Which are the fresh and salty waters?

- It is stated in the chapter of ar-Rahman that the two waters do not mix and that pearls and coral come out of both.
- Where do pearls and coral come from?

Dear Brother / Sister,

The verses in question in the chapter of ar-Rahman are as follows:

“Out of them come Pearls and Coral: Then which of the favors of your Lord will ye deny??” (ar-Rahman, 55/22-23)

Pearls and Coral Come out of Both.

The verse draws attention to the marvelous art of Allah, who has brought to our attention ornaments of different beauty such as pearls, rubies and coral that come out of salty water. (1)

The word “Lu’lu” in the verse means pearl (especially large pearl). “Coral” is famous for its red color. As it is well known, pearls and coral are both used as ornaments and in trade. (2)

It is Allah, the Most Merciful, who brings forth from the earth grains, fruits, leaves and fragrant plants, and from the water He brings forth pearls and coral, which are both ornaments for you and - according to Alusi - cures your heart diseases, palpitations, leprosy and psoriasis. (3)

According to Ibn ‘Abbas, lu’lu is a small pearl and coral is a large pearl. According to Ibn Mas’ud, “coral” is red jewelry such as diamonds and rubies. (4)

Where Do Pearl and Coral Come From?

Pointing out that pearls and coral come only from salty seas, scholars have interpreted the phrase “come out of both” in different ways as follows:

a) “Out of both” does not mean from both of them, but from one of the two seas, fresh and salty, within the framework of the art of taghlib. It refers to the salty seas, as in the sentence “I ate bread and milk” instead of “I ate bread and drank milk”. However, milk is drunk, not eaten. (5)

b) The phrase “two seas” is described as a single sea because it includes both salty and fresh seas.  In this respect, the expression “out of both” means out of one of them. (6)

c) In Arabic, a pronoun referring to a single thing can also be used for plural or dual nouns.  As a matter of fact, the style in the following verse is like that:

“And (Allah) made the moon a light in their midst, and made the sun as a (Glorious) Lamp.” (7)

d) The word “Ahad”, which is a determined noun, is interpreted; the word “minhuma” (from both) means “min ahadihima” (from one of the two seas). (9)

e) According to a narration from Ibn Abbas and Ikrima, pearls and coral are formed after the raindrops falling from the sky are swallowed by the living oyster called mother-of-pearl. That is why the two seas where pearls are formed are called the seas of heaven and earth. (10)

f) According to some scholars, the literal meaning of the verse indicates that pearls come from both salty and fresh seas. Claims that they come only from salty seas are based on the experience of divers. Allah’s word is worthy of more credence than the experience of divers. Even if the divers have indeed so far extracted pearls only from salty water, it is still no proof that pearls are not found in fresh water because not everything is exclusive to the knowledge of those divers. Their present knowledge does not exclude the possibility that pearls may be extracted from fresh water in the future. (11)

“Nor are the two bodies of flowing water alike,- the one palatable, sweet, and pleasant to drink, and the other, salt and bitter. Yet from each (kind of water) do ye eat flesh fresh and tender, and ye extract ornaments to wear...”

Verse 12 of the chapter of Fatir clearly shows that ornaments are found in both salty and fresh water. The most famous ornaments found in the sea are pearls and coral. (12)

Recent studies have shown that pearls and coral are found in sea and river waters. Sources point out that pearls are most abundant in the waters off the great gulf stretching from the Oman Peninsula to the Qatar Peninsula, and that they are found in fresh waters in the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere. In particular, the Mississippi and the rivers that feed it are said to contain very valuable pearls. According to those sources, pearls are found in some rivers and streams of Asia, Europe and America. For example, the source of the most valuable pearls on the European continent are the rivers in the Bavarian forests. In China, river pearls have been known since ancient times. (13)

According to what Rashid Reza states, it has been conclusively determined that pearls are found in some Indian rivers. George Sale (1697-1736), one of the famous English translators of the Quran states that these findings are correct in the context of the additional information in Qadi Baydawi’s explanation of the tafsir of this verse. (14)

Dr. Ibrahim Awd stated that he had conducted various research regarding the issue and consequently it was determined that pearls and coral were found in fresh waters as well as in salty waters, as the Quran states, especially in the fresh waters of England, Scotland, Czechoslovakia and Japan. (15)

The fact that the Quran stated fourteen centuries ago that ornaments were found in both fresh and salty water, and that they were specifically named pearls and coral, is a strong proof of its heavenly identity.

Then which of the favors of your Lord will ye deny?

Which of the favors of Allah, who not only provides for you and your livestock but has created for you fragrant plants and pearls and jewelry that you delight in, can you deny?

Footnotes:

1. see as-Sabuni, as-Safwa, III/296.
2. see Yazır, VII/372.
3. cf al-Alusi, XXVII/ ibid
4. see al-Alusi, XXVI/106.
5. cf at-Tabari, XIII/130-132.
6. see al-Baydawi, VI/140.
7. Nuh, 71/16.
8. cf al-Alusi, XXVII/106-107.
9. see al-Alusi, ibid
10. see at-Tabari, XIII/132; al-Hazin, VI/140; al-Alusi, XXVII/106-107.
11. cf ar-Razi, XXIX/101; al-Alusi, XXVII/ ibid
12. cf Ibrahim Awd, Masdarul-Quran (mahtut), 278.
13. see The Encyclopedia Americana, 1973, “pearl” item.; The World Book Encyclopedia, 1978, “pearl” item.; Encyclopedia of Science and Technology, 1971, “pearl” item; Ana Britanica, 1992, (inci) item.
14. see Rashid Reza, Tafsirul-Manar, VIII/106.
15. see Ibrahim Awd, Masdarul-Quran (mahtut, 1986), 278-281. See also the interpretation of verse 12 of the chapter of Fatir in “al-Muntahab fi Tafsiril-Quranil-Karim”.

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