Water: Part of God's Perfect Design
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and pressure that prevail on our planet’s surface. In fact, water is one of only three naturally occurring inorganic liquids on earth. It is also the only substance that is found on Earth in all three physical states: solid, liquid, and gas.
[24:43] Do you not realize that GOD drives the clouds, then gathers them together, then piles them on each other, then you see the rain coming out of them? He sends down from the sky loads of snow to cover whomever He wills, while diverting it from whomever He wills. The brightness of the snow almost blinds the eyes.
Without this design, the water cycle that most living things rely on would not exist. No other substance exhibits this transformation cycle, and yet we often take it for granted. In the Quran, God tells us about this water cycle in 24:43, 25:53 and similar verses. If not for the evaporation and condensation, we would not have fresh water to drink.
[25:53] He is the One who merges the two seas; one is fresh and palatable, while the other is salty and undrinkable. And He separated them with a formidable, inviolable barrier (evaporation).
[30:48 - 50] GOD is the One who sends the winds, to stir up clouds, to be spread throughout the sky in accordance with His will. He then piles the clouds up, then you see the rain coming down therefrom. When it falls on whomever He chooses from among His servants, they rejoice. Before it fell on them, they had resorted to despair. You shall appreciate GOD's continuous mercy, and how He revives the land that has been dead. He will just as certainly resurrect the dead. He is Omnipotent.
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Water’s wide liquid range and high heat capacity mean that temperatures on the Earth’s surface, which is more than two-thirds water, can undergo extreme variations—between night and day, say, or between seasons—without its water freezing or boiling away, events that would cause a lot of hardship in life as we know it. By God’s design, the oceans serve as a powerful moderating influence on the world’s climate.
[51:48] And we made the earth habitable; a perfect design
Overwhelming Signs of God
[2:164] In the creation of the heavens and the earth, the alternation of night and day, the ships that roam the ocean for the benefit of the people, the water that GOD sends down from the sky to revive dead land and to spread in it all kinds of creatures, the manipulation of the winds, and the clouds that are placed between the sky and the earth, there are sufficient proofs for people who understand.
[15:19 - 23] As for the earth, we constructed it, and placed on it stabilizers (mountains), and we grew on it a perfect balance of everything. We made it habitable for you,* and for creatures you do not provide for. There is nothing that we do not own infinite amounts thereof. But we send it down in precise measure. And we send the winds as pollinators, and cause water to come down from the sky for you to drink. Otherwise, you could not keep it palatable. It is we who control life and death, and we are the ultimate inheritors.
*15:20 When we send astronauts into space, we provide them with precisely measured quantities of food, water, and oxygen. God created the spaceship Earth with billions of astronauts who work and reproduce; He supplied them with a self-supporting system that generates oxygen, fresh water, and a great variety of delicious foods and drinks. |
Appreciation
Water is essential for life. No one on planet Earth can survive without it. It is a prerequisite for human health and well-being as well as for the preservation of the environment. For many people in developed nations, it is easy to take water for granted. Our “issues” with water are whether it is hot or cold enough in the shower. Or if we have ice to cool our drink. For many others, this is the least of their problems. From the United Nations website we learn: “Four of every ten people in the world do not have access to even a simple pit latrine; and nearly two in ten have no source of safe drinking water. Every year millions of people, most of them children, die from diseases associated with inadequate water supply, sanitation, and hygiene.” According to the World Health Organization, each and every day some 3,900 children die because of dirty water or poor hygiene; and it is the major cause of death among children worldwide, after respiratory diseases.
It is likely to get more serious: “…observers have estimated that by 2025 more than half of the world population will be facing water-based vulnerability.” So we must take every opportunity to appreciate God's blessings upon us, including that of fresh and clean water. We can also help others in need of water with charity, seeking God's pleasure.
[16:10] He sends down from the sky water for your drink, and to grow trees for your benefit.
[23:18-19] We send down from the sky water, in exact measure, then we store it in the ground. Certainly, we can let it escape. With it, we produce for you orchards of date palms, grapes, all kinds of fruits, and various foods.
[30:48-50] GOD is the One who sends the winds, to stir up clouds, to be spread throughout the sky in accordance with His will. He then piles the clouds up, then you see the rain coming down therefrom. When it Cont’d on page 3 |