until when he reached the setting of the sun the place where it sets he found it setting in a muddy spring ‘ayn hami’a a spring containing ham’a which is black clay its setting in a spring is described as seen from the perspective of the eye for otherwise it is far larger in size than this world; and he found by it that is by the spring a folk of disbelievers. We said ‘O Dhū’l-Qarnayn — by means of inspiration — either chastise the folk by slaying them or treat them kindly’ by merely taking them captive.
