Wa-itha albiharu sujjirat (surah Takwir: 6)

Tafseer Tafheem-ul-Quran by Syed Abu-al-A'la Maududi

(81:6) when the seas shall be set boiling, *6

Wa izal bihaaru sujjirat

*6) The word sujjirat as used in the original in passive voice from tasjir in the past tense. Tasjir means to kindle fire in the oven. Apparently it seems strange that on the Resurrection Day fire would blaze up in the oceans. But if the truth about water is kept in view, nothing would seem strange. It is a miracle of God that He combined oxygen and hydrogen, one of which helps kindle the fire and the other gets kindled of itself and by the combination of both He created a substance like water which is used to put out fire. A simple manifestation of Allah's power is enough to change this composition of water so that the two gases are separated and begin to burn and help cause a blaze, which is their basic characteristic.