their help. But one who is stubbornly adamant that the wrong path they are taking is in fact correct, will not be convinced that they are mistaken.

The verse refers to three layers of darkness. The darkness of the night, the darkness of the clouds (which covers even the moonlight and stars), and the darkness of the waves. These three are said to represent the three spheres of darkness in which the faithless are lost: the darkness of their beliefs, words, and deeds.[14]

When he brings out his hand, he can hardly see it: this is further emphasis on the depth of the darkness, as the easiest body part that one can see is their own hand, since one may bring it close to their face.[15] Not only can he not see the shores that might rescue him from his predicament, he can hardly see his own hand.

One whom Allah has not granted any light has no light: light is here referring to the light of guidance in this world, although some have said that it refers to the light in the hereafter by which the believers are guided to paradise (see for example 66:8). However, the two are not mutually exclusive, since the light in the hereafter is a result of the light of faith and good actions which has been acquired in this life.[16]

This is a reminder of what was mentioned, that Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth (verse 35). Any light of guidance and understanding is simply an extension of that divine light. Whomever God does not guide, they cannot find the path to righteousness.[17] This is why the people of paradise gratefully proclaim, All praise belongs to Allah, who guided us to this. We would have never been guided had not Allah guided us (7:43).

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Rāzī says that the verse begins with Or, because the previous verse spoke of the actions of the faithless which they believed to be good, likening them to a mirage, one that offers no true salvation or solace. This verse speaks of their obviously evil actions, which are likened to a dark and stormy sea.[18]

Ghazālī interprets the deep sea to be this world, with its many dangerous allures that may cause one to drown by becoming engrossed in them. The first billow is the wave of desires which wash over a person calling them to act upon their animalistic desires. This wave is darkness, for one who is submitted to their lust is blinded to other things. The second billow is the wave of vices such as pride and anger and jealousy, which darken the rational mind. He says this wave is higher than the lusts, because it overcomes even such base desires. As for the clouds, he interprets them as evil intentions, false beliefs, and malignant suppositions, which act as a veil, covering the faithless from the guiding rays of the shining sun of the Quran and reason.[19]

Others have said that the manifold darkness means the actions of the disbeliever, and the deep sea his heart, and the waves are the ignorance and doubt that wash over his heart, and the clouds are the seal placed upon their hearts.[20] Abū Ḥayyān also relates some other similar opinions, but concludes by saying that such interpretations are akin to esoteric (bāṭinī) ones and deviate from how Arabic language is commonly used.[21] Such criticisms seem to miss the point though, as obviously the verse is symbolic in its purport and such interpretations are obviously merely attempts to reflect on the verse. Such criticisms especially miss the mark, considering that the verse begins with ka (like), indicating that what is said is to be taken metaphorically.

[1] Qurtubi, 12/284; Mizan, 14/132; Tahqiq, 10/187, l-j-j.
[2] Tabari, 18/116; Nemuneh, 14/492. Related in Tabrisi, 7/230.
[3] Tabrisi, 7/230.
[4] Tahqiq, 5/76, s-ḥ-b.
[5] Nemuneh, 14/491. Related in Tabrisi, 7/230; Tabari, 18/117.
[6] Tabrisi, 7/230; Thalabi, 7/111; Zamakhshari, 3/244; Razi, 24/401; Muhit, 8/54; Alusi, 9/375.
[7] Tabari, 18/116. Related in Tabrisi, 7/230.
[8] Qurtubi, 12/285.
[9] See also 2:19-20, 2:257, 6:122, and 83:15.
[10] Mizan, 15/132.
[11] See also Muhit, 8/53.
[12] See Ghazālī, Mishkāt al-Anwār (Cairo: al-Dār al-Qawmiyyah, 1964), p. 82.
[13] See Razi, 24/400; Nemuneh, 14/493.
[14] Tabrisi, 7/230. For some variations of what these three are, see for example Tibyan, 7/443. Ṭabrisī and Ṭabarī also relate from Ubayy ibn Kaʿb that it is five darknesses: words, deeds, arrival, departing, and their path on the Day of Judgement (Tabari, 18/116).
[15] Mizan, 14/133.
[16] Muhit, 8/55.
[17] Tibyan, 7/444; Tabari, 18/117.
[18] Razi, 24/400, who also suggests a second possibility, saying that the previous verse spoke of their actions in the hereafter, likening them to a mirage that has no real value, and this verse speaks of their actions in this world, comparing them to a dark sea. The second suggestion does not make much sense.
[19] Ghazālī, Mishkāt al-Anwār (Cairo: al-Dār al-Qawmiyyah, 1964), pp. 82-83.
[20] Tabari, 18/116. Related in Thalabi, 7/111.
[21] Muhit, 8/54-55.