A Sea Whose Depth Cannot Be Grasped
The Holy Quran is also likened to a sea because of its profound content.
Imam Ali (AS) in Sermon 198 of Nahj al-Balagha, which is a comprehensive sermon about the features of the Quran, says: “Then, Allah sent to him the Book as a light whose flames cannot be extinguished, a lamp whose gleam does not die, a sea whose depth cannot be sounded,…”
The word sea has been used to refer to the Quran due to several reasons, including:
1- Secrets of the Quran
The Holy Quran, which is the last divine book revealed to the last messenger of God, has secrets that are known only to God and the 14 Infallibles (AS). That is why other people’s thoughts and intellect, no matter how much they swim in this profound sea, cannot reach its end.
Imam Sadiq (AS) said: “I am the son of the Prophet of God and I have knowledge and awareness about the Book of God. In the Quran there is (knowledge of) what is related to the beginning of creation and what will be until the Day of Resurrection. In the Quran there is the news of heavens and earth, paradise and hell, and past and present. I know them like the back of my hand.”
In another Hadith, Imam Sadiq (AS) attributes whatever knowledge he has to the Holy Quran, saying he has gained his knowledge from the Book of God and that the explanation for everything is there in the Quran.
So, based on these Hadiths, the Infallible Imams (AS) have knowledge of the Quran while the thoughts and intellects of ordinary people cannot fully grasp that knowledge independently.
2- Virtue of the Quran
Another aspect of likening the Quran to the sea is that just as the sea is full of gems and beautiful stones, the Quran is the source of all virtues and good things.
The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said about the virtue of the Quran: “The superiority of the Word of God over other words is like the superiority of God over His creatures.”
