Q. I have heard that Imam Al-Ghazali wrote a splendid poem in praising the Prophet, called Al-Burdah. He is said to have concluded it by saying that if the sea was turned into ink and the trees into pens to write praises of Prophet Muhammad, that would not be enough. Is this true?
A. Mujeeb, Jeddah
A. Imam Al-Ghazali was not a poet, and he did not write Al-Burdah. There is a lot of confusion in what the reader describes. Al-Burdah was written by Al-Bouseeri. It does not contain a line like what the reader has said about the sea and the trees. That is a description in the Qur’an which states: “If all the trees on Earth were pens, and the sea were ink, with seven more seas yet added to it, the words of God would not be exhausted. God is indeed almighty, wise.” (31: 27)
Another verse drawing the same image runs as follows: “If the sea were ink for my Lord’s words, the sea would surely dry up before my Lord’s words are exhausted, even though we were to add to it another sea to replenish it.” (18: 109) As you see, the verses talk about God’s words being inexhaustible.
As for describing the Prophet or praising him, this is certainly not to be compared with what is referred to in these two verses as “God’s words”.
