designation; or that what is intended is the Persian Gulf and the Roman Sea (the Mediterranean). The sounder view, however, is the first—that the wording is general and not confined to any two particular bodies of water.

The expression “they meet” means that they lie side by side.

“Between them is a barzakh they do not transgress” (barzakh: barrier) means that, although they come into contact, the one does not mix with the other.

Regarding this barzakh, some have said that it is an invisible partition placed between the two seas, while others hold that it is a strip of land separating them. In either case, it is a barrier that keeps each from affecting the other—and this is part of Allah’s power, for these seas run alongside and touch one another, yet the salt does not turn fresh, nor does the fresh turn salty; each retains its own distinctive qualities.

Question: In the verse, does the word maraja mean “sent forth” or “created”?

Answer: The apparent sense—and Allah knows best—is that maraja means “mingled” or “caused to meet”; in other words, He, the Exalted, brought the two bodies of water together.

***

Exegesis of Sura al-Talaq

Question: Allah, Most High, says in Sura al-Talaq: “O Prophet, when you divorce women, divorce them in accordance with their waiting period, and keep count of the waiting period. And fear Allah, your Lord. Do not expel them from their homes, nor should they leave, unless they commit a flagrant indecency. These are Allah’s limits, and whoever transgresses Allah’s limits has wronged himself. You do not know—perhaps Allah will bring about, after that, a new matter” (65:1). What is the meaning of this verse, and does His statement “from their homes” apply only if the dwellings belong to the women themselves, or how is it to be understood?