“The two bodies of water are not alike: this one is fresh, sweet, and pleasant to drink, while that one is salty and bitter. Yet from each you eat fresh fish and extract ornaments to wear. And you see the ships ploughing through it, so that you may seek of His bounty and perhaps give thanks.” (12)

His saying, exalted is He: “And Allah created you from dust,” that is, Adam; “then from a drop of fluid,” meaning his progeny; “then made you into pairs,” male and female; “No female conceives or gives birth except with His knowledge. No aged person is granted a long life,” meaning, his lifespan is not prolonged, “nor is anything reduced from his lifespan,” meaning, from the lifespan of another person—as it is said, “So-and-so has one dirham and half of it with me,” that is, half of another dirham—“except that it is in a Record.”

It was also said that His words, “nor is anything reduced from his lifespan,” refer back to the first person. Sa‘id ibn Jubayr said: “In the Mother of the Book, it is written that So-and-so’s lifespan is such-and-such number of years. Then beneath that is written: one day has passed, two days have passed, three days have passed,” until his lifespan comes to an end. (1)

When death came to ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, Ka‘b al-Ahbar said: “By Allah, if ‘Umar were to supplicate to his Lord to delay his appointed term, it would be delayed.” He was told, “Allah, exalted is He, says: ‘When their appointed time comes, they can neither delay it by a single moment nor hasten it.’” (al-A‘raf 7:34) He replied: “This is when the appointed term has come; but before that, it is possible for it to be increased or decreased.” He then recited this verse. (2) “Indeed, that is easy for Allah,” meaning that recording lifespans and deeds is easy for Allah.

His saying, exalted is He: “The two bodies of water are not alike,” meaning the fresh and the salty. He then described them, saying: “This one is fresh and sweet,” that is, wholesome; “pleasant to drink,” meaning that it passes easily down the throat and is agreeable; “while that one is salty and bitter,” intensely salty. Al-Dahhak said: “It is bitter.” “Yet from each you eat fresh fish,” meaning fish from both the fresh and salty waters; “and extract ornaments,” that is, from the salty water rather than the fresh, “to wear,” meaning pearls. It was also said that pearls are attributed