Melaka Is the Promised Land

Part 7 : The Location of Masyarikal Ardh

In the previous sections, we have seen that Allah granted a great favour to the Children of Israel after they were freed from the enslavement of Pharaoh, a favour that had never been given to any nation before them. That earlier discussion referred to QS Al-Maidah 5:20.

In this part, and possibly the following few parts, we will focus on locating this great divine gift based on Allah’s own words. The gift is not described in QS Al-Maidah 5:20, but rather in Al-A’raf 7:137.

Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says:

وَأَوۡرَثۡنَا ٱلۡقَوۡمَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَانُواْ يُسۡتَضۡعَفُونَ مَشَٰرِقَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَغَٰرِبَهَا ٱلَّتِي بَٰرَكۡنَا فِيهَا ۖ وَتَمَّتۡ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ ٱلۡحُسۡنَىٰ عَلَىٰ بَنِيٓ إِسۡرَٰٓءِيلَ بِمَا صَبَرُواْ ۖ وَدَمَّرۡنَا مَا كَانَ يَصۡنَعُ فِرۡعَوۡنُ وَقَوۡمُهُۥ وَمَا كَانُواْ يَعۡرِشُونَ

And We made the people who were oppressed inherit the eastern parts of the land and the western parts thereof, which We had blessed. And the good promise of your Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel because of their patience; and We destroyed what Pharaoh and his people were producing and what they had been building.

(QS Al-A’raf, 7:137)

To search for this location, we will focus on one central phrase alone:

مَشَٰرِقَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَغَٰرِبَهَا ٱلَّتِي بَٰرَكۡنَا فِيهَا

“the eastern regions of the land and its western regions, which We had blessed.”

We will examine every word in this phrase in detail. To make the explanation easier to follow, I will divide the phrase into two parts. With Allah’s permission, by the end of our discussion we will reach the location intended by Allah SWT.

Word-by-Word Translation

This is the word-by-word translation of the phrase:

• مَشَارِقَ = places of sunrise (plural of mashriq)

• ٱلۡأَرۡضِ = the earth, the land

• وَ = and

• مَغَارِبَهَا = its places of sunset (plural of maghrib), and hā refers to the earth

• ٱلَّتِی = which

• بَارَكۡنَا = We blessed

• فِیهَا = in it

The Phrase Masyarikal Ardh (مَشَارِقَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ)

Mashriq does not simply mean “east”; it refers to the various horizons or zones of sunrise. Its plural form, Masyāriq (مَشَارِق), means “multiple sunrise points”, “multiple horizons”, or “multiple sunrise zones.”

Al-Ardh (ٱلۡأَرۡضِ) means earth, land, ground, or territory. In the Quran, this term sometimes refers to the entire earth, and other times to a specific region inhabited by people, depending on context. Seas and oceans are not included in the meaning of al-Ardh.

Therefore, Masyarikal Ardh (مَشَارِقَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ) means:
“the lands across the various sunrise points of the earth.”

The Phrase Wa Magharibaha (وَ مَغَارِبَهَا)

Maghrib (مَغْرِب) is the place where the sun sets. The west is the direction of sunset.

Its plural form, Maghārib (مَغَارِب), means “multiple sunset points” or “multiple sinking horizons.”

The pronoun hā (ها) refers back to al-Ardh — the earth or the region being discussed.

Thus, Wa Magharibaha (وَمَغَارِبَهَا) means:
“and its multiple places of sunset” or
“and its multiple sinking horizons.”

The Full Phrase: Masyarikal Ardh Wa Magharibaha (مَشَارِقَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَغَارِبَهَا)

When combined, the full phrase means:

“the lands across the multiple sunrise points of the earth and its multiple sunset points.”

Let Us Reflect

When we observe the movement of the sun, we find that it never rises at the same point and never sets at the same point. Sometimes it appears at the centre of the horizon, sometimes to the left, and sometimes to the right. This simple observation is enough to prove that the sun constantly shifts between various sunrise points throughout the year, and likewise for its sunset points.

Previously, we discussed how Prophet Musa AS crossed the Red Sea from the east of Pharaoh’s position in Egypt. It would have been impossible for the Children of Israel to turn back, cross the Red Sea again, and then move westward. Therefore, as previously explained, Prophet Musa wisely chose to move east.

We also learned that Allah granted the Children of Israel certain lands described as Masyarikal Ardh, that is, lands corresponding to multiple sunrise points and multiple sunset points. This leads us to the crucial question:

Geographically, where are these sunrise points located in the east?

When you look at the diagram above, focus on the eastern direction. The upper red line marks the Tropic of Cancer (Sartan) at latitude +23.4° North. The lower red line marks the Tropic of Capricorn (Jadi) at latitude −23.4° South.

All regions in the east located between these two lines are within the band of sunrise points. The sun does not rise randomly; rather, it moves from one point to another between these two lines throughout the year.

To identify Masyarikal Ardh, look to the east and search for large landmasses that possess more than one sunrise point. Large continents with broad horizons qualify as Masyarikal Ardh. However, if an area is merely a small island with only a single sunrise horizon, it does not fulfil the meaning of Masyarikal Ardh stated in the verse.

If we refer to the map, the regions that meet the sunrise criteria stretch from southern Yunnan in China, down through Malaysia, Indonesia, parts of Australia, and finally to the Indian Ocean. All these lands fall within the general definition of Masyarikal Ardh. But are all of them the specific lands intended in Surah Al-A’raf 7:137?

The answer is: we still lack sufficient information. We have only identified the upper and lower boundaries. The left and right boundaries remain unknown.

Where Is the Left Boundary of Masyarikal Ardh?

To answer this, we must refer to Allah’s words themselves. Allah pairs the term mashariq with Ardh. Ardh means land — not ocean.

Therefore, the left boundary of Masyarikal Ardh lies around Bangladesh, where land meets the Tropic of Cancer. South of this point, there are almost no inhabited areas except around Sandwip Island in Bangladesh. Thus, starting from Sandwip Island to the right, within the zone between Sartan and Jadi, lie the regions that fall under Masyarikal Ardh.

We now know the northern, southern, and western boundaries. But we still do not know the eastern boundary.

Where is the eastern boundary?

Truthfully, I have not determined it yet, because my current focus is on linguistic analysis of the Quran, not detailed geomorphological study.

However, if you wish to explore it yourself, you may follow all the linguistic and geographical guidelines discussed earlier.

A Provisional Personal View

At this moment, my provisional view is that the eastern boundary of Masyarikal Ardh may lie around the Mariana Trench, an extremely deep part of the earth that separates landmasses, forming a virtual line known as the Wallace Line. You may also consider the Weber Line and Lydekker Line, which describe the biogeographical division of eastern Nusantara.

However, I emphasise that this is not a final conclusion, as determining the eastern boundary of Masyarikal Ardh requires a deeper geographical study. For now, my main focus is the linguistic analysis of Quranic terms.

Conclusion

Have we discovered the exact location granted by Allah to the Children of Israel at this stage?

The answer is no.

Allah Himself has specified the following phrase:

مَشَٰرِقَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَغَٰرِبَهَا ٱلَّتِي بَٰرَكۡنَا فِيهَا
“the eastern regions of the land and the western regions thereof, which We had blessed.”

From the analysis above, we have identified the general zone known as Masyarikal Ardh, meaning regions of sunrise and sunset across vast stretches of land. However, we have not yet found the specific location intended by Allah.

That specific location is hidden within the phrase Allah locks precisely:

ٱلَّتِي بَارَكْنَا فِيهَا — allatī bāraknā fīhā
meaning “which We have blessed within.”

This means that from the entire broad region of Masyarikal Ardh, Allah narrows the search to a particular area that possesses the distinct characteristics of barakah as defined by the Quran.

In the next section, we will examine the meaning of allatī bāraknā fīhā in depth, to identify these characteristics based on Quranic evidence, and thus narrow down the search more accurately.

To be continued.

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