قُل لَو كانَ البَحرُ مِدادًا لِكَلِماتِ رَبّي لَنَفِدَ البَحرُ قَبلَ أَن تَنفَدَ كَلِماتُ رَبّي وَلَو جِئنا بِمِثلِهِ مَدَدًا

Say: ‘If the sea were ink for the words of my Lord, the sea would be spent before the words of my Lord are spent, though We brought another like it for replenishment.’

EXEGESIS

Midād (ink) comes from madda meaning to bring one thing after another consecutively.^{‎[1]Tibyan, 7/100; Baghawi, 3/222.} Madad (replenishment) also comes from madd, here meaning to add or increase something.^{‎[2]Tabari, 16/31.} It is said that midād is used for ink because the written words are drawn out (imdād) by the scribe.^{‎[3]Tabrisi, 6/770; Nemuneh, 12/572.}

Kalimāt (words) is the plural of kalimah which refers to a part of speech (kalām).^{‎[4]Tibyan, 7/100.} In other words, it is the expressed locution and the referents (meanings) which are articulated thereby.^{‎[5]Nemuneh, 12/572.} Obviously, the words of God here are neither speech that produces sound, nor are they letters written in a book. See the next section for a discussion on what it means here.

EXPOSITION

This verse is similar to the verse in Sūrat Luqmān, which is easiest understood in conjunction to this verse, If all the trees on the earth were pens, and the sea replenished with seven more seas [were ink], the words of Allah would not be spent. Indeed, Allah is all-mighty, all-wise (31:27).

Say: the address shifts once more to the Holy Prophet, which is appropriate, as the surah also began by speaking of him and to him. The Prophet is commanded to address the doubters and deniers in this verse, those who think they know better than God, His chosen Messenger, or the book He has revealed. Conversely, the next verse also begins with Say, but is seemingly addressed to the believers (see the commentary of that for more). Since the surah has now established God as the possessor of the ‘true account’ of all things, it parts the audience with two final pieces of advice, one directed towards those who doubted the Quran as the source of the ‘true account’, and one to the believers who have accepted that.

If the sea were ink: sea here is referring to the concept of sea, meaning not just one sea or some specific sea.^{‎[6]Zamakhshari, 2/750; Nemuneh, 12/573; Tantawi, 8/587.}

For the words of my Lord: the words of God is said here to refer to His actions, like in the verse, All that We say to a thing, when We will it, is to say to it ‘Be!’ and it is (16:40). It is called a ‘word’, because it is a sign of God, like in the verse, The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only an apostle of Allah, and His word (4:171). Hence everything that exists is by virtue of its existence a sign of God, that directs one towards Him.^{‎[7]Mizan, 13/404}

In other words, the kalimāt are the created beings of God, each of which is a sign (āyah) of God, directing us towards Him and pointing to the attributes of their Creator. As such, the world of existence is far more expansive than what we can perceive, and if all the seas were turned to ink we would not be able to count and name all of His creation.^{‎[8]Nemuneh, 12/572-573.} The following hadith has been related from Imam Ali (a): ‘When He wishes something to be He just says to it ‘Be!’ and it is [2:117]; not with a voice that reverberates, or a call that is heard, rather His speech – glory be to Him – is His action, which He brings about and gives form.’^{‎[9]Nahj, sermon 186.}

Alternatively, it is said that words in this verse refers to the knowledge and wisdom of God.^{‎[10]Tabrisi, 6/769; Tustari, p. 98; Zamakhshari, 2/750; Razi, 21/503; Muhit, 7/233; Mudarrisi, 6/498; Tantawi, 8/587.} To express it in the light of the surah’s main theme, it is the ‘true account’ of things as given by God.

There is not necessarily a contradiction between these two views, and in fact it may be best to combine the two and understand words here in the same way that it was used in this surah when concluding the story of the People of the Cave, whereat God declared: Recite what has been revealed to you from your Lord’s book. Nothing can change His words (verse 27). The words of God that cannot be changed are in that verse neither referring to His actions nor His knowledge, but rather His decree (taqdīr), which is His action that originates from His infinite knowledge. This meaning may also be applied to the verse, when He decides on a matter, He just says to it ‘Be!’ and it is (2:117). In other words, when He in His infinite wisdom and knowledge decrees a matter, that decree will inevitably manifest itself. The words of God here hence refer to all that is, the decree of God that manifests itself in creation, all tracing back to His knowledge and power. It is all that is, was, and will be, by His command and decree.

The sea would be spent before the words of my Lord are spent: the words are here attributed to my Lord to indicate their honour, because they all act as signs of God.^{‎[11]Mizan, 13/405.} The creation of God are all signs that point to His magnificence and His lordship over all matters, and His creation is so vast that we cannot count it, let alone comprehend all its constituent parts or true nature. This creation is the manifestation of God’s infinitely vast knowledge. He not only knows everything that was, is, and will be, He even knows all that could have been. All the infinite outcomes of every possible choice are known to Him, as alluded to throughout the surah. As such, we realise that there is no way to record all the words of God, were He to express them to us.

Moreover, the verse has an interesting usage of duals in general. The repeated words in addition to sea are: words (kalimāt), my Lord (rabbī), if (law), spent (nafida/tanfada), and ink/replenishment (midād/madad). This repetition of words quite nicely plays into the notion of plurality of the words and the meaning entailed in madad; one coming after another, never ending.

Though We brought another like it for replenishment: imagine how many words one may write with just a bottle of ink. Now imagine a swimming pool full of ink. Now imagine an ocean’s worth. The statement is powerful as it presents a tangible example of just how vast is the extent of God’s creation and knowledge.^{‎[12]Nemuneh, 574-575.}

Furthermore, while this expression might seem hyperbolic, it is actually the opposite and a huge understatement. The vastness of the seas and the amount of writing one could produce with that amount of ink is nothing when compared to the infinity of God’s creation, even if thousands or millions of seas the like of it were brought; it is still a finite amount, which will always pale in comparison to infinity. The usage then is clever, as it subverts the reader’s expectations. Generally, such statements would be regarded hyperbolic, but here closer inspection reveals this one to be quite the opposite.

This verse ends with the reminder that even though the surah is coming to a close, this does not mean that God would have nothing further to say; rather, if He wished to discuss His creation or knowledge, all that has happened or will happen by His decree, He could keep going for an eternity.^{‎[13]Mizan, 13/403.}

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. It is reported that when the verse concerning the spirit was revealed (They question you concerning the spirit. Say: ‘The spirit is of the command of my Lord, and you have not been given of the knowledge except a few [of you] (17:85)),^{‎[14]Note that this verse was said to be revealed in reply to the same questions that prompted the revelation of Sūrat al-Kahf. In some versions of the report they also quote verse 2:269 as evidence that they have been given lots of knowledge.} the Jews responded by saying: ‘We have been given lots of knowledge. We have been given the Torah, and within it there is abundant knowledge.’ After this God then revealed the verse under discussion.^{‎[15]Tabrisi 6/770; Thalabi, 6/202; Zamakhshari, 2/750. Even if we accept that this verse was revealed separately it does not mean that it is somehow unrelated to what came before it (Mizan, 13/403). As we saw, it is completely related to everything that we discussed in the surah. As the surah is a Meccan one, if such reports are authentic, these discussions and questions should have been relayed by the Meccan polytheists to the Prophet.}

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

The words of my Lord has been understood in other ways as well:

1. From Ibn Abbas, that it means the wisdoms and wonders of God.^{‎[16]Thalabi, 6/202.}
2. From Mujāhid ibn Jabr, that it is knowledge.^{‎[17]Baghawi, 3/222.}
3. The exhortations of God.^{‎[18]Qurtubi, 11/69.}
4. The actions of God.^{‎[19]Fadlallah, 14/402.}
5. Those evidences that indicate His lordship over all matters.^{‎[20]Furqan, 18/234.}

Many of these are already entailed in what we mentioned earlier.

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. He who does great things, beyond discovery, yes, and wonders beyond number.^{‎[21]Job 9:10.}
2. O Lord my God, You have done many wonderful works, and Your thoughts toward us cannot be compared; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.^{‎[22]Psalms 40:5.}
3. Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!^{‎[23]Romans 11:33.}

[1] Tibyan, 7/100; Baghawi, 3/222.
[2] Tabari, 16/31.
[3] Tabrisi, 6/770; Nemuneh, 12/572.
[4] Tibyan, 7/100.
[5] Nemuneh, 12/572.
[6] Zamakhshari, 2/750; Nemuneh, 12/573; Tantawi, 8/587.
[7] Mizan, 13/404
[8] Nemuneh, 12/572-573.
[9] Nahj, sermon 186.
[10] Tabrisi, 6/769; Tustari, p. 98; Zamakhshari, 2/750; Razi, 21/503; Muhit, 7/233; Mudarrisi, 6/498; Tantawi, 8/587.
[11] Mizan, 13/405.
[12] Nemuneh, 574-575.
[13] Mizan, 13/403.
[14] Note that this verse was said to be revealed in reply to the same questions that prompted the revelation of Sūrat al-Kahf. In some versions of the report they also quote verse 2:269 as evidence that they have been given lots of knowledge.
[15] Tabrisi 6/770; Thalabi, 6/202; Zamakhshari, 2/750. Even if we accept that this verse was revealed separately it does not mean that it is somehow unrelated to what came before it (Mizan, 13/403). As we saw, it is completely related to everything that we discussed in the surah. As the surah is a Meccan one, if such reports are authentic, these discussions and questions should have been relayed by the Meccan polytheists to the Prophet.
[16] Thalabi, 6/202.
[17] Baghawi, 3/222.
[18] Qurtubi, 11/69.
[19] Fadlallah, 14/402.
[20] Furqan, 18/234.
[21] Job 9:10.
[22] Psalms 40:5.
[23] Romans 11:33.