The Tusnami

THE TSUNAMI EFFECT IN THE PROPHET MOSES (PBUH)'S
PARTING OF THE SEA

 

So We revealed to Moses, 'Strike the sea with your staff.' And it split in two, each part like a towering cliff. (Surat Ash-Shu'ara', 63)

The Egyptian monarchs known as the pharaohs regarded themselves as divine in the polytheistic, superstitious religion of ancient Egypt. Allah sent the Prophet Moses (pbuh) as an envoy to the people of Egypt at a time when they preferred their own superstitious beliefs to the true faith and when they had enslaved the Israelites. However, despite the Prophet Moses (pbuh)'s invitation to the true faith, the ancient Egyptians and Pharaoh and his court in particular, refused to abandon their pagan beliefs. The Prophet Moses (pbuh) told Pharaoh and his court the things they ought to avoid and warned them of the wrath of Allah. 

Barrier Between Two Seas

Scientific investigation:

Oceanographers, in the wake of the scientific progress in this age, have discovered the barrier between two seas. They have found that a barrier separates two neighboring seas. The barrier moves between them, and it is called by scientists “a front” compared to the front between two armies. By virtue of this barrier each sea retains its own characteristics, which Allah (SWT) has assigned to it and which are suitable for the organisms living in that environment.
Because of this barrier, the two neighboring seas mingle so slowly that the amount of water that passes from one sea to the other acquires the characteristics of the other sea while crossing the barrier which overturns the waters crossing from one sea to the other, keeping each sea with its own characteristics

The gradual progress of human knowledge about the fact of the differences between seawater masses and the existence of barriers between them:

Oceanographers discovered that there were certain differences between water samples taken from various seas in 1284 AH/1873 AD, by the British Marine Scientific Expedition of the Challenger Voyage. It was discovered that masses of seawater vary in their composition, in respect of salinity, water temperature, density and types of marine organisms. The data were obtained from 362 oceanographic stations. The report of the expedition filled 29,500 pages in 50 volumes and took 23 years to complete. One of the great achievements of scientific exploration, the expedition also showed how little man knew about the sea.
After 1933 AD another American expedition set out in the Mexican Gulf and installed hundreds of sea stations to study the characteristics of seas. It found out that a large number of stations in a certain area gave similar information about the characteristics of the water in that area, whether in respect of salinity, density, temperature, marine organisms or solubility of oxygen in water, while another group of stations in another area gave a different set of data about that area. So, oceanographers concluded that there were two distinctive seas with different characteristics, and not just limited samples as the Expedition of Challenger showed.
Man installed hundreds of marine stations to study the characteristics of various seas. Scientists have found out that the differences in these characteristics distinguished one sea from another. But why do these seas not mix and become homogeneous in spite of the effect of tide and ebb that moves sea water twice a day, and causes seas to move forward and backward turbulently, besides other factors that cause sea water to be in continuous movement and turbulence, such as surface and internal waves and sea currents?
The answer appeared for the first time in scientific books in 1361 AH/1942 AD. Extensive studies of marine characteristics revealed that there are water barriers separating neighboring seas and maintaining the distinctive properties of each sea with respect to density, salinity, marine life, temperature and solubility of oxygen in water.
After 1962 AD there was known the role of sea barriers in modifying the properties of the water masses that pass from one sea to another, to prevent one sea from overwhelming the other. So salty seas retain their own properties and boundaries by virtue of these barriers.
The following figure shows the boundaries of the Mediterranean warm salt waters on entering the Atlantic Sea, the waters of which are cold and less salty.

The Mediterranean Sea water as it enters the Atlantic over the Gibraltar still with its own warm, saline,   and less dense   characteristics, because of the barrier that distinguishes between them. Temperatures are in degrees Celsius (C^o). (Marine Geology, Kuenen, p.   43,   with   a  slight enhancement.)
Satellite photo of barrier between Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean
Finally man managed to photograph these wavy moving barriers between salt seas through a special technology of thermal photography by satellites, which shows that seawaters, though appearing as one mass, are in reality different masses as reflected by different colors according to thermal differences.

A field study comparing the waters of Oman Gulf and those of the Arabian Gulf has shown the difference between them regarding their chemical properties, the prevalent vegetation and the barrier separating them.

About a hundred years of research and study has been required to discover the fact of the existence of barriers between seawater masses and their role in making each sea retain its own properties. Hundred of researchers took part and numerous precise scientific instruments and equipment were used to achieve that.

Quran Mentioned this scientific fact

Fourteen centuries ago the Holy Qur’an revealed this fact. Allah (SWT) says:
“He has let free (MARAJA) the two sees meeting together. Between them is a barrier that they do not transgress. Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (Jinn and men) deny? Out of them both come out pearls and carol.” (Quran 55:19-22)
Allah (SWT) also says: “And He made a barrier between the two seas.”

Linguistic meanings and the commentators’ sayings:

Maraja (let free):
Ibn Faris said: “’maraja’: The consonants m, r and j form a root indicating a movement of going and coming and turbulence.”
Al-Bahrain (the two seas):
Al-Asfahani said: “Some say that the word  “bahr” (sea) is usually used to mean salt water rather than fresh water.” Ibn Manzursaid: “’Bahr’ is more frequently used to describe salt water than fresh water.”
If the word “bahr” is used without qualification it means salt water; otherwise, it means the thing qualified.”  The Holy Qur’an uses “nahr” (river) to indicate abundant running fresh water, while it uses “bahr” (sea) to indicate salt water. Allah (SWT) says:
“And He has made the ships to be of service to you that they may sail through the sea by His Command; and He has made rivers (also) to be of service to you.” (Quran 16:32)
In the hadith, “bahr” (sea) is also used to mean salt water. Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) was asked by a man who said: “O Allah’s Messenger! We travel by sea and carry with us a little fresh water. If we should use it for wudu’ (ablution) we would get thirsty. May we use seawater for wudu’? Allah’ Messenger (Peace be upon him) said:
“Its water is pure and its dead (animals) are lawful (to eat).”
Al-Barzakh: It is the barrier. Most commentators suggest that it is invisible.
Al-baghi: Ibn Manzur said: “’Al-Baghi’ means transgression, exceeding the limits.” Al-Jawhari and al-Asfahanisaid the same.
Who knew in the past that salt seas differ in many respects in spite of their apparent similarity to the observer? (They all taste salt, look blue, have waves, contain fish, etc.) How can they differ although they meet each other? We know that when two amounts of water are mixed in a container they get homogenous. How can seas remain differentiated even in the presence of the factors of mixing, such as the ebb and flow of the sea, currents and storms?
The Verse mentions the meeting of two salt seas that differ from one another. If the two seas were similar to one another, they would be one sea. However, differentiating between them in the Qur’anic utterance implies the difference between them although they are both salt.
“He has let free (Maraja) the two seas meeting together” means that the two seas are mixed; they are in the state of backward and forward movements, of mixing and turbulence at the site of the meeting, as is understood from the literal meaning of “Maraja”.  This is the fact that science has discovered, that is to say, the barrier is described as being zigzag or wavy and shifting in position during the various seasons because of the tide and winds.
This Verse by itself implies the presence of so much mixing and merging between these seas as would deprive them of their distinctive properties. But Allah (SWT), the All-Knower, shows in the following Verse that “between them is a barrier which they do not transgress”, i.e. In spite of this state of merging and turbulence that characterizes the seas there is a barrier between them preventing them from transgressing or exceeding their limits.
This is what man has discovered as a result of the advances achieved in his sciences and instruments. It has been found that a third water mass separates the two seas and it has such properties as are different from those of each of the two seas separated by it.
Yet, in spite of the presence of the barrier, the waters of the two adjacent seas mix very slowly without one sea encroaching upon the other through carrying over its own properties to it, for the barrier zone is a region for changing the water crossing from one sea to the other so that it gradually acquires the properties of the sea that is going to enter and loses the properties of the sea it has come form. Thus neither of the two seas transgresses by carrying its own properties to the other, although they mix during the process of meeting. How truthful is Allah’s Saying: “He has let free (maraja) the two seas meeting together. Between them is a barrier which they do not transgress.”
Satellite photo of the strait of Gibraltar

The Miraculous Aspects of the Previous Verses:

We can conclude the following from the discussion above:
1. The Holy Qur’an, which was revealed more than 14 centuries ago, includes very precise pieces of information and knowledge about marine phenomena that have been discovered only recently by means of very sophisticated equipment. An instance in this respect is the existence of water barriers between seas. Allah (SWT) says: “He has let free (maraja) the two seas meeting together. Between them is a barrier which they do not transgress.”
2. The historical development of Oceanography shows that no precise information had been available on seas before Challenger Expedition (in 1873 AD), let alone at the time when the Holy Qur’an was being revealed 14 centuries ago to an illiterate Prophet who lived in a desert environment and never traveled by sea.
3. Oceanography has witnessed no advances except in the last two centuries, particularly in the latter half of the twentieth century. Prior to that a sea was considered as something fearful and mysterious. Myths and superstitions were fabricated about it. Sea voyagers were only interested in their own safety and how to find the correct routes during their long journeys. Man discovered that salt seas are different only in the thirties of the twentieth century, after thousands of marine stations had been established by researchers to analyze samples of sea water to measure the differences between the degrees of temperature, salinity, density and oxygen dissolubility in the sea water recorded at all those stations, and  then realize that salt seas are different.
4. Man did not know anything about the barrier that separates salt seas till the establishment of the aforesaid stations, and after spending a long time tracing these wavy moving barriers that change their geographical locations with the change of seasons.
5. Man did not know that the water masses of the two seas are separated by a water barrier and are mixed at the same time till he started studying with his ships and equipment the water movement in the meeting region of the seas and analyzing the water masses in those regions.
6. Man did not apply this rule to all seas that meet together except after vast scientific surveying, investigation and verification of this phenomenon, which occurs between each pair of adjacent seas in the world.
Now then, did Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) own stations and equipment for analyzing water and the ability to trace the movement of various water masses? Did he carry out a comprehensive surveying process, although he never sailed the sea and lived at a time when superstitions were prevalent, particularly in the field of seas?  Were, at the time of Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him). Such researches, instruments and studies available as they are for the oceanographers of today that have discovered all these secrets by means of research and study?
This knowledge, which the Qur’an came with, included a precise description of the subtlest secrets at a time when humanity could never have known them, which indicates that its source is Divine, as Allah (SWT) says:
“Say: ‘the (Qur’an) was sent down by Him Who knows the secret (that is) in the heavens and the earth: Verily He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Quran 25:6)
It also indicates that the one to whom the Book was sent down was a Messenger inspired. Allah (SWT) but says the Truth in the  Verse:” Soon will We show Our Signs in the Universe and in their own selves, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth. Is it not sufficient that your Lord does witness all things?” (Quran 61:53)

Separates seas

The Separate Seas

One of the properties of seas that has only recently been discovered is related in a verse of the Qur’an as follows:

055.019► مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ

055.020► بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخٌ لا يَبْغِيَانِ

He has let loose the two seas, converging together, with a barrier between them they do not break through. (Qur’an, Ar-Rahman -55:19-20)


This property of the seas, that is, that they meet and yet do not intermix, has only very recently been discovered by oceanographers. Because of the physical force called “surface tension,” the waters of neighbouring seas do not mix. Caused by the difference in the density of their waters, surface tension prevents them from mingling with one another, just as if a thin wall were between them.64
It is interesting that, during a period when there was little knowledge of physics, and of surface tension, or oceanography, this truth was revealed in the Qur’an.

Seas and rivers

Modern Science has discovered that in the places where two different seas meet, there is a barrier between them. This barrier divides the two seas so that each sea has its own temperature, salinity, and density.[Principles of Oceanography - Davis, pp. 92-93]
For example, Mediterranean Sea water is warm, saline and less dense, compared to Atlantic Ocean water. When Mediterranean Sea water enters the Atlantic over the Gibraltar sill, it moves several hundred kilometers into the Atlantic at a depth of about 1,000 meters with its own warm, saline and less dense characteristics.The Mediterranean water stabilizes at this depth.[Principles of Oceanography p. 93]
The Mediterranean Sea water as it enters the Atlantic over the Gibraltar sill with its own warm, saline and less dense characteristics, because of the barrier that distinguishes between them. Temperatures are in degrees Celsius (C).Even in depths (indicated here by darker colors) up to 1,400 meters and at distances ranging from a minus -100 to +2,500 meters, we find that both bodies of water maintain their individual temperatures and salinity.Although there are large waves, strong currents, and tides in these seas, they do not mix or transgress this barrier.
The Holy Quran mentioned that there is a barrier between two seas that meet and that they do not transgress. God said:


055.019 مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ

055.020 بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخٌ لا يَبْغِيَانِ

Al-Qur'an, 055.019-020 (Ar-Rahman [The Beneficent, The Mercy Giving])

He has let free the two seas meeting to gather. There is a barrier between them. They do not transgress.[Noble Quran 55:19-20]


But when the Quran speaks about the divider between fresh and salt water, it mentions the existence of “a forbidding partition” with the barrier.
God said in the Quran:
He is the one who has let free the two bodies of flowing water, one sweet and palatable, and the other salty and bitter. And He has made between them a barrier and a forbidding partition.[Noble Quran 25:53]


On may ask, why did the Quran mention the partition when speaking about the divider between fresh and salt water, but did not mention it when speaking about the divider between the two seas?
Modern science has discovered that in estuaries, where fresh (sweet) and salt water meet, the situation is somewhat different from what is found in places where two seas meet. It has been discovered that what distinguishes fresh water from salt water in estuaries is a “pycnocline zone with a marked density discontinuity separating the two layers.”[Oceanography p. 242]
This partition (zone of separation) has a different salinity from the fresh water and from the salt water[Oceanography p. 244 and Introductory Oceanography pp. 300-301]
This information has been discovered only recently using advanced equipment to measure temperature, salinity, density, oxygen dissolubility, etc. The human eye cannot see the difference between the two seas that meet, rather the two seas appear to us as one homogeneous sea. Likewise the human eye cannot see the division of water in estuaries into the three kinds: the fresh water, the salt water, the partition (zone of separation).
What about us? Are we a part of creation? How did we begin? What develops us and causes us to live and die? How are we sustained?

Rivers and seas-Estuary

The Barrier between Rivers and seas (Estuary)

Allah (SWT) says: “It is He Who has mixed up (maraja) the two seas, this (one) very fresh [river], and this (other one) very salt, and has made between them a barrier and a forbidding partition.”  (Quran 25: 53)


Man from olden times has seen the rivers flow into the sea and noticed that the river water gradually loses its distinctive color and taste as it goes deeper into the sea. He has concluded that the river gradually mixes with seawater; otherwise the river would change into a freshwater sea expanding day by day till it would overwhelm the original sea.
With the advances of science and its endeavor to explore the mysteries of the Universe man started investigating the way a sea meets with a river, and studied samples of water from the area where a river meets a sea. He studied the levels of salinity, and measured temperatures and density, and collected specimens of living organisms and classified them determining the places of their existence and studying their abilities to live in river and marine environments.

Three type of water at Estuary

After surveying a large number of estuaries, scholars discovered unknown secrets, and researchers found out that waters are of three types:
1.     Water of rivers that is very fresh.
2.     Seawater that is very salty.
3.     Water of the estuary that is a mixture of salt and fresh water. The estuary is an area separating the river from the sea and moves between them under the influence of tides and the flooding or recession of the river. The closer to the sea the greater its salinity in it; the closer to the river the fresher its water.

Three types of water at Estuary

Around the estuary there is an aquatic barrier that preserves its distinctive properties even if the river is flowing into the sea in the form of a waterfall.
In spit of the forces of tides and floods and recessions that are regarded as very strong factors of mixing, no direct meeting occurs between the water of the river and that of the sea because the barrier surrounding the estuary always separates them. But the water of the river mixes with seawater slowly through the partition represented by the water of the estuary and the water barrier surrounding it.
The three water masses (the water of the river, seawater and the water of the estuary) differ with respect to the degree of salinity. The researchers that classified the organisms living in them discovered the following:
a.      Most of the creatures living in the sea, river, or estuary cannot live in an environment other than their own habitat: otherwise, they would die. But a few species, such as salmons and eels, can live in all three habitats and can adapt to every environment.
b.     By classifying the three environments where living organisms live, the estuary is regarded as an area of confinement for most of the organisms living in it, for such organisms cannot live save in the aquatic medium the degree of salinity of which suites their osmotic pressure, and they would die if they came out of the habitat that is suitable for them, i.e., the estuary.
Meanwhile, the estuary is a forbidden area for most of the living organisms that live in the sea or the river, for these organisms die if they enter it due to the difference in the osmotic pressure also.
Allah (SWT) has created this wonderful aquatic system to keep these meeting aquatic masses apart and preserve their distinctive properties so that rivers keep their freshness and all aquatic organisms find the suitable environments for their living. If the naked eye cannot see this partition with which Allah (SWT) preserves the estuary, satellites today have provided us with wonderful images showing us the boundaries of the three aquatic masses that get clearer with the increase of the difference in the temperature of the water and the materials it carries.

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image of the Rio de la Plata estuary (Argentina), with input of river water from the Uruguay and Parana rivers notably visible.
Although freshwater mixes with seawater, there are limits at the two ends of the limited area that impose constrictions on what enters it or comes out of it. This exactly describes the estuary. The Holy Qur’an describes the area where the three aquatic masses meet very precisely and concisely showing the relationship between the three aquatic masses and the organisms living in them.

Allah (SWT) says: “It is He Who has mixed up (maraja) the two seas, this (one) very fresh [river], and this (other one) very salt, and has made between them a barrier and a forbidding partition.”  (Quran 25: 53)

Linguistic meanings and the sayings of the commentators:

The word “maraja” has two obvious meanings:
First: mixing
Allah (SWT) says: “But they deny the truth when it comes to them, so they are in a confused (mixed up) state (amrin marij).” (Quran 50: 5) In Lisan al-‘Arab (amrin marij: i.e., mixed up) Al-Asfahani said in al-Mufradat: (the original meaning of “Marj” is “mixing up”) Al-Zabidi said: (Allah “maraja” the two seas, the fresh and the salt, means He mixed them up till they met.) Al-Zajjaj said: “maraja” means He mixed up the salt sea with the fresh sea.
Ibn Jarir al-Tabari said: (And it is Allah Who mixed up the two seas and thus “amraja” one with the other and let it flow into it.) The basic sense of “marj” is “mixing up”, as in the Saying of Allah: “In amrin marij”, i.e. mixed up.
Ibn ‘Abbas is reported to have said about the Saying of Allah (He maraja the two seas): It means He cast one on the other. Mujahid said: He let one flow on the other. Al-Dhahhak agreed with Ibn ‘Abbas. This meaning is supported by a group of commentators, such as al-Qurtubi, Abu Hayyan, al-Alusi, al-Khazin, al-Razi, al-Shawkani and al-Shanqiti.
Second: Going to and fro and turbulence (restlessness)
In Mu’jam Maqayis al-Lugha, Ibn Faris said: (The consonants m, r and j together make up a basic unit expressing the idea of going to and fro and turbulence.) He said: “the ring maraja around the finger” means “it became loose.” The same sense applies to all the uses of the word, such as (The trusts and pledges of the people marajat) meaning: They were upset and mixed up. The same meaning is mentioned in al-Sihah by al-Jawhari and in Lisan al-‘Arab. The same is said by al-Zabidi and al-Asfahani.
(The two seas: This is ‘adhbun furat (very fresh) and this is milhun ‘ujaj (very salt))
The fresh sea is the river, The Holy Qur.an describes it with two properties: “‘adhb” and “furat”, which collectively mean that the water of this sea (i.e., the river) is very fresh as implied by the word “furat”. This description excludes the water of the estuary which can be described as ‘adhb (fresh) but cannot be said to be “furat”.
The very salt water is the water of the seas. The Holy Qur’an describes it with two properties: “milh” and “’ujaj”. ‘Ujaj means very salt, thus excluding the water of the estuary, for it is a mixture of salt and fresh water and cannot be described as milhun ‘ujaj (very salt).
Thus with these four properties we can demarcate the following three masses of water:
1.     (This is)‘adhbun furat (very fresh water): the water of the river,
2.      (This is) milhun ‘ujaj (very salt water): seawater, and
3.     (and placed between them barzakhan and hijran mahjura): Barzakh is the aquatic barrier surrounding the estuary.

What about the hijran mahjura?

Hijr or hajr means “prohibition and restriction”. The mind is described as “hijr” because it prevents one from doing what ought not to be done. Allah (SWT) says: “There is indeed in them (oaths mentioned above) sufficient proofs for men of hijr (understanding).” (Quran 89: 5) A fool is usually prohibited by the judge from disposing of his wealth, for it is in hijr or hajr, the latter being preferable. In a hadith narrated by Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa’i and Ahmad Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said to a Bedouin: “You have “tahajjarta” (restricted) what is wide or spacious.”
Ibn Manzur said: “You have ‘tahajjarta” what is wide” means “You have restricted what Allah has made spacious and kept it for yourself exclusively.” We can understand here that the living organisms in the estuary live in confinement and are not allowed to come out of it.
This area is also described as mahjurah (i.e., prohibited). From this expression we may imply another meaning apart from the first; namely, the other organisms are not allowed to enter it either. Therefore, it is hijr (prison) for the organisms living in it, and admittance to it is not permissible for those living outside it. The meaning of the verse is then: He placed between the sea and the river an aquatic partition, i.e., the aquatic barrier surrounding the estuary, and made the water between the river and the sea a place of confinement for its living organisms and forbidden for the organisms living outside it in the sea or the river.

The Estuary region has its own organisms
See how human knowledge fails to grasp the details of what the Holy Qur’an has stated. Some of the commentators mention that the barrier is land (as barrier of earth). Some others declared their inability to specify and describe it and said that it was a partition that could not be seen by anybody. All this shows us that the knowledge given to Muhammad (peace upon him) included what could not be perceived by the human mind at the time of the Messenger (peace be upon him) and during several centuries following it.

In the Qur’anic Verse: “It is He Who has mixed up (maraja) the two seas, this (one) very fresh [river],” (Quran 25: 53)

the Qur’anic text does not describe the water as ‘adhb (fresh) but it modifies this characteristic with the modifier “furat” to intensify the freshness of the water; otherwise, the reader may wrongly think that the estuary is included in this description, for it is characterized by some freshness. Thus describing the water of the sea referred to as very fresh excludes the estuary from this description and keeps it for the river as such, by saying: “This is very fresh (‘adhbun furat).” Likewise, the Qur’anic text excludes the estuary from the zone of the very salt sea through modifying the adjective “salt” with the modifier “‘ujaj” to intensify the salinity of the seawater, lest one should claim that the estuary also has salinity and thus it is part of the salt sea. By adding the word “‘ujaj” the Qur’anic text excludes the estuary from this description, which is kept for the sea as such. Consequently we have three distinct zones or areas: a very salt sea, a very fresh sea (river) and the estuary that is a mixture of fresh and salt water.
Now see how people of great talent were unable, several centuries after the revelation of the Holy Qur’an, to understand such subtle facts and mysteries and how science finally came to reveal them. Allah (SWT) tells the Truth when He says:

“Say: ‘Praise be to Allah.” He will show you His Signs and you will recognize them.” (Quran 27: 93)

See how the intended meaning has been settled at last after the commentators were uncertain about it for a long time. Allah (SWT) says:

“For every news there is a reality and you shall come to know.” (Quran 6: 67) Allah (SWT) also says: “And you shall certainly know the truth of it after a while.” (Quran 38: 88)

Who informed the Prophet?

Then who informed the illiterate Prophet, who lived in an illiterate nation in a desert environment where there was no river or an estuary, of these subtle secrets concerning the aquatic masses of various structures: very fresh, very salt and a barrier and an area of confinement in-between, and that hajr means the area into which organisms living in the other two aquatic areas are not admitted.
How long did this take man to discover? How many minute instruments and modern equipment has he used to find out these facts, which the illiterate Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned 14 hundred years ago very precisely and concisely?
Look into the fine difference that distinguishes between the meeting of two salt seas and that between a salt sea and a fresh one. You will see that in the first case there is no zone of confinement because the osmotic difference in the two seas is not great, which allows the living organisms in the two seas to transfer from one sea to the other. In the case of the meeting of the salt sea and the fresh one (the river), there must be an estuary where the water is a mixture that is neither very salt nor very fresh, which results in great differences in the osmolity and consequently makes the estuary a zone of confinement for the organisms living in it preventing them from moving into the sea or the river. This also prohibits the organisms living in the sea or the river from entering the estuary. See how the Holy Qur’an expresses these facts clearly, nicely and concisely. In describing the meeting of the two salt seas it says: “He has let free (MARAJA) the two sees meeting together. Between them is a barrier that they do not transgress” in describing the meeting between the salt water and the fresh water, it says: “It is He Who has mixed up (maraja) the two seas, this (one) very fresh [river], and this (other one) very salt, and has made between them a barrier and a forbidding partition.”
Whence, then, did this knowledge come to Muhammad (peace be upon him) other than from Allah, Who knows everything?

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Sources:

• Where the Rivers Meet the Sea (The transition from salt to fresh water is turbulent, vulnerable, and incredibly bountiful)
• http://disc.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/oceancolor/additional/science-focus/ocean-color/black_water.shtml
• http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estuary

Ocean & inner waves

Deep Ocean and domestic waves

Allah said in the Quran:
024.040 ►أَوْ كَظُلُمَاتٍ فِي بَحْرٍ لُجِّيٍّ يَغْشَاهُ مَوْجٌ مِنْ فَوْقِهِ مَوْجٌ مِنْ فَوْقِهِ سَحَابٌ ظُلُمَاتٌ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ إِذَا أَخْرَجَ يَدَهُ لَمْ يَكَدْ يَرَاهَا وَمَنْ لَمْ يَجْعَلِ اللَّهُ لَهُ نُورًا فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ نُورٍ
Or (the unbelievers’ state) is like the darkness in a deep sea. It is covered by waves, above which are waves, above which are clouds. Darkness, one above another. If a man stretches out his hand, he cannot see it…[Noble Quran, An-Noor- 24:40]


This verse mentions the darkness found in deep seas and oceans, where if a man stretches out his hand, he cannot see it. The darkness in deep seas and oceans is found around a depth of 200 meters and below. At this depth, there is almost no light. Below a depth of 1,000 meters there is no light at all [Oceans Elder and Pernetta p.27]
.
Human beings are not able to dive more than forty meters without the aid of submarines or special equipment. Human beings cannot survive unaided in the deep dark part of the oceans, such as at a depth of 200 meters.
Scientists have recently discovered this darkness by means of special equipment and submarines that have enabled them to dive into the depths of the oceans.
We can also understand from the following sentences in the previous verse, “..in a deep sea. It is covered by waves, above which are waves, above which are clouds,…” that the deep waters of seas and oceans are covered by waves, and above these waves are other waves.
It is clear that the second set of waves are the surface waves that we see, because the verse mentions that above the second waves there are clouds. But what about the first waves? Scientists have recently discovered that there are internal waves which “occur on density interfaces between layers of different densities.” [Oceanography, Gross, p. 205]
.
The internal waves cover the deep waters of seas and oceans because the deep waters have a higher density than the waters above them. Internal waves act like surface waves. They can also break just like surface waves. Internal waves cannot be seen by the human eye, but they can be detected by studying temperature or salinity changes at a given location.
Water covers so much of the earth and even mixes with the land in rivers and streams. Yet is there something keeping it from mixing with itself? What is contained in this mystery of separation of w

Obstruction of water

Barrier between sweet & salt water

55:19 ►“ مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ “
55:20► ” بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخٌ لا يَبْغِيَانِ “
“He has let free the two bodies of flowing water, meeting together: Between them is a Barrier which they do not transgress.” [Al-Qur’an -Surah Ar-Rahman -55:19-20]

In the Arabic text the word barzakh means a barrier or a partition. This barrier, however, is not a physical partition. The Arabic word maraja literally means ‘they both meet and mix with each other’. Early commentators of the Qur’an were unable to explain the two opposite meanings for the two bodies of water, i.e. they meet and mix, and at the same time there is a barrier between them. Modern Science has discovered that in the places where two different seas meet, there is a barrier between them. This barrier divides the two seas so that each sea has its own temperature, salinity and density.¹ Oceanologists are now in a better position to explain this verse. There is a slanted unseen water barrier between the two seas through which water from one sea passes to the other.
But when the water from one sea enters the other sea, it loses its distinctive characteristic and
becomes homogenized with the other water. In a way this barrier serves as a transitional homogenizing area for the two waters.
This phenomenon is also mentioned in the following verse of the Qur’an:
 27:61 ►“ أَمَّنْ جَعَلَ الأرْضَ قَرَارًا وَجَعَلَ خِلالَهَا أَنْهَارًا وَجَعَلَ لَهَا رَوَاسِيَ وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ حَاجِزًا أَإِلَهٌ مَعَ اللَّهِ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لا يَعْلَمُونَ “
“And made a separating bar between the two bodies of flowing water?” [Al-Qur’an -Surah An-Naml -27:61]

This phenomenon occurs in several places, including the divider between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean at Gibralter. A white bar can also be clearly seen at Cape Point, Cape Peninsula, South Africa where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian Ocean.
But when the Qur’an speaks about the divider between fresh and salt water, it mentions the existence of “a forbidding partition” with the barrier.
 25:53 ►“ وَهُوَ الَّذِي مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ هَذَا عَذْبٌ فُرَاتٌ وَهَذَا مِلْحٌ أُجَاجٌ وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخًا وَحِجْرًا مَحْجُورًا “
“It is He Who has let free the two bodies of flowing water:one palatable and sweet, and the other salty and bitter; yet has He made a barrier between them, to be passed. [Al-Qur’an- Surah Al-Furqan- 25:53]


Modern science has discovered that in estuaries, where fresh (sweet) and salt water meet, the situation is somewhat different from that found in places where two salt water seas meet. It has been discovered that what distinguishes fresh water from salt water in estuaries is a “pycnocline zone with a marked density discontinuity separating the two layers.”¹ This partition (zone of separation) has a salinity different from both the fresh water and the salt water.²
This phenomenon occurs in several places, including Egypt, where the river Nile flows into the Mediterranean Sea.
These scientific phenomena mentioned in the Qur’an was also confirmed by Dr. William Hay, a well-known marine scientist and Professor of Geological Sciences at the University of Colorado, U.S.A.

¹ Principles of Oceanography, Davis, pp. 92-93.
¹ Oceanography, Gross, p. 242. Also see Introductory Oceanography,
Thurman, pp. 300-301.
² Oceanography, Gross, p. 244 and Introductory Oceanography,
Thurman, pp. 300-301.

Depth seas & waves

The Dark Depths of the Seas and Internal Waves  024.040► أَوْ كَظُلُمَاتٍ فِي بَحْرٍ لُجِّيٍّ يَغْشَاهُ مَوْجٌ مِنْ فَوْقِهِ مَوْجٌ مِنْ فَوْقِهِ سَحَابٌ ظُلُمَاتٌ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ إِذَا أَخْرَجَ يَدَهُ لَمْ يَكَدْ يَرَاهَا وَمَنْ لَمْ يَجْعَلِ اللَّهُ لَهُ نُورًا فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ نُورٍ Or [the unbelievers' state] are like the darkness of a fathomless sea which is covered by waves above which are waves above which are clouds, layers of darkness, one upon the other. If he puts out his hand, he can scarcely see it. Those Allah gives no light to, they have no light. (Qur’an, An-Noor- 24:40) In deep seas and oceans, the darkness is found at a depth of 200 meters (660 feet) and deeper. At this depth, there is almost no light, and below a depth of 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) there is no light at all.65 Today, we know about the general formation of the sea, the characteristics of the living things in it, its salinity, as well as the amount of water it contains, and its surface area and depth. Submarines and special equipment, developed with modern technology, have enabled scientists to obtain such information. Human beings are not able to dive to a depth of more than 70 meters (230 feet) without the aid of special equipment. They cannot survive unaided in the dark depths of the oceans, such as at a depth of 200 meters (660 feet). For these reasons, scientists have only recently been able to discover detailed information about the seas. However, that the depth of the sea is dark was revealed in the Qur’an 1,400 years ago. It is certainly one of the miracles of the Qur’an that such information was given at a time where no equipment to enable man to dive into the depths of the oceans was available. In addition, the statement in Surat an-Nur 40 “…like the darkness of a fathomless sea which is covered by waves above which are waves above which are clouds…” draws our attention to another miracle of the Qur’an. Scientists have only recently discovered that there are sub-surface waves, which “occur on density interfaces between layers of different densities.” These internal waves cover the deep waters of seas and oceans because deep water has a higher density than the water above it. Internal waves act like surface waves. They can break, just like surface waves. Internal waves cannot be discerned by the human eye, but they can be detected by studying temperature or salinity changes at a given location.66 The statements in the Qur’an run parallel precisely the above explanation. Certainly, this fact, which scientists has discovered very recently, shows once again that the Qur’an is the word of Allah.

Dark & deep ocean

DARKNESS IN DEPTHS OF OCEAN

Prof. Durga Rao is a world renowned expert in the field of Marine Geology and was a professor at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah. He was asked to comment on the following verse:


24:40 ►“ أَوْ كَظُلُمَاتٍ فِي بَحْرٍ لُجِّيٍّ يَغْشَاهُ مَوْجٌ مِنْ فَوْقِهِ مَوْجٌ مِنْ فَوْقِهِ سَحَابٌ ظُلُمَاتٌ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ إِذَا أَخْرَجَ يَدَهُ لَمْ يَكَدْ يَرَاهَا وَمَنْ لَمْ يَجْعَلِ اللَّهُ لَهُ نُورًا فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ نُورٍ “
“Or (the Unbelievers’ state) is like the depths of darkness in a vast deep ocean,overwhelmed with billow topped by billow, topped by (dark) clouds: depths of darkness, one above another: if a man stretches out his hand, he can hardly see it! For any to whom Allah giveth not light, there is no light!” [Al-Qur’an- Surah An-Noor- 24:40]

Prof. Rao said that scientists have only now been able to confirm, with the help of modern equipment, that there is darkness in the depths of the ocean. Humans are unable to dive unaided underwater for more than 20 to 30 metres, and cannot survive in the deep oceanic regions at a depth of more than 200 metres. This verse does not refer to all seas because not every sea can be described as having accumulated darkness layered one over another. It refers especially to a deep sea or deep ocean, as the Qur’an says, “darkness in a vast deep ocean”. This layered darkness in a deep ocean is the result of two causes:
1.       A light ray is composed of seven colours seen in the rainbow. These seven colours are Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red (VIBGYOR). The light ray undergoes refraction when it hits water. The upper 10 to 15 metres of water absorb the red colour. Therefore, if a diver is 25 metres under water and gets wounded, he would not be able to see the red colour of his blood, because the red colour does not reach this depth. Similarly, orange rays are absorbed at 30 to 50 metres, yellow at 50 to 100 metres, green at 100 to 200 metres, and finally, blue beyond 200 metres and violet and indigo above 200 metres. Due to successive disappearance of colour, one layer after another, the ocean progressively becomes darker, i.e. darkness takes place in layers of light. Below a depth of 1000 meters there is complete darkness.¹
2.       The sun’s rays are absorbed by clouds which in turn scatter light rays thus causing a layer of darkness under the clouds. This is the first layer of darkness. When light rays reach the surface of the ocean they are reflected by the wave surface giving it a shiny appearance. Therefore, it is the waves which reflect light and cause darkness. The unreflected light penetrates into the depths of the ocean. Thus, the ocean has two parts. The surface characterized by light and warmth and the depth characterized by darkness. The surface
is further separated from the deep part of the ocean by waves.
The internal waves cover the deep waters of seas and oceans because the deep waters have a higher density than the waters above them.
The darkness begins below the internal waves. Even the fish in the depths of the ocean cannot see; their only source of light is from their own bodies.
The Qur’an describes this aptly:
“Darkness in a vast deep ocean overwhelmed with waves topped by waves”.
In other words, above these waves there are more types of waves, i.e. those found on the surface of the ocean. The Qur’anic verse continues, “topped by (dark) clouds; depths of darkness, one above another.”
These clouds as explained are barriers one over the other that further cause darkness by absorption of colours at different levels.
Prof. Durga Rao concluded by saying, “1400 years ago a normal human being could not explain this phenomenon in so much detail. Thus the information must have come from a supernatural source”.

25:54 ►“ وَهُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ مِنَ الْمَاءِ بَشَرًا فَجَعَلَهُ نَسَبًا وَصِهْرًا وَكَانَ رَبُّكَ قَدِيرًا “
“It is He Who has Created man from water: then has He established relationships of lineage and marriage:for thy Lord has power (over all things).” [Al-Qur’an-Surah Al-Furqan- 25:54]

Was it possible 14 centuries ago for any human being to guess that every living being was made from water? Moreover would such a guess be conceivable by a human being in the deserts of Arabia where there has always been scarcity of water?
¹ Oceans, Elder and Pernetta, p. 27.
¹ The reference for this statment is the video tape titled ‘This is the Truth’. For a copy of this video tape contact the Islamic Research Foundation.

Use of electricity

Use of electricity

034.012 وَلِسُلَيْمَانَ الرِّيحَ غُدُوُّهَا شَهْرٌ وَرَوَاحُهَا شَهْرٌ وَأَسَلْنَا لَهُ عَيْنَ الْقِطْرِ وَمِنَ الْجِنِّ مَنْ يَعْمَلُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِ وَمَنْ يَزِغْ مِنْهُمْ عَنْ أَمْرِنَا نُذِقْهُ مِنْ عَذَابِ السَّعِيرِ

Al-Qur'an, 034.012 (Saba [Saba, Sheba])



And We made a fount of molten copper flow out for him. (Qur’an, 34:12)

One of Allah’s great blessings to Prophet Sulayman (as) was “a fount of molten copper.” This can be understood in several senses. By the use of melted copper, it may be referring to the existence, at his time, of an advanced technology that employed electricity. We know that copper is one of the best metals for conducting electricity and heat, and thus constitutes the basis of the electrical industry, which uses much of the copper produced in the world. The expression “flow out” may indicate that electricity can be used in many fields. (Allah knows best.)

Wind that fertilize

In one verse of the Qur’an, the “fecundating” characteristic of the winds, and the resulting formation of rain are mentioned.

015.022► وَأَرْسَلْنَا الرِّيَاحَ لَوَاقِحَ فَأَنْزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَسْقَيْنَاكُمُوهُ وَمَا أَنْتُمْ لَهُ بِخَازِنِينَ
And We send the fecundating winds, then cause water to descend from the sky, therewith providing you with water in abundance. (Qur’an, Al-Hijr -15:22)

This verse points out that the first stage in the formation of rain is wind. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the only relationship known between the wind and the rain was that it was the wind that drove the clouds. However, modern meteorological findings have demonstrated the “fecundating” role of the wind in the formation of rain.
As explained earlier, this fecundating function of the wind works in the following way:
On the surface of oceans and seas, a large number of air bubbles form because of the water’s foaming action. The moment these bubbles burst, thousands of tiny particles, with a diameter of just one hundredth of a millimetre, are thrown up into the air. These particles, known as “aerosols,” mix with dust carried from the land by the wind, and are carried to the upper layers of the atmosphere. These particles carried to higher altitudes by winds come into contact with water vapour up there. Water vapour condenses around these particles and turns into water droplets. These water droplets first come together and form clouds, and then fall to the Earth in the form of rain. As mentioned, winds “fecundate” the water vapour floating in the air with the particles they carry from the sea, and eventually help the formation of rain clouds.
If winds did not possess this property, water droplets in the upper atmosphere would never form, and there would be no rain.
The most important point to be recognized here is that this critical role of the wind in the formation of rain was stated centuries ago in the Qur’an, at a time when very little was known about natural phenomena…
Further information provided in the verse about the fertilising quality of the wind is its role in the pollination of flowers. Many plants on Earth disperse their pollen by means of the wind in order to ensure the survival of their species. Several open-seeded plants, pine trees, palm and similar trees, seeded plants that produce flowers, and grass-like plants are entirely pollinated by the wind. The wind carries the pollen from the plants to others of the species, thus fertilising them.
Until recently, the way that the wind was able to fertilise plants was unknown. When it was realised, however, that plants are divided into males and females, the fertilising role of the wind was also discovered. This truth was already indicated in the Qur’an: “…


020.053►الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الأرْضَ مَهْدًا وَسَلَكَ لَكُمْ فِيهَا سُبُلا وَأَنْزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِ أَزْوَاجًا مِنْ نَبَاتٍ شَتَّى
 [He] sent down water from the sky by which We have brought forth various different types of plants in pairs.” (Qur’an, Ta-Ha -20:53)

Wind formation

Stage of wind formation

045.005► وَاخْتِلافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مِنْ رِزْقٍ فَأَحْيَا بِهِ الأرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا وَتَصْرِيفِ الرِّيَاحِ آيَاتٌ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ
… and [in His] directing of the winds, there are signs for people who use their intellect. (Qur’an, Al-Jathiya -45:5)


Wind is a movement of air which forms between two different temperature centres. Due to the different pressures caused by different temperatures in the atmosphere, air constantly flows from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure. If differences between pressure centres, in other words, temperatures in the atmosphere, are large, the flow of air, in other words, the wind, is very strong, so strong in fact that tornadoes which can inflict terrible damage can be formed.
What is astonishing here is that, despite there being belts of very different temperatures and pressures, such as the equator and the poles, thanks to the order in Allah’s creation, our Earth is not exposed to disastrously fierce winds. Were the force of the winds that would otherwise blow between the poles and the equator not tempered, the Earth would become a dead planet constantly buffeted by tornadoes.
In the Arabic expression “tasreefi al-riyaah,” in the above verse, the word “tasreef” means “turning over many times, directing, shaping something, managing, distributing.” The choice of this word for the wind fully describes the way it blows in an ordered manner. It is also a clear expression of the fact that the wind does not blow by chance, of its own accord. It is Allah Who directs the winds in such a way as to make human life possible.

Weight of Cloud

The weight of clouds can reach quite astonishing proportions. For example, a cumulonimbus cloud, commonly known as the thunder cloud, can contain up to 300,000 tons of water.
The fact that a mass of 300,000 tons of water can remain aloft is truly amazing. Attention is drawn to the weight of clouds in other verses of the Qur’an:


007.057► وَهُوَ الَّذِي يُرْسِلُ الرِّيَاحَ بُشْرًا بَيْنَ يَدَيْ رَحْمَتِهِ حَتَّى إِذَا أَقَلَّتْ سَحَابًا ثِقَالا سُقْنَاهُ لِبَلَدٍ مَيِّتٍ فَأَنْزَلْنَا بِهِ الْمَاءَ فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِ مِنْ كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ كَذَلِكَ نُخْرِجُ الْمَوْتَى لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ
It is He Who sends out the winds, bringing advance news of His mercy, so that when they have lifted up the heavy clouds, We dispatch them to a dead land and send down water to it, by means of which We bring forth all kinds of fruit… (Qur’an, Al-Araf- 7:57)

013.012► هُوَ الَّذِي يُرِيكُمُ الْبَرْقَ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا وَيُنْشِئُ السَّحَابَ الثِّقَالَ
It is He Who shows you the lightning, striking fear and bringing hope; it is He Who heaps up the heavy clouds. (Qur’an, Ar-Rad -13:12)

At the time when the Qur’an was revealed, of course, it was quite impossible to have any information about the weight of clouds. This information, revealed in the Qur’an, but discovered only recently, is yet another proof that the Qur’an is the word of Allah.

Water cycle

In 1580, Bernard Palissy was the first person to describe the present day concept of ‘water cycle’. He described how water evaporates from the oceans and cools to form clouds. The clouds move inland where they rise, condense and fall as rain. This water gathers as lakes and streams and flows back to the ocean in a continuous cycle. In the 7th century B.C., Thales of Miletus believed that surface spray of the oceans was picked up by the wind and carried inland to fall as rain.

In earlier times people did not know the source of underground water. They thought the water of the oceans, under the effect of winds, was thrust towards the interior of the continents. They also believed that the water returned by a secret passage or the Great Abyss. This passage is connected to the oceans and has been called the ‘Tartarus’, since Plato’s time. Even Descartes, a great thinker of the eighteenth century,

subscribed to this view. Till the nineteenth century, Aristotle’s theory was still prevalent. According to this theory, water was condensed in cool mountain caverns and formed underground lakes that fed springs. Today, we have come to know that the rainwater that seeps into the cracks of the ground is responsible for this.
This is described by the Qur’an in the following verses:
39.021► “ أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ أَنْزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَسَلَكَهُ يَنَابِيعَ فِي الأرْضِ ثُمَّ يُخْرِجُ بِهِ زَرْعًا مُخْتَلِفًا أَلْوَانُهُ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَاهُ مُصْفَرًّا ثُمَّ يَجْعَلُهُ حُطَامًا إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَذِكْرَى لأولِي الألْبَابِ “

“ Seest thou not that Allah sends down rain from the sky, and leads it through springs in the earth? Then He causes to grow, therewith, produce of various colours: then it withers; thou wilt see it grow yellow; then He makes it dry up and crumble away. Truly, in this, is a Message of remembrance to men of understanding.”[Al-Qur'an-Surah Az-Zumar -39.021]

30:24► “ وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ يُرِيكُمُ الْبَرْقَ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا وَيُنَزِّلُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَيُحْيِي بِهِ الأرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ “
“Seest thou not that Allah sends down rain from the sky, and leads it through springs in the earth? then He causes to grow, therewith, produce of various colours.” “He sends down rain from the sky and with it gives life to the earth after it is dead: Verily in that are Signs for those who are wise.” [Al-Qur’an Surah Ar-Room - 30:24]

23:18 ►“ وَأَنْزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً بِقَدَرٍ فَأَسْكَنَّاهُ فِي الأرْضِ وَإِنَّا عَلَى ذَهَابٍ بِهِ لَقَادِرُونَ “
“And We send down water from the sky according to (due) measure,and We cause it
to soak in the soil;and We certainly are able to drain it off (with ease).” [Al-Qur’an –Surah Al-Mumenoon -23:18]
No other text dating back 1400 years ago gives such an accurate description of the water cycle.

Measured-rains

Measured amount-rains Another item of information provided in the Qur’an about rain is that it is sent down to Earth in “due measure.” This is mentioned in Surat az-Zukhruf as follows: 043.011► وَالَّذِي نَزَّلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً بِقَدَرٍ فَأَنْشَرْنَا بِهِ بَلْدَةً مَيْتًا كَذَلِكَ تُخْرَجُونَ It is He Who sends down water in measured amounts from the sky by which We bring a dead land back to life. That is how you too will be raised [from the dead]. (Qur’an, Az-Zukhruf -43:11) This measured quantity in rain has again been discovered by modern research. It is estimated that in one second, approximately 16 million tons of water evaporates from the Earth. This figure amounts to 513 trillion tons of water in one year. This number is equal to the amount of rain that falls on the Earth in a year. Therefore, water continuously circulates in a balanced cycle, according to a “measure.” Life on Earth depends on this water cycle. Even if all the available technology in the world were to be employed for this purpose, this cycle could not be reproduced artificially. Even a minor deviation in this equilibrium would soon give rise to a major ecological imbalance that would bring about the end of life on Earth. Yet, it never happens, and rain continues to fall every year in exactly the same measure, just as revealed in the Qur’an. The proportion of rain does not merely apply to its quantity, but also to the speed of the falling raindrops. The speed of raindrops, regardless of their size, does not exceed a certain limit. Philipp Lenard, a German physicist who received the Nobel Prize in physics in 1905, found that the fall speed increased with drop diameter until a size of 4.5 mm (0.18 inch). For larger drops, however, the fall speed did not increase beyond 8 metres per second (26 ft/sec).57 He attributed this to the changes in drop shape caused by the air flow as the drop size increased. The change in shape thus increased the air resistance of the drop and slowed its fall rate. As can be seen, the Qur’an may also be drawing our attention to the subtle adjustment in rain which could not have been known 1,400 years ago.

How rain forms

How rain was formed remained a great mystery for quite some time. Only after the weather radar was invented was it possible to discover the stages by which rain is formed.
According to this discovery, the formation of rain takes place in three stages. First, the “raw material” of rain rises up into the air with the wind. Later, clouds are formed, and finally raindrops appear.
The Qur’an’s account of the formation of rain refers exactly to this process. In one verse, this formation is described in this way:


030.048► اللَّهُ الَّذِي يُرْسِلُ الرِّيَاحَ فَتُثِيرُ سَحَابًا فَيَبْسُطُهُ فِي السَّمَاءِ كَيْفَ يَشَاءُ وَيَجْعَلُهُ كِسَفًا فَتَرَى الْوَدْقَ يَخْرُجُ مِنْ خِلالِهِ فَإِذَا أَصَابَ بِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ إِذَا هُمْ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ
It is Allah Who sends the winds which stir up clouds which He spreads about the sky however He wills. He forms them into dark clumps and you see the rain come pouring out from the middle of them. When He makes it fall on those of His servants He wills, they rejoice. (Qur’an, Ar-Room -30:48)

Now, let us examine these three stages outlined in the verse in more detail.

FIRST STAGE: “It is Allah Who sends the winds…”
Countless air bubbles formed by the foaming of the oceans continuously burst and cause water particles to be ejected towards the sky. These particles, which are rich in salt, are then carried away by winds and rise upward in the atmosphere. These particles, which are called aerosols, function as water traps, and form cloud drops by collecting around the water vapour themselves, which rises from the seas as tiny droplets.

SECOND STAGE: “…. which stir up clouds which He spreads about the sky however He wills. He forms them into dark clumps…”
The clouds are formed from water vapour that condenses around the salt crystals or dust particles in the air. Because the water droplets in these clouds are very small (with a diameter between 0.01 and 0.02 mm [0,0004 and 0,0008 inch]), the clouds are suspended in the air, and spread across the sky. Thus, the sky is covered in clouds.

THIRD STAGE: “…and you see the rain come pouring out from the middle of them”
The water particles that surround salt crystals and dust particles thicken and form raindrops, so, drops that become heavier than the air leave the clouds and start to fall to the ground as rain.
As already discussed, every stage in the formation of rain is related in the verses of the Qur’an. Furthermore, these stages are explained in exactly the right sequence. Just as with many other natural phenomena on the Earth, Allah gave the most correct explanation of this phenomenon, and made it known in the Qur’an centuries before it was discovered.
In another verse, the following information is given about the formation of rain:

024.043► أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُزْجِي سَحَابًا ثُمَّ يُؤَلِّفُ بَيْنَهُ ثُمَّ يَجْعَلُهُ رُكَامًا فَتَرَى الْوَدْقَ يَخْرُجُ مِنْ خِلالِهِ وَيُنَزِّلُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مِنْ جِبَالٍ فِيهَا مِنْ بَرَدٍ فَيُصِيبُ بِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَصْرِفُهُ عَنْ مَنْ يَشَاءُ يَكَادُ سَنَا بَرْقِهِ يَذْهَبُ بِالأبْصَارِ
Haven’t you seen how Allah drives along the clouds, then joins them together, then makes them into a stack, and then you see the rain come out of it? And He sends down from the sky mountain masses [of clouds] with cold hail in them, striking with it anyone He wills and averting it from anyone He wills. The brightness of His lightning almost blinds the sight. (Qur’an, An-Noor -24:43)

Scientists studying cloud types came across surprising results with regards to the formation of rain clouds. Rain clouds are formed and shaped according to definite systems and stages. The stages of formation of one kind of rain cloud, cumulonimbus, are these:
1. STAGE, Being driven along: Clouds are carried along, that is, they are driven along, by the wind.
2. STAGE, Joining: Then, small clouds (cumulonimbus clouds) driven along by the wind join together, forming a larger cloud.58
3. STAGE, Stacking: When the small clouds join together, updrafts within the larger cloud increase. The updrafts near the centre of the cloud are stronger than those near the edges. These updrafts cause the cloud body to grow vertically, so the cloud is stacked up. This vertical growth causes the cloud body to stretch into cooler regions of the atmosphere, where drops of water and hail formulate and begin to grow larger and larger. When these drops of water and hail become too heavy for the updrafts to support them, they begin to fall from the cloud as rain, hail, etc.59
We must remember that meteorologists have only recently come to know these details about cloud formation, structure and function, by using advanced equipment like planes, satellites, computers etc. It is evident that Allah has provided us information that could not have been known 1,400 years ago.

EVAPORATION

86:11 ►“ وَالسَّمَاءِ ذَاتِ الرَّجْعِ “
“By the Firmament which returns (in its round),” [Al-Qur’an- Surah At-Tariq- 86:11]

Winds impregnate clouds

15:22 ►“ وَأَرْسَلْنَا الرِّيَاحَ لَوَاقِحَ فَأَنْزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَسْقَيْنَاكُمُوهُ وَمَا أَنْتُمْ لَهُ بِخَازِنِينَ “

“And We send the fecundating winds, then cause the rain to descend from the sky, therewith providing you with water (in abundance).” [Al-Qur’an-Surah Al-Hijr- 15:22]


The Arabic word used here is lawaaqih which is the plural of laqih from laqaha, which means to impregnate or fecundate. In this context, impregnate means that the wind pushes the clouds together increasing the condensation that causes lightning and thus rain. A similar description is found in the following verses of the Qur’an:

24:43 ►“ أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُزْجِي سَحَابًا ثُمَّ يُؤَلِّفُ بَيْنَهُ ثُمَّ يَجْعَلُهُ رُكَامًا فَتَرَى الْوَدْقَ يَخْرُجُ مِنْ خِلالِهِ وَيُنَزِّلُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مِنْ جِبَالٍ فِيهَا مِنْ بَرَدٍ فَيُصِيبُ بِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَصْرِفُهُ عَنْ مَنْ يَشَاءُ يَكَادُ سَنَا بَرْقِهِ يَذْهَبُ بِالأبْصَارِ “
“Seest thou not that Allah makes the clouds move gently, then joins them together, then makes them into a heap?–then wilt thou see rain issue forth from their midst. And He sends down from the sky mountain masses (of clouds) wherein is hail: He strikes therewith whom He pleases and He turns it away from whom He pleases. the vivid flash of His lightning well-nigh blinds the sight.” [Al-Qur’an Surah An-Noor- 24:43]

30:48 ►“ اللَّهُ الَّذِي يُرْسِلُ الرِّيَاحَ فَتُثِيرُ سَحَابًا فَيَبْسُطُهُ فِي السَّمَاءِ كَيْفَ يَشَاءُ وَيَجْعَلُهُ كِسَفًا فَتَرَى الْوَدْقَ يَخْرُجُ مِنْ خِلالِهِ فَإِذَا أَصَابَ بِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ إِذَا هُمْ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ “

“It is Allah Who sends the Winds, and they raise the Clouds: then does He spread them in the sky as He wills, and break them into fragments, until thou seest raindrops issue from the midst thereof: then when He has made them reach such of His servants as He wills, behold, they do rejoice!” [Al-Qur’an –Surh Ar-Room -30:48]
Modern data on Hydrology agrees perfectly with the Qur’anic description on the same subject.
The water cycle is described in several other verses of the Glorious Qur’an,

Clouds

According to the scientists today:
“Water vaporizes from the oceans and rivers forming tiny clouds. The small clouds join together and the updrafts within the larger cloud increase. The updrafts closer to the center are stronger, because they are protected from the cooling effects by the outer portion of the cloud. These updrafts cause the cloud body to grow vertically, so the cloud is stacked up. This vertical growth causes the cloud body to stretch into cooler regions of the atmosphere where drops of water and hail formulate and begin to grow larger and larger. When these drops of water and hail become too heavy for the updrafts to support them, they begin to fall from the cloud as rain, hail, etc.”[From "The Atmosphere" p. 269 and "Elements of Meteorology" pp. 141-142]
- Now just for the sake of argument, let us see what the “Muslim scientists” used to formulate their understandings centuries ago based on the revelation of the Quran (revealed 1400 years ago):
Have you not seen how God makes the clouds move gently, then joins them together, then makes them into a stack, and then you see the rain come out of it…[Noble Quran 24:43]




Meteorologists have only recently come to know these details of cloud formation, structure, and function by using advanced equipment like planes, satellites, computers, balloons, and other equipment to study wind and its direction, to measure humidity and its variations, and to determine the levels and variations of atmospheric pressure.
The preceding verse, after mentioning clouds and rain, Quran speaks about hail and lightning:
… And He sends down hail from mountains (clouds) in the sky, and He strikes with it whomever He wills, and turns it from whomever He wills. The vivid flash of its lightning nearly blinds the sight.[Noble Quran 24:43]

Meteorologists have found that these cumulonimbus clouds, that shower hail, reach a height of 25,000 to 30,000 ft. (4.7 to 5.7 miles) like mountains, as the Quran says;
…And He sends down hail from mountains (clouds) in the sky…[Noble Quran 24:43]

Now this verse may raise the question: “Why does the verse say “its lightning” while referring to hail? This seems to indicate that hail is a major factor in producing lightning. Looking to a book on the subject (Meteorology Today) we find that it says:
“Clouds become electrified as hail falls through a region in the cloud of super cooled droplets and ice crystals. As liquid droplets collide with the hail they freeze on contact and release latent heat. This keeps the surface of the hail warmer than that of the surrounding ice crystals. When the hail comes in contact with an ice crystal, an important phenomenon occurs: electrons flow from the colder object toward the warmer object. So, the hail becomes negatively charged. The same effect occurs when super cooled droplets come in contact with a piece of hail and tiny splinters of positively charged ice break off. These lighter, positively charged particles are then carried to the upper part of the cloud by updrafts. The hail, left with a negative charge, falls toward the bottom of the cloud, so the lower part of the cloud becomes negatively charged. These negative charges are then discharged to the ground as lightning. [Meteorology Today p. 437]
This information on lightning was discovered recently. Until 1,600 A.D., Aristotle’s ideas on meteorology were dominant in the non-Muslim countries. For example, he said that the atmosphere contains two kinds of exhalation, moist and dry. He also said that thunder is the sound of the collision of the dry exhalation with the neighboring clouds, and lightning is the inflaming and burning of the dry exhalation with a thin and faint fire. [Works of Aristotle Translated into English pp. 369 a&b]
These are some of the ideas on meteorology that were dominant at the time of the Quran’s revelation, fourteen hundred years ago.
Let us now bring our gaze a bit closer to earth. Consider the mountains and their majesty. Is there anything about these massive formations that may give us a clue as to the origin of creation?

String theory

“By heaven furnished with paths;” (Surat adh-Dhariyat, 7)

The Arabic word “alhubuki,” translated as “furnished with paths” in verse 7 of Surat adh-Dhariyat, comes from the verb “hubeke,” meaning “to weave closely, to knit, to bind together.” The use of this word in the verse is particularly wise and represents the current state of scientific knowledge in two aspects.
The first is this: The orbits and paths in the universe are so dense and intertwined that they constitute intersecting paths, just like the threads in a piece of fabric. The Solar System we live in is made up of the Sun, the planets and their satellites and heavenly objects in constant motion such as meteors and comets. The Solar System moves through the galaxy known as the Milky Way, which contains 400 billion stars.1 It is estimated that there are billions of galaxies. Celestial bodies and systems revolving at speeds of thousands of kilometers an hour move through space without colliding with one another.
The science of astronomy was developed with the aim of mapping the positions and courses of stars, while astro-mechanics was developed in order to determine these complex motions. Astronomers used to assume that orbits were perfectly spherical. The fact is, however, that heavenly bodies are known to follow mathematical shapes, such as spherical, elliptical, parabolic or hyperbolic orbits. Dr. Carlo Rovelli of the University of Pittsburgh says, “Our space in which we live is just this enormously complicated spin network.”2

left; the orbits of some of the bodies in the Solar System. Based on this picture and looking clockwise, it can be seen that the Solar System itself is part of even greater orbital movements.3
The second aspect is that the description in the Qur’an of the sky using a word meaning “woven” may be a reference to the String Theory of physics. (Allah knows the truth.) According to this theory, the basic elements that comprise the universe are not point-like particles, but strings resembling miniature violin strings. These tiny, identical and one dimensional strings oscillating in the form of filaments are regarded as being like loops in appearance. It is assumed that the origin of all the diversity in the universe lies in the way these strings vibrate at different vibrations, in the same way that violin strings produce different sounds with different vibrations.4