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things does not necessarily imply their actual contact with each
other, as there may be a partition or an intervening space between
two objects which meet; whereas, what they mean should be
called admixture not merely meeting. If it were asked, Why have
you included the seas of the Persians in the number of the seven
seas, in spite of your saying that God spoke to the Arabs of what
they knew ? We answer in the first place that the Arabs not
seldom travelled to Faris ; for has not 'Umar ibnu-l Khattab (May
God be gracious to him !) said,'1 have learnt justice from Kisra;' l
and then praised that monarch's wisdom and government ?
Again, these who take a journey to Hajar and 'Abbadan must
necessarily pass by the seas of Faris, Kirman and Tiz-Mukran ; ²
and indeed many people actually call this part of the sea as far
as the coast of al-Yaman by the general name of the sea of
Faris; while most of the ship-builders and sea-faring men are
Persians. Furthermore, the sea from 'Uman as far as 'Abbadan
is of little breadth and well-known to travellers in all its parts ;
If it were added, ' Why then have you not said the same in respect
of the sea of al-Qulzurn, to where it. increases in breadth ? '
We answer, ' we have said before this ³ that from al-Qulzum to
'Aidliab and farther down, the country is a waste desert after no
part of which has it ever been known that this sea was called ; 19.
besides, we have settled this question iu one of our preceding
answers.' 4 If it were said, how is it possible that one and the
same sea could be made into eight different seas ?—we reply that
this is well-known to every one who undertakes a sea voyage;
¹ Two Persian monarchs have borne the name of Chosroes ; the first was
the great Anushirwan, who reigned from A.D. 531 till 579 and is celebrated!
to this day as a model of justice ; but as he died nearly three years before
the birth of 'Umar the latter's knowledge of him must have been derived
from popular report. The second Chosroes, surnamed Parwiz, was the
grandson of Anushirwan and reigned from A.D. 590 or 591 till 628, six years
after the Flight. He it was whom Muhammad called to embrace the new
religion ; and would seem to be the Kisra of the text, were it not that justice
must always be coupled with the name of Anushirwan.
2 Tiz-Mukian, i.e., the port of Tiz in Mukran, in lat. 25° 24' N. long.
60° 45' E.
3 See page 11,1. 16 of the text, and p. 15,1. 22 of this translation.
4 I e , when he said that' the seas might be numerous and so not limiting
himself to any number.