27:61 Who is it that made the earth a settledness, made rivers in its midst, made for it firm mountains, and made a barrier between the two oceans? Is there a god along with God? No, but most of them know not.
The souls of the worshipers are where their obedience settles, the hearts of the recognizers are where their recognition settles, the spirits of the finders are where their love settles, and the secret cores of the tawḥīd-voicers are where their contemplation settles. In their spirits are the rivers of union and the springs of proximity. Thereby the thirst of their yearning and the agitation of their burning are quenched. Made for it firm mountains, namely the Substitutes, the friends, and the Pegs. Through them He continually holds fast to the earth and through their blessings trials are repelled from the creatures. It has also been said that the firm mountains are the ones who guide those who ask for directions to the Lord of the Worlds.
Who is it that made the earth a settledness: Who is it that brought the earth of the submission under the feet of the tawḥīd of the tawḥīd-voicers? Made rivers in its midst: Who is it that made the springs of wisdom appear in the hearts of the recognizers? Made for it firm mountains: Who is it that built the fortresses of recognition in the secret cores of the friends? Made a barrier between the two oceans: Who is it that set up the clouds of going straight between the oceans of fear and hope? Is there a god along with God? Do you know of another god who did this? Do you know of another object of worship who made all this?
It has also been said that made a barrier between the two oceans means between the heart and the soul so that neither will overpower its companion. In the human makeup, there are both the Kaaba of the heart and the tavern of the soul, two opposite substances joined in the creation and separate in the path, each open toward the other, but between the two God’s power has placed a barrier. Whenever the commanding soul raids the heart’s pavilion, the afflicted heart goes to the Exalted Threshold to complain, and from the gardens of Eternity, the robe of the gaze reaches it. This is the secret of the report, “Surely in every day and night God has 360 gazes at the hearts of the servants.”
The equivalent of this verse is in Surah al-Furqān: “And He it is who mixed the two oceans, that one sweet, delicious, this one salty, bitter” [25:53]. In the tongue of the folk of recognition, these two oceans are the attributes of the heart of the faithful person. The two sorts of water are the attributes of opposite meaning that he has within himself: fear and hope, doubt and certainty, misguidance and guidance, avarice and contentment, heedlessness, and wakefulness. The Exalted Lord made a barrier and obstacle appear between the two opposites. Between fear and hope, there is the barrier of a beautiful opinion so that the bitterness of fear will not destroy the sweetness of hope. Between doubt and certainty, there is the barrier of recognition so that the saltiness of doubt will not destroy the sweetness of certainty. Between misguidance and guidance, there is the barrier of protection so that the bitterness of misguidance will not destroy the sweetness of guidance.
Between avarice and contentment, there is the barrier of Godwariness so that the opacity of avarice will not destroy the limpidness of contentment. Between heedlessness and wakefulness, there is the barrier of observation by gazing so that the darkness of heedlessness will not destroy the light of wakefulness. Is there a god along with God? Other than God do you know of another god who makes such artisanry and has such power?
