Scientific
Concepts in the Quran:
The Water Cycle
Author:
G. Mustafa Shahzad, Research Scholar, Director Qalim Institute
Quranic Arabic Research Scholar | Discoverer of Islamic Meditation for
Healing | Theorist of ADNS
Let us examine in detail the Quranic
verse found in Surah Al-Zariyat (51:47), which makes a strong connection
between scientific observation, introspection, and divine truth.
📖 Primary Quranic Verse:
Surah Al-Furqan (25:48)
📖 Arabic Verse:
وَهُوَ
ٱلَّذِى يُرْسِلُ ٱلرِّيَـٰحَ بُشْرًۭا بَيْنَ يَدَىْ رَحْمَتِهِۦ ۚ وَأَنزَلْنَا
مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءًۭ طَهُورًۭا
📖 Transliteration:
Wa huwa alladhī yursilu ar-rīyāḥa bushran bayna yaday raḥmatih, wa anzalnā mina as-samā’i mā’an ṭahūran.
📖 English Translation:
"And it is He who sends the winds as glad tidings before His
mercy, and We send down from the sky pure water."
(Surah Al-Furqan 25:48)
📖 Stages of the Water Cycle in the Quran
The Quran provides multiple verses that collectively outline the entire process of the water cycle, long before it was established by modern meteorology in the 16th–20th centuries.
Let’s now explore each stage of the hydrological cycle with corresponding Quranic references and scientific explanation.
📖 1. Evaporation of Water from Earth
"And have you not seen that Allah sends down water from the sky
and makes it penetrate into the earth as springs?"
(Surah Az-Zumar 39:21)
Though evaporation isn’t named explicitly, the process is implied in the water descending as rain, forming rivers, and then being recycled.
✅ Scientific match: Solar energy causes evaporation from seas and rivers, forming vapor.
📖 2. Wind Movement & Cloud Formation
"And it is He who sends the winds as heralds of good news
before His mercy..."
(Surah Al-Furqan 25:48)
"It is Allah who sends the winds so they raise the clouds, then
He spreads them in the sky as He wills..."
(Surah Ar-Rum 30:48)
· Arabic term: يُرْسِلُ ٱلرِّيَاحَ — He sends the winds.
· Wind lifts moist air, which cools and forms clouds by condensation.
✅ Scientific match: Winds are essential for forming cumulus and stratus clouds, precursors to rainfall.
📖 3. Rainfall
"And We send down from the sky pure water..."
(Surah Al-Furqan 25:48)
"Have you not seen that Allah drives clouds, then joins them
together, then makes them into a heap, and you see rain emerge from within
them?"
(Surah An-Nur 24:43)
· Water is called “ṭahūran” (طَهُورًا) — meaning purified, life-giving, cleansing.
· The verse precisely describes nimbus cloud formation, where accumulated water droplets fall as rain.
✅ Scientific match: Rain results when water vapor condenses and droplets become heavy enough to fall under gravity.
📖 4. Groundwater Infiltration & Plant Growth
"And We sent down blessed rain from the sky and made grow
thereby gardens and grain from the harvest."
(Surah Qaf 50:9)
"...and makes it penetrate into the earth as springs..."
(Surah Az-Zumar 39:21)
· Water infiltrates the ground, forming aquifers, nourishing plants and restoring ecosystems.
✅ Scientific match: This refers to percolation and groundwater recharge, essential for agriculture.
📖 5. The Cyclic Nature of Water
"And We have sent down water from the sky in due measure, and
We cause it to soak in the soil, and We certainly are able to take it
away."
(Surah Al-Mu’minun 23:18)
This shows that water is given in precise amounts—a concept of balance and sustainability. The Quran also reminds us that this water cycle is not guaranteed; it’s under divine control.
✅ Scientific match: The water cycle is a closed system powered by the sun, regulated by natural laws and physical balance.
🧠 Summary Table: Quranic View of the Water Cycle
|
Stage |
Quranic Verse |
Scientific
Equivalent |
|
Wind movement |
25:48, 30:48 |
Wind carries moist air to form clouds |
|
Cloud formation |
24:43 |
Condensation and accumulation |
|
Rainfall |
25:48, 24:43, 50:9 |
Precipitation from cloud systems |
|
Groundwater recharge |
39:21 |
Percolation into aquifers |
|
Plant and crop growth |
50:9 |
Biological use of water by vegetation |
|
Water balance & loss |
23:18 |
Hydrological sustainability and droughts |
📖 Scientific Confirmation
· Bernard Palissy (1580) first theorized a basic water cycle.
· Pierre Perrault and Edme Mariotte (17th century) provided experimental confirmation of rainfall as a source of river water.
· Modern hydrology confirms the Quranic view: water cycles through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and infiltration.
Yet, all these stages were revealed in the Quran in the 7th century, with remarkable accuracy and poetic depth.
📖 Final Reflection
The Quran describes the complete water cycle, using vivid, accurate language that matches modern meteorological science — from wind movement to the descent of purified rain and the nurturing of life on Earth.
"And We made from water every living thing. Will they not then
believe?"
(Surah Al-Anbiya 21:30)
Water is not just a substance in the Quran—it is a miracle, a sign, and the foundation of all life.
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