"When they reached the junction between them, they forgot their fish, and it took its way"—meaning the fish—"into the sea, as a tunnel [saraban]."
Muhammad said: Saraban means a path or a course. It is a verbal noun [masdar]. The meaning is: they forgot their fish, and the fish made its path in the sea. Then He explained how that happened, as if He said: saraba yasrubu saraban (it flowed/channeled, it flows, a flow/tunneling).
﴿فَلَمَّا بَلَغَا مَجْمَعَ بَيْنِهِمَا نَسِيَا حوتهما فَاتخذ سَبيله﴾ يَعْنِي: الْحُوتَ ﴿فِي الْبَحْرِ سَرَبًا﴾.
قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ: سَرَبًا يَعْنِي: مَذْهَبًا وَمَسْلَكًا؛ وَهُوَ مَصْدَرٌ؛ الْمَعْنَى: نَسِيَا حُوْتَهُمَا؛ فَجَعَلَ الْحُوتُ طَرِيقَهُ فِي الْبَحْرِ، ثُمَّ بَيْنَ كَيْفَ ذَلِكَ؛ فَكَأَنَّهُ قَالَ: سَرَبَ يَسْرُبُ سَرَبًا.