The Qur’anic Symbolism of Water

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

The following is taken from The Qur’anic Symbolism of Water, by Shaykh Siraj ad-Din Abu Bakr Martin Lings (q.s.). 

In the Quran, the ideas of mercy and water, in particular rain, are in a sense inseparable.  With them must be included the idea of Revelation, tanzal, which means literally “a sending down.”  The Revelation and the rain are both “Sent Down” by the All-Merciful, and both are described throughout the Qur’an as “mercy,” and both are spoken of as “life-giving.”  So close is the connection of ideas that rain might even be said to be an integral part of the Revelation which it prolongs, as it were, in order that by penetrating the material world the Divine Mercy may reach the uttermost confines of Creation; and to perform the rite of ablution is to identify oneself, in the world of matter, with this wave of Mercy, and to return with it as it ebbs back towards the Principle, for purification is a return to our origins.  Nor is Islam literally “submission” other than non-resistance to the pull of the current of this ebbing wave.  A symbol is not a “concrete” image arbitrarily chosen by man to illustrate some “abstract” idea; it is the manifestation, in some lower mode, of the higher reality which it symbolises and which stands in as close a relationship to it as root of tree to leaf.  Thus, water is Mercy; and it would be true to say that even without any understanding of symbolism and even without belief in the Transcendent, immersion in water has an inevitable effect upon the soul in addition to its purification of the body.  In the absence of ritual intention, this effect may be altogether momentary and superficial; it is nonetheless visible on the face of almost any bather emerging from a lake or river or sea, however quickly it may be effaced by the resumption of “ordinary life.” 

The Origin and End of this wave lies in the khazin, Treasuries, of the water which are with Us.  The Treasuries of Mercy are also spoken of in just the same terms; and it is clear that these Treasuries are no less than the All-Merciful Himself, ar-Rahman, the Infinite Beatitude.  The Qur’an also Speaks of its own Archetype, the Mother of the Book, which is the Divine Omniscience, nor can this Treasury be set apart from the others, for the Beatitude is One, whether it be con­sidered in the aspect of Love, Treasuries of Mercy, or in its aspect of Knowledge, Mother of the Book; and the Treasuries of Water are both aspects, for water is a symbol of Knowledge as well as of Mercy.  It, too, Belongs to ar-Rahman, Who is the Source of the Quran: 

سُوۡرَةُ الرَّحمٰن

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنُ (١) عَلَّمَ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ (٢) 

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

(Allah) Most Gracious!  It is He Who has Taught the Qur’an. (Surah ar-Rahman:1-2) 

سُوۡرَةُ الرّعد

أَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً۬ فَسَالَتۡ أَوۡدِيَةُۢ بِقَدَرِهَا فَٱحۡتَمَلَ ٱلسَّيۡلُ زَبَدً۬ا رَّابِيً۬ا‌ۚ … (١٧) 

He Sends Down water from the skies, and the channels flow, each according to its measure: ... (Surah ar-Ra’ad:17) 

Regarding this, Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali (r.a.) wrote, in Mishkat al-Anwar fi Ghurar al-Akhbar, “The commentaries tell us that the water is gnosis, and that the valleys are hearts.” 

The differentiation here is in the varying capacities of the valleys, not in the water itself.  In another passage, we have this: 

سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة

۞ وَإِذِ ٱسۡتَسۡقَىٰ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوۡمِهِۦ فَقُلۡنَا ٱضۡرِب بِّعَصَاكَ ٱلۡحَجَرَ‌ۖ فَٱنفَجَرَتۡ مِنۡهُ ٱثۡنَتَا عَشۡرَةَ عَيۡنً۬ا‌ۖ قَدۡ عَلِمَ ڪُلُّ أُنَاسٍ۬ مَّشۡرَبَهُمۡ‌ۖ … (٦٠) 

And remember, Moses prayed for water for his people; We Said, “Strike the rock with your staff.”  Then gushed forth therefrom, twelve springs.  Each group knew its own place for water.  ... (Surah al-Baqarah:60) 

The differentiation is also in the springs; and the last five words are quoted throughout Islamic literature to refer, beyond their literal meaning, to the fact that everyone who “drinks” from the Qur’an is aware of the particular standpoint that has been providentially allotted to him whether it be that of ritual law, for example, dogmatic theology, or mysticism.  Nor is this out of line with the literal meaning, if one remembers that in ancient Israel, each of the twelve tribes had its own particular function. 

It follows from what has been said that when the Qur’an Tells us that at the Creation, His Throne was upon the water: 

سُوۡرَةُ هُود

وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ فِى سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ۬ وَڪَانَ عَرۡشُهُ ۥ عَلَى ٱلۡمَآءِ لِيَبۡلُوَڪُمۡ أَيُّكُمۡ أَحۡسَنُ عَمَلاً۬‌ۗ وَلَٮِٕن قُلۡتَ إِنَّكُم مَّبۡعُوثُونَ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ ٱلۡمَوۡتِ لَيَقُولَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ڪَفَرُوٓاْ إِنۡ هَـٰذَآ إِلَّا سِحۡرٌ۬ مُّبِينٌ۬ (٧) 

He, it is, Who Created the Heavens and the Earth, in six days, and His Throne was over the Waters that He might try you, which of you is best in conduct. … (Surah Hud:7) 

It affirms implicitly two waters, one above the Throne and one beneath it, since the Tenant of the Throne is the All-Merciful with Whom are the Treasuries of Water, or rather Who Constitutes Himself these Treasuries.  This duality, the Waters of the Unmanifest and the waters of manifestation, is the prototype of the duality, within Creation, of the two seas which are so often Mentioned in the Qur’an. 

Genesis 1:1

¹ God, at the beginning of time, Created Heaven and Earth.  ² Earth was still an empty waste, and darkness hung over the deep; but already, over its waters, stirred the breath of God.  ³ Then God said, “Let there be light”; and the light began.  ⁴ God saw the light, and found it good, and He Divided the spheres of light and darkness; ⁵ the light He Called “Day”, and the darkness “Night”.  So, evening came, and morning, and one day passed.  ⁶ God Said, too, “Let a solid vault arise amid the waters, to keep these waters apart from those”; ⁷ a vault by which God would Separate the waters which were beneath it from the waters above it; and so, it was done.  ⁸ This vault God Called the “Sky”.  So, evening came, and morning, and a second day passed.  ⁹ And now God Said, “Let the waters below the vault collect in one place to make dry land appear.”  And so, it was done; ¹⁰ the dry land God Called “Earth”, and the water, where it had collected, He Called the “Sea”.  All this God Saw, and Found it good. 

¹ ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν ² ἡ δὲ γῆ ἦν ἀόρατος καὶ ἀκατασκεύαστος καὶ σκότος ἐπάνω τῆς ἀβύσσου καὶ πνεῦμα θεοῦ ἐπεφέρετο ἐπάνω τοῦ ὕδατος ³ καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεός γενηθήτω φῶς καὶ ἐγένετο φῶς ⁴ καὶ εἶδεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ φῶς ὅτι καλόν καὶ διεχώρισεν ὁ θεὸς ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ φωτὸς καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σκότους ⁵ καὶ ἐκάλεσεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ φῶς ἡμέραν καὶ τὸ σκότος ἐκάλεσεν νύκτα καὶ ἐγένετο ἑσπέρα καὶ ἐγένετο πρωί ἡμέρα μία ⁶ καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεός γενηθήτω στερέωμα ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ ὕδατος καὶ ἔστω διαχωρίζον ἀνὰ μέσον ὕδατος καὶ ὕδατος καὶ ἐγένετο οὕτως ⁷ καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ στερέωμα καὶ διεχώρισεν ὁ θεὸς ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ ὕδατος ὃ ἦν ὑποκάτω τοῦ στερεώματος καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ ὕδατος τοῦ ἐπάνω τοῦ στερεώματος ⁸ καὶ ἐκάλεσεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ στερέωμα οὐρανόν καὶ εἶδεν ὁ θεὸς ὅτι καλόν καὶ ἐγένετο ἑσπέρα καὶ ἐγένετο πρωί ἡμέρα Δευτέρα ⁹ καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεός συναχθήτω τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ ὑποκάτω τοῦ οὐρανοῦ εἰς συναγωγὴν μίαν καὶ ὀφθήτω ἡ ξηρά καὶ ἐγένετο οὕτως καὶ συνήχθη τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ ὑποκάτω τοῦ οὐρανοῦ εἰς τὰς συναγωγὰς αὐτῶν καὶ ὤφθη ἡ ξηρά ¹⁰ καὶ ἐκάλεσεν ὁ θεὸς τὴν ξηρὰν γῆν καὶ τὰ συστήματα τῶν ὑδάτων ἐκάλεσεν θαλάσσας καὶ εἶδεν ὁ θεὸς ὅτι καλόν 

¹ In principio creavit Deus cælum et terram.  ² Terra autem erat inanis et vacua, et tenebræ erant super faciem abyssi: et spiritus Dei ferebatur super aquas.  ³ Dixitque Deus: Fiat lux. Et facta est lux.  ⁴ Et vidit Deus lucem quod esset bona: et divisit lucem a tenebris.  ⁵ Appellavitque lucem Diem, et tenebras Noctem: factumque est vespere et mane, dies unus.  ⁶ Dixit quoque Deus: Fiat firmamentum in medio aquarum: et dividat aquas ab aquis.  ⁷ Et fecit Deus firmamentum, divisitque aquas, quæ erant sub firmamento, ab his, quæ erant super firmamentum. Et factum est ita.  ⁸ Vocavitque Deus firmamentum, Cælum: et factum est vespere et mane, dies secundus.  ⁹ Dixit vero Deus: Congregentur aquæ, quæ sub cælo sunt, in locum unum: et appareat arida. Et factum est ita.  ¹⁰ Et vocavit Deus aridam Terram, congregationesque aquarum appellavit Maria. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum. 

These two seas, one sweet and fresh, the other salt and bitter, are respectively Heaven and Earth which were originally one piece: 

سُوۡرَةُ الاٴنبیَاء

أَوَلَمۡ يَرَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓاْ أَنَّ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ ڪَانَتَا رَتۡقً۬ا فَفَتَقۡنَـٰهُمَا‌ۖ وَجَعَلۡنَا مِنَ ٱلۡمَآءِ كُلَّ شَىۡءٍ حَىٍّ‌ۖ أَفَلَا يُؤۡمِنُونَ (٣٠) 

Do the disbelievers not see that the Heavens and the Earth were joined together (as one unit of Creation), before We Clove them asunder?  We made from water every living thing.  Will they not then believe? (Surah al-Anbiya’:30) 

Parallel to this, and in a sense based on it, is the Sufi symbolism of ice, for salt water and ice, both representing the untranscendent, are both “gross” albeit in different ways, when compared with fresh water.  It is true that the ocean, as the vastest thing in the whole terrestrial globe, has an altogether transcendent significance.  The Qur’an Says: 

سُوۡرَةُ الکهف

قُل لَّوۡ كَانَ ٱلۡبَحۡرُ مِدَادً۬ا لِّكَلِمَـٰتِ رَبِّى لَنَفِدَ ٱلۡبَحۡرُ قَبۡلَ أَن تَنفَدَ كَلِمَـٰتُ رَبِّى وَلَوۡ جِئۡنَا بِمِثۡلِهِۦ مَدَدً۬ا (١٠٩) 

Say: “If the ocean were ink (wherewith to write out) the Words of my Lord, sooner would the ocean be exhausted than would the Words of my Lord, even if we added another ocean like it, for its aid.” (Surah al-Kahf:109) 

It is Saying that the symbol is not to be compared with That which it symbolises, namely the Mother of the Book, the Sea which is in fact vast enough to contain the Words of God; but by choosing the material seas rather than any other earthly thing for this demonstration, the Qur’an Affirms that they are, for the Infinitude of the Divine Wisdom, the symbol of symbols.  But they have this symbolism in virtue of their size, apart from and as it were despite their saltness, for salt water as such is always transcended by fresh water. 

The significance of a symbol varies according to whether it is considered as an independent entity or in relation to some other symbol.  In relation to wine, water even fresh water may represent the untranscendent or the less transcendent, as for example when the Qur’an Mentions that in Paradise the elect are Given wine to drink whereas the generality of the faithful drink from fountains of water.  This relationship between wine and water is analogous to the relationship between the Sun and the Moon, for wine is in a sense “liquid fire” or “liquid light”; but fire and water, inasmuch as both are elements, are on the same plane, and it is possible to consider wine and water as equal complements.  Thus, in another description of Paradise, the Qur’an Mentions rivers of water and rivers of wine without specifying any difference of level.  Here, it may be said that wine, being “warm,” has the “subjective” significance of Gnosis in relation to the cold objectivity of water which represents Truth, the Object of Gnosis.  But when considered by itself, water has a total significance which transcends the distinction between subject and object, or which includes both subject and object, for inasmuch as it can be drunk, water is a symbol of Truth “subjectivised,” that is, gnosis; and water can indeed claim to be “the drink of drinks.”  In any case, whatever the drink, water is always its basis. 

The following passage, the first part of which has already been quoted in connection with gnosis, is particularly important for its illustration of the difference between the true and the false, or reality and illusion: 

سُوۡرَةُ الرّعد

أَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً۬ فَسَالَتۡ أَوۡدِيَةُۢ بِقَدَرِهَا فَٱحۡتَمَلَ ٱلسَّيۡلُ زَبَدً۬ا رَّابِيً۬ا‌ۚ وَمِمَّا يُوقِدُونَ عَلَيۡهِ فِى ٱلنَّارِ ٱبۡتِغَآءَ حِلۡيَةٍ أَوۡ مَتَـٰعٍ۬ زَبَدٌ۬ مِّثۡلُهُ ۥ‌ۚ كَذَٲلِكَ يَضۡرِبُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡحَقَّ وَٱلۡبَـٰطِلَ‌ۚ فَأَمَّا ٱلزَّبَدُ فَيَذۡهَبُ جُفَآءً۬‌ۖ وَأَمَّا مَا يَنفَعُ ٱلنَّاسَ فَيَمۡكُثُ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ‌ۚ كَذَٲلِكَ يَضۡرِبُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡأَمۡثَالَ (١٧) 

He Sends Down water from the skies, and the channels flow, each according to its measure: but the torrent bears away the foam that mounts up to the surface.  Even so, from that (ore) which they heat in the fire, to make ornaments or utensils therewith there is a scum likewise.  Thus, does Allah (by parables) Show Forth Truth and vanity: For the scum disappears like froth cast out; while that which is for the good of mankind remains on the Earth.  Thus, does Allah Set Forth parables. (Surah ar-Ra’ad:17) 

The outward appearance is “the scum of illusion,” whereas what escapes us in this world is the hidden “water of reality.”  We see here the significance of the fountain, which holds such an important place in Qur’anic symbolism.  The bursting forth of a spring, that is, the reappearance of Heaven-Sent water that had become hidden, signifies the sudden unveiling of a reality which transcends “outward appearances,” the drinking of which is gnosis.  But in addition to this objective-subjective symbolism, the fountain has also the purely subjective significance of the sudden opening of an eye, which is implicit in the word “‘ayn” which means both “fountain” and “eye.”  This subjective symbolism is in a sense the more important, because the reason why men see only “the scum of illusion” is that their hearts are hardened, or in other words that “the eye of the heart” is closed, for verily it is not the sight that is blind but the hearts that are blind: 

سُوۡرَةُ الحَجّ

وَيَسۡتَعۡجِلُونَكَ بِٱلۡعَذَابِ وَلَن يُخۡلِفَ ٱللَّهُ وَعۡدَهُ ۥ‌ۚ وَإِنَّ يَوۡمًا عِندَ رَبِّكَ كَأَلۡفِ سَنَةٍ۬ مِّمَّا تَعُدُّونَ (٤٧) 

Yet they ask you to hasten on the Punishment!  But Allah will not fail in His Promise.  Verily, a day in the Sight of Your Lord is like a thousand years of your reckoning. (Surah al-Haj:47) 

And, in one highly suggestive passage of the Qur’an, compels us to envisage the possibility of a fountain springing from the heart: 

سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة

ثُمَّ قَسَتۡ قُلُوبُكُم مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ ذَٲلِكَ فَهِىَ كَٱلۡحِجَارَةِ أَوۡ أَشَدُّ قَسۡوَةً۬‌ۚ وَإِنَّ مِنَ ٱلۡحِجَارَةِ لَمَا يَتَفَجَّرُ مِنۡهُ ٱلۡأَنۡهَـٰرُ‌ۚ وَ إِنَّ مِنۡہَا لَمَا يَشَّقَّقُ فَيَخۡرُجُ مِنۡهُ ٱلۡمَآءُ‌ۚ … (٧٤) 

Thenceforth, were your hearts hardened; they became like a rock and even worse in hardness.  For among rocks there are some from which rivers gush forth; others there are which when split asunder send forth water ... (Surah al-Baqarah:74) 

The presence between the two seas of a barrier beyond which they pass not, means that the waters of this world are unable to overflow into the next, and that the upper waters refrain from utterly overwhelming the lower waters and allow them to exist as a seemingly separate domain without undue interference from above, at any rate, for a while, to use the Qur’anic phrase which is so often repeated to denote the impermanence of this world and everything in it.  “Undue” is a necessary reservation, because the upper waters by their very nature cannot altogether be kept out, any more than water to revert to the Sufi symbolism can be kept out of ice.  The upper waters, being the original substance of all creation, not only surround but also penetrate this world as its secret reality to which it will eventually return.  Thus, although the rain, symbolising this penetration, is only sent down in due measure, it is nonetheless a herald or portent of the Hour, that is, the Last Day, when the barrier will be Removed and the upper waters will flood this world, causing the resurrection of the dead, for they are the Waters of Life. 

سُوۡرَةُ الحَجّ

…‌ وَتَرَى ٱلۡأَرۡضَ هَامِدَةً۬ فَإِذَآ أَنزَلۡنَا عَلَيۡهَا ٱلۡمَآءَ ٱهۡتَزَّتۡ وَرَبَتۡ وَأَنۢبَتَتۡ مِن ڪُلِّ زَوۡجِۭ بَهِيجٍ۬ (٥) ذَٲلِكَ بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلۡحَقُّ وَأَنَّهُ ۥ يُحۡىِ ٱلۡمَوۡتَىٰ وَأَنَّهُ ۥ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىۡءٍ۬ قَدِيرٌ۬ (٦) 

... And (further), you see the earth barren and lifeless, but when We Pour Down rain on it, it is stirred (to life), it swells, and it puts forth every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs).  This is so, because Allah is the Reality: it is He Who Gives life to the dead, and it is He Who has Power over all things. (Surah al-Haj:5-6) 

Until then, any presence of life in this world means that a drop of these waters has passed the barrier, but this possibility is limited: 

سُوۡرَةُ یُونس

إِنَّمَا مَثَلُ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا كَمَآءٍ أَنزَلۡنَـٰهُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ … (٢٤) 

The likeness of the life of the present is as the rain which We Send Down from the skies ... (Surah Yunus:24) 

Life is altogether transcendent in relation to this world, where it exists merely as a fleeting loan, ready to “evaporate” back whence it came as water evaporates back to the sky.  Life is a passing trespass of the Beyond on the domain of the here-below, a brief penetration of soul and body by the Spirit; but the Spirit is not “at home” in this world, hence the extreme precariousness of life whereas it is at home in the Beyond. 

سُوۡرَةُ العَنکبوت

وَمَا هَـٰذِهِ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنۡيَآ إِلَّا لَهۡوٌ۬ وَلَعِبٌ۬‌ۚ وَإِنَّ ٱلدَّارَ ٱلۡأَخِرَةَ لَهِىَ ٱلۡحَيَوَانُ‌ۚ لَوۡ ڪَانُواْ يَعۡلَمُونَ (٦٤) 

What is the life of this world but amusement and play?  But verily the Home in the Hereafter that is life indeed if they but knew. (Surah al-‘Ankabut:64) 

To speak of death as “a giving up of the ghost” is thus altogether correct; and it is because life is a presence of the Spirit, and therefore altogether transcendent, that it defies any scientific analysis.  The great symbol of life is also most precarious over much of the Earth’s face, especially in those regions where the Qur’anic Revelation was first received. 

If it is asked how this symbolism can be reconciled with the Earth-depopulating flood, it must be remembered that although rainfall set the flood in motion, the actual cataclysm is represented in the Qur’an as a stormy sea.  One of Noah’s (a.s.) sons who was drowned is said to have been swept away by a wave, and agitated water is a symbol of vanity and illusion, the waves being images of accident and vicissitude, which are “unreal” in relation to the water itself whose true nature they are powerless to affect.  Ice and waves are parallel as symbols, representing respectively the rigidity or brittleness and instability of this form-bound world.  It is significant that in the Verse of Darkness: 

سُوۡرَةُ النُّور

أَوۡ كَظُلُمَـٰتٍ۬ فِى بَحۡرٍ۬ لُّجِّىٍّ۬ يَغۡشَٮٰهُ مَوۡجٌ۬ مِّن فَوۡقِهِۦ مَوۡجٌ۬ مِّن فَوۡقِهِۦ سَحَابٌ۬‌ۚ ظُلُمَـٰتُۢ بَعۡضُہَا فَوۡقَ بَعۡضٍ إِذَآ أَخۡرَجَ يَدَهُ ۥ لَمۡ يَكَدۡ يَرَٮٰهَا‌ۗ وَمَن لَّمۡ يَجۡعَلِ ٱللَّهُ لَهُ ۥ نُورً۬ا فَمَا لَهُ ۥ مِن نُّورٍ (٤٠) 

Or (the disbelievers’ state) is like the depths of darkness in a vast deep ocean overwhelmed with billow topped by billow, topped by (dark) clouds: depths of darkness one above another: if a man stretches out his hand, he can hardly see it!  For any to whom Allah give not light, there is no light! (Surah an-Nur:40) 

This follows close on the better known Verse of Light, the works of the infidels, having just been likened in their vanity to a mirage in the desert which the thirsty man reckons to be water, are then immediately likened to what is indeed water but has become “by accident” so remote from its true nature as to be comparable to a mirage, namely a dark storm-tossed sea.  This passage may even be taken as an inexplicit description of the flood. In any case, there is no doubt that the waves of the flood and the waves of the Red Sea which crashed down upon the pursuers of the children of Israel represent the passionate perversity of Noah’s (a.s.) contemporaries and of Pharoah and his ministers.  On the other hand, as regards what set the flood in motion, the symbolism of rain is here tempered and conditioned by the number forty, which signifies death.  The Arabic letter “mim” stands for “mawt”, “death”, and has the numerical value of 40, or a change of state.  Thus, the purifying aspect of water may be said to take precedence here over its life-giving aspect.  The Earth was to be purified for a new state, just as the children of Israel were to be purified by the forty years wandering in the desert.  We may compare also the purification of Lent.  The waters in question were an inseparable part of the Revelation made to Noah (a.s.) of a new religion, symbolised by the Ark, and as such they were waters of Mercy.  But any Manifestation of Mercy is bound to be terrible for those who refuse it, for it serves to gauge the extreme hardness of their hearts, while for those who hearts are not hardened the Transcendent is always awe-inspiring, and this aspect of Mercy is expressed by the thunder which so often precedes the rain: 

سُوۡرَةُ الرّعد

هُوَ ٱلَّذِى يُرِيڪُمُ ٱلۡبَرۡقَ خَوۡفً۬ا وَطَمَعً۬ا وَيُنشِئُ ٱلسَّحَابَ ٱلثِّقَالَ (١٢) وَيُسَبِّحُ ٱلرَّعۡدُ بِحَمۡدِهِۦ وَٱلۡمَلَـٰٓٮِٕكَةُ مِنۡ خِيفَتِهِۦ … (١٣) 

It is He Who Does Show you the lightning, by way both of fear and of hope: it is He Who Does Raise up the clouds, heavy with (fertilising) rain!  Nay, thunder repeats His Praises and so do the angels, with awe … (Surah ar-Ra’ad:12-13) 

The awe-inspiring and mysterious transcendence of the upper waters, as also their life-giving aspect, is stressed in the strange and elliptical story of Moses (a.s.) and al-Khidhr (a.s.): 

سُوۡرَةُ الکهف

وَإِذۡ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِفَتَٮٰهُ لَآ أَبۡرَحُ حَتَّىٰٓ أَبۡلُغَ مَجۡمَعَ ٱلۡبَحۡرَيۡنِ أَوۡ أَمۡضِىَ حُقُبً۬ا (٦٠) فَلَمَّا بَلَغَا مَجۡمَعَ بَيۡنِهِمَا نَسِيَا حُوتَهُمَا فَٱتَّخَذَ سَبِيلَهُ ۥ فِى ٱلۡبَحۡرِ سَرَبً۬ا (٦١) فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَا قَالَ لِفَتَٮٰهُ ءَاتِنَا غَدَآءَنَا لَقَدۡ لَقِينَا مِن سَفَرِنَا هَـٰذَا نَصَبً۬ا (٦٢) قَالَ أَرَءَيۡتَ إِذۡ أَوَيۡنَآ إِلَى ٱلصَّخۡرَةِ فَإِنِّى نَسِيتُ ٱلۡحُوتَ وَمَآ أَنسَٮٰنِيهُ إِلَّا ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنُ أَنۡ أَذۡكُرَهُ ۥ‌ۚ وَٱتَّخَذَ سَبِيلَهُ ۥ فِى ٱلۡبَحۡرِ عَجَبً۬ا (٦٣) قَالَ ذَٲلِكَ مَا كُنَّا نَبۡغِ‌ۚ فَٱرۡتَدَّا عَلَىٰٓ ءَاثَارِهِمَا قَصَصً۬ا (٦٤) فَوَجَدَا عَبۡدً۬ا مِّنۡ عِبَادِنَآ ءَاتَيۡنَـٰهُ رَحۡمَةً۬ مِّنۡ عِندِنَا وَعَلَّمۡنَـٰهُ مِن لَّدُنَّا عِلۡمً۬ا (٦٥) قَالَ لَهُ ۥ مُوسَىٰ هَلۡ أَتَّبِعُكَ عَلَىٰٓ أَن تُعَلِّمَنِ مِمَّا عُلِّمۡتَ رُشۡدً۬ا (٦٦) قَالَ إِنَّكَ لَن تَسۡتَطِيعَ مَعِىَ صَبۡرً۬ا (٦٧) وَكَيۡفَ تَصۡبِرُ عَلَىٰ مَا لَمۡ تُحِطۡ بِهِۦ خُبۡرً۬ا (٦٨) قَالَ سَتَجِدُنِىٓ إِن شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ صَابِرً۬ا وَلَآ أَعۡصِى لَكَ أَمۡرً۬ا (٦٩) قَالَ فَإِنِ ٱتَّبَعۡتَنِى فَلَا تَسۡـَٔلۡنِى عَن شَىۡءٍ حَتَّىٰٓ أُحۡدِثَ لَكَ مِنۡهُ ذِكۡرً۬ا (٧٠) فَٱنطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا رَكِبَا فِى ٱلسَّفِينَةِ خَرَقَهَا‌ۖ قَالَ أَخَرَقۡتَہَا لِتُغۡرِقَ أَهۡلَهَا لَقَدۡ جِئۡتَ شَيۡـًٔا إِمۡرً۬ا (٧١) قَالَ أَلَمۡ أَقُلۡ إِنَّكَ لَن تَسۡتَطِيعَ مَعِىَ صَبۡرً۬ا (٧٢) قَالَ لَا تُؤَاخِذۡنِى بِمَا نَسِيتُ وَلَا تُرۡهِقۡنِى مِنۡ أَمۡرِى عُسۡرً۬ا (٧٣) فَٱنطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا لَقِيَا غُلَـٰمً۬ا فَقَتَلَهُ ۥ قَالَ أَقَتَلۡتَ نَفۡسً۬ا زَكِيَّةَۢ بِغَيۡرِ نَفۡسٍ۬ لَّقَدۡ جِئۡتَ شَيۡـًٔ۬ا نُّكۡرً۬ا (٧٤) ۞ قَالَ أَلَمۡ أَقُل لَّكَ إِنَّكَ لَن تَسۡتَطِيعَ مَعِىَ صَبۡرً۬ا (٧٥) قَالَ إِن سَأَلۡتُكَ عَن شَىۡءِۭ بَعۡدَهَا فَلَا تُصَـٰحِبۡنِى‌ۖ قَدۡ بَلَغۡتَ مِن لَّدُنِّى عُذۡرً۬ا (٧٦) فَٱنطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَتَيَآ أَهۡلَ قَرۡيَةٍ ٱسۡتَطۡعَمَآ أَهۡلَهَا فَأَبَوۡاْ أَن يُضَيِّفُوهُمَا فَوَجَدَا فِيہَا جِدَارً۬ا يُرِيدُ أَن يَنقَضَّ فَأَقَامَهُ ۥ‌ۖ قَالَ لَوۡ شِئۡتَ لَتَّخَذۡتَ عَلَيۡهِ أَجۡرً۬ا (٧٧) قَالَ هَـٰذَا فِرَاقُ بَيۡنِى وَبَيۡنِكَ‌ۚ سَأُنَبِّئُكَ بِتَأۡوِيلِ مَا لَمۡ تَسۡتَطِع عَّلَيۡهِ صَبۡرًا (٧٨) أَمَّا ٱلسَّفِينَةُ فَكَانَتۡ لِمَسَـٰكِينَ يَعۡمَلُونَ فِى ٱلۡبَحۡرِ فَأَرَدتُّ أَنۡ أَعِيبَہَا وَكَانَ وَرَآءَهُم مَّلِكٌ۬ يَأۡخُذُ كُلَّ سَفِينَةٍ غَصۡبً۬ا (٧٩) وَأَمَّا ٱلۡغُلَـٰمُ فَكَانَ أَبَوَاهُ مُؤۡمِنَيۡنِ فَخَشِينَآ أَن يُرۡهِقَهُمَا طُغۡيَـٰنً۬ا وَڪُفۡرً۬ا (٨٠) فَأَرَدۡنَآ أَن يُبۡدِلَهُمَا رَبُّہُمَا خَيۡرً۬ا مِّنۡهُ زَكَوٰةً۬ وَأَقۡرَبَ رُحۡمً۬ا (٨١) وَأَمَّا ٱلۡجِدَارُ فَكَانَ لِغُلَـٰمَيۡنِ يَتِيمَيۡنِ فِى ٱلۡمَدِينَةِ وَكَانَ تَحۡتَهُ ۥ كَنزٌ۬ لَّهُمَا وَكَانَ أَبُوهُمَا صَـٰلِحً۬ا فَأَرَادَ رَبُّكَ أَن يَبۡلُغَآ أَشُدَّهُمَا وَيَسۡتَخۡرِجَا كَنزَهُمَا رَحۡمَةً۬ مِّن رَّبِّكَ‌ۚ وَمَا فَعَلۡتُهُ ۥ عَنۡ أَمۡرِى‌ۚ ذَٲلِكَ تَأۡوِيلُ مَا لَمۡ تَسۡطِع عَّلَيۡهِ صَبۡرً۬ا (٨٢) 

Behold, Moses said to his attendant, “I will not give up until I reach the junction of the two seas or (until) I spend years and years in travel.”  (But when they reached the junction, they forgot (about) their fish, which took its course through the sea (straight) as in a tunnel.  When they had passed on (some distance), Moses said to his attendant, “Bring us our early meal; truly we have suffered much fatigue at this (stage of) our journey.”  He replied, “Saw you (what happened) when we betook ourselves to the rock?  I did indeed forget (about) the fish: none but Satan made me forget to tell (you) about it: it took its course through the sea in a marvellous way!”  Moses said, “That was what we were seeking after”: so, they went back on their footsteps, following (the path they had come).  So, they found one of Our servants on whom We had Bestowed Mercy from Ourselves and whom We had Taught Knowledge from Our Own Presence.  Moses said to him, “May I follow you, on the footing that you teach me something of the (Higher) Truth which you have been Taught?”  (The other) said, “Verily, you will not be able to have patience with me!  And how can you have patience about things about which thy understanding is not complete?”  Moses said, “You will find me, if Allah so will (truly) patient: nor shall I disobey you in aught.”  The other said, “If then, you would follow me, ask me no questions about anything until I myself speak to you concerning it.”  So, they both proceeded: until, when they were in the boat, he scuttled it.  Said Moses, “Have you scuttled it in order to drown those in it?  Truly a strange thing have you done!”  He answered, “Did I not tell you that you can have no patience with me?”  Moses said, “Rebuke me not for forgetting, nor grieve me by raising difficulties in my case.”  Then they proceeded: until, when they met a young man, he slew him.  Moses said, “Have you slain an innocent person who had slain none?  Truly a foul (unheard of) thing have you done!”  He answered, “Did I not tell you that you can have no patience with me?”  (Moses) said, “If ever I ask you about anything after this, keep me not in your company: then would you have received (full) excuse from my side.”  Then they proceeded: until, when they came to the inhabitants of a town, they asked them for food, but they refused them hospitality.  They found there a wall on the point of falling down, but he set it up straight.  (Moses) said, “If you had wished, surely you could have exacted some recompense for it!”  He answered, “This is the parting between me and you: now will I tell you the interpretation of (those things) over which you were unable to hold patience.  As for the boat, it belonged to certain men in dire want: they plied on the water: I but wished to render it unserviceable, for there was after them a certain king who seized on every boat by force.  As for the youth, his parents were people of faith, and we feared that he would grieve them by obstinate rebellion and ingratitude (to Allah and man).  So, we desired that their Lord would Give them, in exchange, (a son) better in purity (of conduct) and closer in affection.  As for the wall it, belonged to two youths, orphans in the town; there was, beneath it, a buried treasure, to which they were entitled: their father had been a righteous man: so your Lord Desired that they should attain their age of full strength and get out their treasure ― a Mercy (and Favour) from your Lord.  I did it not of my own accord.  Such is the interpretation of (those things) over which you were unable to hold patience.” (Surah al-Kahf:60-82) 

These are the few exceptional individuals who are independent of any particular religion but who represent religion in its highest aspect, being, without any effort on their part but by their very nature, as it were, “throwbacks” to the primordial state of man which it is the purpose of religion to regain. 

The symbolism of his meeting with Moses (a.s.) is parallel to the symbolism of the meeting of the two seas.  The salt sea of this world represents, like Moses (a.s.), exoteric knowledge, whereas the Waters of Life are personified by al-Khidr (a.s.).  The Qur’an, here, as it were extracts from Moses (a.s.) one aspect only to correspond to the symbolism of the lower waters, passing over his more exalted aspects which are the theme of other passages.  To consider this passage in any detail would be beyond the scope of our subject; but it has at least given us a glimpse of the deviousness of the exoteric path and the extreme nearness of the Waters of Life.  For we are already, if only we knew it, at the meeting place of the two seas, witness the miracle of Life which is always with us, both in us and about us, but which the powers of illusion persuade us to take entirely for granted, through inadvertence or distraction. 

Life is one, and there is only a difference of intensity between the elixir strong enough to quicken a dead fish and the less strong one which suffices to enable the living to continue to eke out for a while their precarious earthly life.  The shortcomings of Moses (a.s.) and Joshua (a.s.) may thus be taken to represent the general obtuseness of man in his attitude towards life.  That is the point.  We are there and yet we are not there.  If we were altogether there, we would see life as the miracle that it is; this supernatural interference would no longer be claimed by nature as a purely natural phenomenon.  In “A Moslem Saint of the Twentieth Century: Shaykh Ahmad al-‘Alawi, His Spiritual Heritage & Legacy”, also by Shaykh Martin Lings (q.s.), Shaykh Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad ibn Muswthafa ibn al-‘Alawi al-Mustaghanimi (q.s.) said, that the Divine mystery and miracle of life eludes us because of its extreme transcendence.  It is with us, and yet at the same time it is utterly beyond us. 

The spiritual path is in one sense not so much a journey as a gradual attunement of the soul to the presence of the Spirit, a gradual reconciliation between the natural and the supernatural, between the lower waters and the upper waters, between mind and intellect, between Moses (a.s.) and al-Khidhr (a.s.).  But the soul must remain the soul, at any rate, for a while, hence the refusal of aI-Khidhr (a.s.) to let Moses (a.s.) accompany him any further. 

Even more elliptical is another relevant passage, the story of Solomon (a.s.) and the Queen of Sheba: 

سُوۡرَةُ النَّمل

وَتَفَقَّدَ ٱلطَّيۡرَ فَقَالَ مَا لِىَ لَآ أَرَى ٱلۡهُدۡهُدَ أَمۡ ڪَانَ مِنَ ٱلۡغَآٮِٕبِينَ (٢٠) لَأُعَذِّبَنَّهُ ۥ عَذَابً۬ا شَدِيدًا أَوۡ لَأَاْذۡبَحَنَّهُ ۥۤ أَوۡ لَيَأۡتِيَنِّى بِسُلۡطَـٰنٍ۬ مُّبِينٍ۬ (٢١) فَمَكَثَ غَيۡرَ بَعِيدٍ۬ فَقَالَ أَحَطتُ بِمَا لَمۡ تُحِطۡ بِهِۦ وَجِئۡتُكَ مِن سَبَإِۭ بِنَبَإٍ۬ يَقِينٍ (٢٢) إِنِّى وَجَدتُّ ٱمۡرَأَةً۬ تَمۡلِڪُهُمۡ وَأُوتِيَتۡ مِن ڪُلِّ شَىۡءٍ۬ وَلَهَا عَرۡشٌ عَظِيمٌ۬ (٢٣) وَجَدتُّهَا وَقَوۡمَهَا يَسۡجُدُونَ لِلشَّمۡسِ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنُ أَعۡمَـٰلَهُمۡ فَصَدَّهُمۡ عَنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ فَهُمۡ لَا يَهۡتَدُونَ (٢٤) أَلَّا يَسۡجُدُواْ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِى يُخۡرِجُ ٱلۡخَبۡءَ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَيَعۡلَمُ مَا تُخۡفُونَ وَمَا تُعۡلِنُونَ (٢٥) ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ رَبُّ ٱلۡعَرۡشِ ٱلۡعَظِيمِ ۩ (٢٦) ۞ قَالَ سَنَنظُرُ أَصَدَقۡتَ أَمۡ كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلۡكَـٰذِبِينَ (٢٧) ٱذۡهَب بِّكِتَـٰبِى هَـٰذَا فَأَلۡقِهۡ إِلَيۡہِمۡ ثُمَّ تَوَلَّ عَنۡہُمۡ فَٱنظُرۡ مَاذَا يَرۡجِعُونَ (٢٨) قَالَتۡ يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلۡمَلَؤُاْ إِنِّىٓ أُلۡقِىَ إِلَىَّ كِتَـٰبٌ۬ كَرِيمٌ (٢٩) إِنَّهُ ۥ مِن سُلَيۡمَـٰنَ وَإِنَّهُ ۥ بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ (٣٠) أَلَّا تَعۡلُواْ عَلَىَّ وَأۡتُونِى مُسۡلِمِينَ (٣١) قَالَتۡ يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلۡمَلَؤُاْ أَفۡتُونِى فِىٓ أَمۡرِى مَا ڪُنتُ قَاطِعَةً أَمۡرًا حَتَّىٰ تَشۡہَدُونِ (٣٢) قَالُواْ نَحۡنُ أُوْلُواْ قُوَّةٍ۬ وَأُوْلُواْ بَأۡسٍ۬ شَدِيدٍ۬ وَٱلۡأَمۡرُ إِلَيۡكِ فَٱنظُرِى مَاذَا تَأۡمُرِينَ (٣٣) قَالَتۡ إِنَّ ٱلۡمُلُوكَ إِذَا دَخَلُواْ قَرۡيَةً أَفۡسَدُوهَا وَجَعَلُوٓاْ أَعِزَّةَ أَهۡلِهَآ أَذِلَّةً۬‌ۖ وَكَذَٲلِكَ يَفۡعَلُونَ (٣٤) وَإِنِّى مُرۡسِلَةٌ إِلَيۡہِم بِهَدِيَّةٍ۬ فَنَاظِرَةُۢ بِمَ يَرۡجِعُ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلُونَ (٣٥) فَلَمَّا جَآءَ سُلَيۡمَـٰنَ قَالَ أَتُمِدُّونَنِ بِمَالٍ۬ فَمَآ ءَاتَٮٰنِۦَ ٱللَّهُ خَيۡرٌ۬ مِّمَّآ ءَاتَٮٰكُم بَلۡ أَنتُم بِہَدِيَّتِكُمۡ تَفۡرَحُونَ (٣٦) ٱرۡجِعۡ إِلَيۡہِمۡ فَلَنَأۡتِيَنَّهُم بِجُنُودٍ۬ لَّا قِبَلَ لَهُم بِہَا وَلَنُخۡرِجَنَّہُم مِّنۡہَآ أَذِلَّةً۬ وَهُمۡ صَـٰغِرُونَ (٣٧) قَالَ يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلۡمَلَؤُاْ أَيُّكُمۡ يَأۡتِينِى بِعَرۡشِہَا قَبۡلَ أَن يَأۡتُونِى مُسۡلِمِينَ (٣٨) قَالَ عِفۡرِيتٌ۬ مِّنَ ٱلۡجِنِّ أَنَا۟ ءَاتِيكَ بِهِۦ قَبۡلَ أَن تَقُومَ مِن مَّقَامِكَ‌ۖ وَإِنِّى عَلَيۡهِ لَقَوِىٌّ أَمِينٌ۬ (٣٩) قَالَ ٱلَّذِى عِندَهُ ۥ عِلۡمٌ۬ مِّنَ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ أَنَا۟ ءَاتِيكَ بِهِۦ قَبۡلَ أَن يَرۡتَدَّ إِلَيۡكَ طَرۡفُكَ‌ۚ فَلَمَّا رَءَاهُ مُسۡتَقِرًّا عِندَهُ ۥ قَالَ هَـٰذَا مِن فَضۡلِ رَبِّى لِيَبۡلُوَنِىٓ ءَأَشۡكُرُ أَمۡ أَكۡفُرُ‌ۖ وَمَن شَكَرَ فَإِنَّمَا يَشۡكُرُ لِنَفۡسِهِۦ‌ۖ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ رَبِّى غَنِىٌّ۬ كَرِيمٌ۬ (٤٠) قَالَ نَكِّرُواْ لَهَا عَرۡشَہَا نَنظُرۡ أَتَہۡتَدِىٓ أَمۡ تَكُونُ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَہۡتَدُونَ (٤١) فَلَمَّا جَآءَتۡ قِيلَ أَهَـٰكَذَا عَرۡشُكِ‌ۖ قَالَتۡ كَأَنَّهُ ۥ هُوَ‌ۚ وَأُوتِينَا ٱلۡعِلۡمَ مِن قَبۡلِهَا وَكُنَّا مُسۡلِمِينَ (٤٢) وَصَدَّهَا مَا كَانَت تَّعۡبُدُ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ‌ۖ إِنَّہَا كَانَتۡ مِن قَوۡمٍ۬ كَـٰفِرِينَ (٤٣) قِيلَ لَهَا ٱدۡخُلِى ٱلصَّرۡحَ‌ۖ فَلَمَّا رَأَتۡهُ حَسِبَتۡهُ لُجَّةً۬ وَكَشَفَتۡ عَن سَاقَيۡهَا‌ۚ قَالَ إِنَّهُ ۥ صَرۡحٌ۬ مُّمَرَّدٌ۬ مِّن قَوَارِيرَ‌ۗ قَالَتۡ رَبِّ إِنِّى ظَلَمۡتُ نَفۡسِى وَأَسۡلَمۡتُ مَعَ سُلَيۡمَـٰنَ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ (٤٤) 

And he took a muster of the birds; and he said, “Why is it I see not the Hoopoe?  Or is he among the absentees?  I will certainly punish him with a severe penalty, or execute him, unless he brings me a clear reason (for absence).”  But the Hoopoe tarried not far: he (came up and) said; “I have compassed (territory) which you have not compassed, and I have come to you from Saba with tidings true.  I found (there) a woman ruling over them and provided with every requisite; and she has a magnificent throne.  I found her and her people worshipping the Sun besides Allah: Satan has made their deeds seem pleasing in their eyes, and has kept them away from the Path ― so they receive no guidance ― (kept them away from the Path), that they should not worship Allah Who Brings to light what is hidden in the Heavens and the Earth, and Knows what you hide and what you reveal.  Allah! ― there is no god but He! ― Lord of the Throne Supreme!”  (Solomon) said, “Soon shall we see whether you have told the truth or lied!  Go you, with this letter of mine, and deliver it to them: then draw back from them, and (wait to) see what answer they return” …  (The Queen) said, “You chiefs!  Here is ― delivered to me, a letter worthy of respect.  It is from Solomon, and is (as follows), ‘In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.  Be you not arrogant against me, but come to me in submission (to the true Religion.)’”  She said, “You chiefs!  Advise me in (this) my affair: no affair have I decided except in your presence.”  They said, “We are endued with strength and given to vehement war: but the command is with you; so, consider what you will command.”  She said, “Kings, when they enter a country, despoil it, and make the noblest of its people its meanest: thus, do they behave.  But I am going to send him a present, and (wait) to see with what (answer) return (my) ambassadors.”  Now when (the embassy) came to Solomon, he said, “Will you give me abundance in wealth?  But that which Allah has Given me is better than that which He has Given you!  Nay, it is you who rejoice in your gift!  Go back to them, and be sure we shall come to them with such hosts as they will never be able to meet: we shall expel them from there in disgrace, and they will feel humbled (indeed).”  He said (to his own men), “You chiefs!  Which of you can bring me her throne before they come to me in submission?”  Said an ‘Ifrit of the jinn, “I will bring it to you before you rise from your council: indeed, I have full strength for the purpose, and may be trusted.”  Said one who had knowledge of the Book, “I will bring it to you within the twinkling of an eye!”  Then when (Solomon) saw it placed firmly before him, he said, “This is by the Grace of my Lord! ― to Test me whether I am grateful, or ungrateful!  And if any is grateful, truly his gratitude is (a gain) for his own soul; but if any is ungrateful, truly my Lord is Free of All Needs, Supreme in Honour!”  He said, “Transform her throne out of all recognition by her: let us see whether she is guided (to the truth) or is one of those who receive no guidance.”  So, when she arrived, she was asked, “Is this thy throne?”  She said, “It was just like this; and knowledge was bestowed on us in advance of this, and we have submitted to Allah (in Islam).”  And he diverted her from the worship of others besides Allah: for she was (sprung) of a people that had no faith.  She was asked to enter that lofty palace: but when she saw it, she thought it was a lake of water, and she (tucked up her skirts), uncovering her legs.  He said, “This is, but a palace paved smooth with slabs of glass.”  She said, “O my Lord!  I have indeed wronged my soul: I do (now) submit (in Islam) with Solomon to the Lord of the Worlds.”  (Surah an-Naml:44) 

When the Queen of Sheba arrived, Solomon (a.s.) put her to two tests.  She failed in both, but her failure as it were dissolved all her resistance to the Truth.  Firstly, he took her before her throne; and now with marvellous subtlety, the Qur’an puts on, for the reader, a disguise which is in a sense analogous to the disguise of the throne, for it is as a veil in the text, albeit a thin one, over what is meant by the throne’s identity.  It is permissible to say, for example, that in such a sentence as “when asked the colour of snow, the blind man said it was black,” the word “white” is disguisedly present, because it is forced into the mind.  So, also, when the Queen is asked, “Is your throne like this?”  And when, failing to pierce altogether through the disguise and seeing in its undeniable familiarity only an illusion of identity, she wrongly answered, “It is as if it were it,” the right answer is forced into our minds, namely, “it is it”; and these words, “huwa huwa,” literally “he is he,” for “‘arshi”, “throne”, is masculine, constitute the Arabic formula of expressing identity and above all, liturgically, the Supreme Identity, the Divine Oneness.  Then, in explanation of why she gave the wrong answer, why she did not say “huwa huwa,” the Qur’an Adds, as if to give us a further key, that she was barred from it by what she had been wont to worship apart from God, that is, by her polytheism.  In other words, it was because she took illusion, false gods, to be Reality, God, that she had taken Reality to be illusion, that is, she had failed to see Reality when it was actually there.  Having demonstrated this last error, for although the Qur’an does not say so we must assume that Solomon tells her that the throne is in fact hers and that what she thought to be no more than a vague resemblance is indeed identity he proceeds to demonstrate the other error which is its cause, and leads her into a hall paved with glass, which looks like a pool of water.  Completely deceived, she lifted her robes to avoid wetting them as she steps on to the glass floor.  We are reminded of the already mentioned verse, she reckoned it to be water; and it will be understood from this and the other examples given of the symbolism of water how perfect and all-embracing Solomon’s (a.s.) demonstration was as regards the Queen’s state of soul. 

سُوۡرَةُ النُّور

وَٱلَّذِينَ ڪَفَرُوٓاْ أَعۡمَـٰلُهُمۡ كَسَرَابِۭ بِقِيعَةٍ۬ يَحۡسَبُهُ ٱلظَّمۡـَٔانُ مَآءً حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءَهُ ۥ لَمۡ يَجِدۡهُ شَيۡـًٔ۬ا وَوَجَدَ ٱللَّهَ عِندَهُ ۥ فَوَفَّٮٰهُ حِسَابَهُ ۥ‌ۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَرِيعُ ٱلۡحِسَابِ (٣٩) 

But the disbelievers, their deeds are like a mirage in sandy deserts, which the man parched with thirst mistakes for water; until when he comes up to it, he finds it to be nothing: but he finds Allah (ever) with him, and Allah will Pay him his account: and Allah is Swift in Taking Account. (Surah an-Nur:39) 

It is significant that this same word is used also of the Queen: She reckoned it to be a pool, and bared her legs.  The fact of error, already significant in itself, is infinitely aggravated by the fact that the error is, precisely, about water; and the shock of discovering that “water” was absent where she had thought it to be present was so great that it changed her whole outlook in a moment and caused her to exclaim: 

سُوۡرَةُ النَّمل

… رَبِّ إِنِّى ظَلَمۡتُ نَفۡسِى وَأَسۡلَمۡتُ مَعَ سُلَيۡمَـٰنَ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ (٤٤) 

… She said, “O my Lord!  I have indeed wronged my soul: I do (now) submit (in Islam) with Solomon to the Lord of the Worlds.”  (Surah an-Naml:44)