Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Furqan Verse 53

Mufti Taqi Usmani

He is the One who joined the two seas, so as this is sweet, very sweet, and this is bitter, very bitter, and made between them a buffer and an insurmountable barrier.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

And He is the One Who merges the two bodies of water: one fresh and palatable and the other salty and bitter, placing between them a barrier they cannot cross.[[ This refers to estuaries where salt and fresh waters meet forming brackish water. Although both waters mix together, each still keeps its distinctive qualities. ]] 

Ruwwad Translation Center

It is He Who merges the two bodies of water: one fresh and palatable and the other salty and bitter, and He has made between them a barrier and an insurmountable partition.

A. J. Arberry

And it is He who let forth the two seas, this one Sweet, grateful to taste, and this salt, bitter to the tongue, and He set between them a barrier, and a ban forbidden.

Abdul Haleem

It is He who released the two bodies of flowing water, one sweet and fresh and the other salty and bitter, and put an insurmountable barrier between them.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And it is He who hath mixed the two seas: this, sweet ond thirst quenching; that, saltish ond bitter; and hath placed between the twain a barrier and a great partition complete.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

It is He Who has let free the two bodies of flowing water; One palatable and sweet, and the other salt and bitter; yet has He made a barrier between them, a partition that is forbidden to be passed.

Abul Ala Maududi

And it is He, Who has let loose the two seas, one palatable and sweet, the other bitter and saltish, and there is a partition between them, which is an insurmountable barrier.

Ahmed Ali

It is He who made two bodies of water flow side by side, one fresh (and) sweet, the other brine (and) bitter, and has placed an interstice, a barrier between them.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And it is He Who caused the two joint seas to flow- one is palatable, very sweet, and the other is salty, very bitter; and kept a veil between them and a preventing barrier.

Ali Quli Qarai

It is He who merged the two seas: this one sweet and agreeable, and that one briny and bitter, and between the two He set a barrier and a forbidding hindrance.

Ali Ünal

And He it is Who has let flow forth the two large bodies of water, one sweet and palatable and the other salty and bitter; and He has set a barrier and an insurmountable, forbidding ban that keeps them apart.

Amatul Rahman Omar

It is He Who has let the two spans of water loose to flow, one of them (- a river) sweet and thirst-quenching while the other (a sea) saltish (and) bitter, and He has set a barrier and an insurmountable partition between them; (still both exist side by side in the world and would continue).

English Literal

And He is who mixed/set loose the two large bodies of water that (is) fresh/delightful very sweet/fresh, and that is salty salty and bitter, and He made/put between them (B) a barrier and (an) obstruction obstructed .254

Faridul Haque

And it is He Who caused the two joint seas to flow- one is palatable, very sweet, and the other is salty, very bitter; and kept a veil between them and a preventing barrier.

Hamid S. Aziz

So obey not the disbelievers, but strive against them herewith (with the Quran) with great endeavour.

Hilali & Khan

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

Maulana Mohammad Ali

So obey not the disbelievers, and strive against them a mighty striving with it.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And He it is Who has made two seas to flow freely, the one sweet that subdues thirst by its sweetness, and the other salt that burns by its saltness; and between the two He has made a barrier and inviolable obstruction.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And He it is Who hath given independence to the two seas (though they meet); one palatable, sweet, and the other saltish, bitter; and hath set a bar and a forbidding ban between them.

Muhammad Sarwar

It is He who has joined the two seas; one palatable and sweet, the other bitterly salty and has established a barrier between them as a partition.

Qaribullah & Darwish

It was He who let forth the two seas, this one is palatably sweet and this salt, a bitter taste, and He set a barrier between them, and a refuge which is forbidden.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And it is He Who has let free the two seas, this is palatable and sweet, and that is salty and bitter; and He has set a barrier and a complete partition between them.

Wahiduddin Khan

It is He who released the two bodies of flowing water, one sweet and fresh and the other salty and bitter, and set up an insurmountable barrier between them.

Talal Itani

And it is He who merged the two seas; this one fresh and sweet, and that one salty and bitter; and He placed between them a barrier, and an impassable boundary.

Tafsir jalalayn

And He it is Who merged the two seas; letting them [flow] one adjacent to the other; this one palatable, sweet, and the other saltish, bitter; and He set between the two an isthmus, so that the one does not mix with the other, and a forbidding ban, a shield that prevents the two from becoming mixed.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

وَهُوَ الَّذِي مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ هَذَا عَذْبٌ فُرَاتٌ وَهَذَا مِلْحٌ أُجَاجٌ

And it is He Who has let free the two seas, this is palatable and sweet, and that is salty and bitter;

means, He has created the two kinds of water, sweet and salty. The sweet water is like that in rivers, springs and wells, which is fresh, sweet, palatable water.

This was the view of Ibn Jurayj and of Ibn Jarir, and this is the meaning without a doubt, for nowhere in creation is there a sea which is fresh and sweet.

Allah has told us about reality so that His servants may realize His blessings to them and give thanks to Him. The sweet water is that which flows amidst people. Allah has portioned it out among His creatures according to their needs; rivers and springs in every land, according to what they need for themselves and their lands.

وَهَذَا مِلْحٌ أُجَاجٌ


and that is salty and bitter;

meaning that it is salty, bitter and not easy to swallow.

This is like the seas that are known in the east and the west, the Atlantic Ocean and the Straits that lead to it, the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, the Persian Gulf, the China Sea, the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea and so on, all the seas that are stable and do not flow, but they swell and surge in the winter and when the winds are strong, and they have tides that ebb and flow. At the beginning of each month the tides ebb and flood, and when the month starts to wane they retreat until they go back to where they started. When the crescent of the following month appears, the tide begins to ebb again until the fourteenth of the month, then it decreases.

Allah, may He be glorified, the One Whose power is absolute, has set these laws in motion, so all of these seas are stationary, and He has made their water salty lest the air turn putrid because of them and the whole earth turn rotten as a result, and lest the earth spoil because of the animals dying on it. Because its water is salty, its air is healthy and its dead are good (to eat), hence when the Messenger of Allah was asked whether sea water can be used for Wudu', he said;

هُوَ الطَّهُورُ مَاوُهُ الْحِلُّ مَيْتَتُه

Its water is pure and its dead are lawful.

This was recorded by Malik, Ash-Shafi`i and Ahmad, and by the scholars of Sunan with a good (Jayyid) chain of narration.

وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخًا وَحِجْرًا مَّحْجُورًا



and He has set a barrier and a complete partition between them.

meaning, between the sweet water and the saltwater.

بَرْزَخًا
(a barrier),

means a partition, which is dry land.

وَحِجْرًا مَّحْجُورًا
(and a complete partition),

means, a barrier, to prevent one of them from reaching the other.

This is like the Ayat;

مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ

بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخٌ لاَّ يَبْغِيَانِ

فَبِأَىِّ ءَالاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

He has let loose the two seas meeting together. Between them is a barrier which none of them can transgress. Then which of the blessings of your Lord will you both deny! (55;19-21)

أَمَّن جَعَلَ الاٌّرْضَ قَرَاراً وَجَعَلَ خِلَلَهَأ أَنْهَاراً وَجَعَلَ لَهَا رَوَاسِىَ وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ حَاجِزاً أَءِلـهٌ مَّعَ اللهِ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

Is not He Who has made the earth as a fixed abode, and has placed rivers in its midst, and placed firm mountains therein, and set a barrier between the two seas! Is there any god with Allah! Nay, but most of them know not! (27;61)

And Allah says