(109) “Say, ‘If the sea were ink for the words of my Lord, the sea would run dry before the words of my Lord ran out, even if We were to bring another like it as a further supply.’”

That is: Tell them of the greatness of the Creator, the vastness of His attributes, and how His servants cannot encompass any part of them. “If the sea”—that is, all the seas in this world ⦗489⦘—“were ink for the words of my Lord,” and if every tree in the world, from first to last—including the trees of towns, wildernesses, and the seas—were pens, “the sea would run dry,” and the pens would break, “before the words of my Lord ran out.” This is a tremendous matter that no one can encompass.

Another verse states: “Even if all the trees on earth were pens and the sea, replenished by seven more seas, were ink, Allah’s words would not be exhausted. Indeed, Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.” This is intended to make the meaning easier for the mind to grasp, for all these things are created, and every created thing will expire and come to an end. Allah’s speech, however, is one of His attributes, and His attributes are uncreated and have neither limit nor end. Whatever vastness and greatness hearts may conceive, Allah is greater still. The same applies to all the other attributes of Allah Most High, such as His knowledge, wisdom, power, and mercy. If the knowledge of every creature, from the earliest to the latest, in the heavens and on earth, were combined, its proportion to the knowledge of the Almighty would be less than the proportion of what a sparrow takes in its beak after alighting at the edge of the sea to the sea in all its vastness. This is because Allah possesses attributes that are tremendous, vast, and perfect, and to your Lord is the ultimate end.