Surah Al-Kahf – Verse 109 If the sea is the ink of ALLAH

سْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

               If the sea is the ink of ALLAH

Surah Al-Kahf – Verse 109

قُل لَّوْ كَانَ ٱلْبَحْرُ مِدَادًا لِّكَلِمَـٰتِ رَبِّى لَنَفِدَ ٱلْبَحْرُ قَبْلَ أَن تَنفَدَ كَلِمَـٰتُ رَبِّى وَلَوْ جِئْنَا بِمِثْلِهِۦ مَدَدًا

Qul law kana albahru midadanlikalimati rabbee lanafida albahru qabla an tanfadakalimatu rabbee walaw ji/na bimithlihi madada
Say, “If the sea were ink for [writing] the words of my Lord, the sea would be exhausted before the words of my Lord were exhausted, even if We brought the like of it as a supplement.”

Word Analysis
1. qul – Say,
2. law – “If
3. kāna – were
4. l-baḥru – the sea
5. midādan – ink,
6. likalimāti – for (the) Words
7. rabbi – (of) my Lord,
8. lanafida – surely (would be) exhausted
9. l-baḥru – the sea
10. qabla – before
11. an – [that] 12. tanfada – (were) exhausted
13. kalimātu – (the) Words
14. rabbi – (of) my Lord,
15. walaw – even if
16. ji’nā – We brought
17. bimith’lihi – (the) like (of) it
18. madadan – (as) a supplement.”

Tafsir & Explanation
This Ayah addresses the power and might of Allah’s Words.

The objective meaning of the Qur’anic phrase /kalimat-i-rabb/ is either the divine promises and the created things, or the godly philosophies and conceptions, or Divine revelations and whatever has a sign from Allah. Thus, every particle, every atom, and every cell is one of the Words of Allah.

However, in the occasions of revelation of this verse it is said that when the Jews heard this sentence from the Prophet of Islam (S) saying:

“…and you are not given aught of knowledge but a little.”

They said how such a matter could be right while the Jews were given the Turah, and whoever has been given the Turah indeed has been given abundant good. Then the abovementioned verse was revealed and illustrated the infinite knowledge of Allah and that man’s little knowledge is aught before it.

Some other commentators believe that the Jews told the Prophet (S) that Allah had given him wisdom and

“…whoever has been given wisdom, indeed has been given abundant good”

but when they asked him (S) about the spirit, he replied them an ambiguous answer. Then the abovementioned verse was revealed and declared that however much a man may be learned his knowledge is aught before the knowledge of Allah.

Therefore, this verse and the verse after it are concerned to the whole subjects of this Surah. As if the Qur’an intends to say that the information of the events of the Companions of the Cave, Moses, Khidr, and Zul-Qarnayn are not so important when the infinite knowledge of Allah is considered.

The holy Qur’an, addressing the holy Prophet of Islam (S), says:

“Say: ‘If the sea became ink for (writing) the Words of my Lord, the sea would certainly be exhausted before the Words of my Lord were exhausted, even though We brought the like of it to help’.”

In this verse, indeed, the Qur’an attracts the attentions to this fact that you should not think that the world of existence is confined to what you see, or to what you know, or to what you feel. If the ocean were ink for a pen to write down the words, wisdom, signs, qualities, specialties, secrets and mysteries of Allah, the sea would run dry before all could be written down. For

 no one can comprehend the greatness of Allah or praise Him as He deserves to be praised.

It is noteworthy that the abovementioned verse, not only illustrates the infinite vastness of the world of existence in the past, present, and future, but also it is an illustration of the infinite knowledge of Allah, because we know that Allah has encompassed in His knowledge whatever exists, and whatever will come into being, in the expanse of existence. Even more, His knowledge is not separate from the existence of these creatures.

Then, in other words, it can be said that if all the oceans throughout of the world became ink and all the trees became pens they are never sufficiently able to record the number of whatever exists in the knowledge of Allah.

Imagine the water on the surface of the Earth, about 3/4 of the surface of the Earth is water and only 1/4 is Land.
Midad means Ink , the same word is also used for Lamp oil. Madda yu mudduliterally means “To stretch” “To extend” “To stretch out”. Midad is used for Ink because you extend that ink over pages and pages, books and books ins’t it?

If the oceans and the seas were ink in order to record “Li Kalimati Rabbi – the words on my lord”. Before we go further we need to understand what are the words of our lord?

What are the words of Allah  ?
Kalimaat of Allah are of 2 types.
 THE FIRST KALIMAAT – The kalimat that Allah has revealed to His messengers – the books that He gave, the scriptures that He gave and there are also revelations that he gave to his prophets. So whatever words Allah inspired to His messengers to His prophets is the kalam Allah. For us the kalaam of Allah is the THE QUR’AN. If the oceans were the ink to write the kalimaat of my lord – the seas would be depleted and exhausted before the words of Allah would come to an end, before you could finish recording and writing the explanation all the ink would be exhausted because the words of Allah are unlimited.
If we begin with taking the example of Qur’an. If you study Qur’an you will never fully encompass it – no matter how much you write about the Qur’an or reflect about the Qur’an no matter how many lessons you try to extract from the Qur’an.  If you try writing all of them you will never be able to stop, therefore a person can never think I have studied the Qur’an once I have the explanation in front of me, I have the lessons in front of me and that is sufficient – NO! Each time you study an ayah, each time you open the Qur’an you will learn new lessons, you will gain more understanding because the words of Allah you cannot limit them to a word count, you cannot confine them, the kalimaat of Allah are unlimited. The understanding and the reflection of them is unlimited.

Al- Khadir said, ‘Is it not sufficient for you that the Torah is in your hands and the Divine Inspiration comes to you, O Moses? Verily, I have a knowledge that you ought not learn, and you have a knowledge which I ought not learn.’ At that time a bird took with its beak (some water) from the sea: Al-Khadir then said, ‘By Allah, my knowledge and your knowledge besides Allah’s Knowledge is like what this bird has taken with its beak from the sea.’ 
[Sahih Bukhari]
Read the entire Hadith – https://sunnah.com/urn/44050

 THE SECOND KALIMAAT – The second kalimat of Allah includes Kauni kalimat – the things Allah has created by His kalima “kun” and Allah has created so many things by His kalima kun. Allah says Be and it is.

“Originator of the heavens and the earth. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, “Be,” and it is.”
{Surah Al Baqarah 2: Verse 117}

Every single human being has a DNA code, if the DNA code of every single person is written would it be possible?

Similarly the rest of the creation of Allah that Allah has created if they were to be recorded, if you were to list a number for each and every animal and describe it completely and fully, would you be able to do it? And the kalimat of all are to be understood as His knowledge. And also His Aja’ib – The marvels, His wonders of the Creation, His wisdom, His power, His praise if you were to describe that or write that.
Even if the oceans are doubled and their ink is brought we would still fail.

“And if whatever trees upon the earth were pens and the sea [was ink], replenished thereafter by seven [more] seas, the words of Allah would not be exhausted. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.”
{Surah Luqman 31: Verse 27}

With one single pen we can write so much, imagine if all the seas were ink and all the trees were pens and you began writing still it would not be possible.

THIS IS HOW GREAT ALLAH IS!  

If you began praising Him, writing His words, His commands, His creation, His knowledge you would not be able to encompass it. This is how small we are and this is how great and infinite He is.

The blessings of this world, in comparison to the blessings of the Hereafter, are like a tiny mustard seed compared to the entire world!

“The parable of the knowledge of all of mankind, in comparison to the knowledge of Allah, is that of a drop of water in comparison to all of the oceans.”
Ar-Rabi` bin Anas (ra)