M6:2163 — آب دریا را حکم سازید حق / تا که ماند کی برد زین دو سبق

Translation: God made the sea-water judge, So it might be known which of the two remains, and who takes precedence from the two. Meaning: This verse suggests that in prolonged conflicts, God enlists natural forces to arbitrate, revealing what is lasting and what is ephemeral, distinguishing truth from falsehood.

This couplet emerges from a deeper philosophical current in Mawlana’s thought, where he views history through the lens of the conflict of opposites. I have often emphasized the dictum, "things are known by their opposites" (tuʿrafu al-ashyāʾu bi-aḍdādihā); truths reveal themselves only in confrontation with their antithesis. Mawlana here narrates a chain of great historical battles of the prophets: from Abel and Cain, to Abraham and Nimrod, and then Moses and Pharaoh. These struggles, from his perspective, are not merely historical events; rather, they are the manifestation of a more encompassing truth: the necessity of conflict for the attainment of divine knowledge (maʿrifat-i ilāhī).

In the story of Moses and Pharaoh, which dragged on for years, exhausting and wearying the people ("When it went beyond limit, and weariness grew"), God the Almighty chose the sea-water as an arbiter. This choice is not arbitrary. Water itself is a symbol of formlessness and perpetual flow; it represents the truth that embraces all forms without being confined by any. Mawlana uses this metaphor to illustrate the divine will, which ultimately, through its natural instruments, separates truth from falsehood between two opposing factions. The sea here is not a passive element, but an executor of a divine decree and judgment.

The purpose of this arbitration is clear: "So it might be known which of the two remains, and who takes precedence." It aims to reveal who endures and who emerges victorious in this contest. This endurance and precedence do not signify ephemeral material or governmental victory, but rather the permanence and survival of truth. Truth is lasting, and falsehood is fleeting; and this judgment of nature is an affirmation of this universal principle. Just as fire became the arbiter in Abraham's story, revealing Abraham's truth, and in the story of ʿAd and Thamud, the mighty cry and fierce wind acted as God's nakar (servant and judge), in the case of Moses, the sea-water plays the same role. These are all examples of divine intervention in history through natural elements, uncovering ultimate truths and paving the way for divine knowledge. Mawlana teaches us that these conflicts are not only external; they have deep roots within each of us. In the struggle between the Moses and Pharaoh within, the sea-water or the fire of truth is always ready to judge.

Key takeaways

• History is replete with conflicts of opposites, which pave the way for divine knowledge.
• Divine judgment flows through natural elements (fire, water, wind) in history.
• In the struggle between truth and falsehood, God makes nature the arbiter to distinguish the enduring from the ephemeral.
• The verse emphasizes the Quranic principle 'Things are known by their opposites' whereby truths are revealed through confrontation with their antitheses.
• The conflict of Moses and Pharaoh is an allegory for internal and external struggles that ultimately lead to divine judgment.