The Quran

Preface

وَما يَستَوِي البَحرانِ هٰذا عَذبٌ فُراتٌ سائِغٌ شَرابُهُ وَهٰذا مِلحٌ أُجاجٌ ۖ وَمِن كُلٍّ تَأكُلونَ لَحمًا طَرِيًّا وَتَستَخرِجونَ حِليَةً تَلبَسونَها ۖ وَتَرَى الفُلكَ فيهِ مَواخِرَ لِتَبتَغوا مِن فَضلِهِ وَلَعَلَّكُم تَشكُرونَ

Ali Quli Qarai

Not alike are the two seas:¹ this one sweet and agreeable, pleasant to drink, and that one briny and bitter, and from each you eat fresh meat and obtain ornaments which you wear. And you see the ships plowing through them, that you may seek of His grace, and so that you may give thanks.

That is, the body of sweet water and the body of fresh water. The word baḥr, like yamm is used for a large river as well as for the sea (cf. 7:136, 20:78, 28:40, 51:40, where it is used for the Red Sea; and 20:39, 28:7, where it is used for the Nile).