Water Cycle in the Quran

By: Maged Taman

Examine this simple verse of the Quran:

وَأَرْسَلْنَا الرِّيَاحَ لَوَاقِحَ فَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاء مَاء فَأَسْقَيْنَاكُمُوهُ وَمَا أَنتُمْ لَهُ بِخَازِنِينَ (15:2215:22

15:22 (Picktall) And We send the winds fertilizing, and cause water to descend from the sky, and give it you to drink. It is not ye who are the holders of the store thereof.

God starts the water cycle by what humans mind think. They note the rain comes out of the clouds that is the water vapour that the wind fertilize them or make them mature enough to precipitate into the rain we see. The rain then fills up water in the springs of earth. We are not storing the rain since it evaporates or forms underground springs.

The water evaporation second to heat maintain this cycle of water. If most of the water would permeate to the underground there will be no evaporation and no water cycle.

67:30 (Asad) Say [unto those who deny the truth]: "What do you think? If of a sudden all your water were to vanish underground, who [but God] could provide you with water from [new] unsullied springs?"

The process of fertilization of the clouds is explained in more details in this verse:

[Shakir 24:43] Do you not see that Allah drives along the clouds, then gathers them together, then piles them up, so that you see the rain coming forth from their midst? And He sends down of the clouds that are (like) mountains wherein is hail, afflicting therewith whom He pleases and turning it away from whom He pleases; the flash of His lightning almost takes away the sight.

In this next verse it shows how God spreads the clouds. A scene we see every day and people anxiously wait for the rain for the multiple uses of the water.

[Shakir 30:48] Allah is he Who sends forth the winds so they raise a cloud, then He spreads it forth in the sky as He pleases, and He breaks it up so that you see the rain coming forth from inside it; then when He causes it to fall upon whom He pleases of His servants, lo! they are joyful.

God gives us the common scene in this verse who the water brings life to plants and how the plants themselves have their own life cycle.

[Shakir 39:21] Do you not see that Allah sends down water from the cloud, then makes it go along in the earth in springs, then brings forth therewith herbage of various colors, then it withers so that you see it becoming yellow, then He makes it a thing crushed and broken into pieces? Most surely there is a reminder in this for the men of understanding.

The rain comes in measures to earth and there is actually equilibrium in water cycle.

[Shakir 23:18] And We send down water from the cloud according to a measure, then We cause it to settle in the earth, and most surely We are able to carry it away.

God commonly give us the example of the dead earth that become alive with rain similar to the giving life to the dead in the day of judgment. Though the scientific part may be different however the metaphor is quite evident.

[Shakir 30:24] And one of His signs is that He shows you the lightning for fear and for hope, and sends down water from the clouds then gives life therewith to the earth after its death; most surely there are signs in this for a people who understand.

[Shakir 7:57] And He it is Who sends forth the winds bearing good news before His mercy, until, when they bring up a laden cloud, We drive it to a dead land, then We send down water on it, then bring forth with it of fruits of all kinds; thus shall We bring forth the dead that you may be mindful.

God describes the rain as pure and recent science proved the rain to be pure distilled water.

[Shakir 25:48] And He it is Who sends the winds as good news before His mercy; and We send down pure water from the cloud,

God in many verses in the Quran remind us of his great gift of the rain. Which simply without it we will be dead. The wisdom of the Quran is the proportionality it means God mention in the verses of the Quran more frequently the most evident and important like the creation of heavens and earth, the day and night, the sun and moon, the rain....

[Shakir 25:49] That We may give life thereby to a dead land and give it for drink, out of what We have created, to cattle and many people.

[Shakir 35:9] And Allah is He Who sends the winds so they raise a cloud, then We drive it on to a dead country, and therewith We give life to the earth after its death; even so is the quickening.

[Shakir 36:34] And We make therein gardens of palms and grapevines and We make springs to flow forth in it,

[Shakir 45:5] And (in) the variation of the night and the day, and (in) what Allah sends down of sustenance from the cloud, then gives life thereby to the earth after its death, and (in) the changing of the winds, there are signs for a people who understand.

[Shakir 50:9] And We send down from the cloud water abounding in good, then We cause to grow thereby gardens and the grain that is reaped,

[Shakir 56:68] Have you considered the water which you drink? [Shakir 56:69] Is it you that send it down from the clouds, or are We the senders? [Shakir 56:70] If We pleased, We would have made it salty; why do you not then give thanks?

The thing about the Quran you do not find myths or erroneous science. The Quran is not a science book and the science in the quran is derived by four main reasons. One is to give us the simple science of the creation of important things in our life like the universe, geology and embryology. Second it does not go in details of creation but main points. Third it is meant to assert that the Quran is from God and not the creation of Muhammad. Fourth and most important is if we to attest to his creation we obligated to worship him. In the last point you can see how science and spirituality handsomely converge.