The Quranic Perspective on Rainfall
The Quran contains several verses that describe the process of rainfall, each revealing a different aspect of this natural phenomenon. One of the most comprehensive descriptions is found in Surah An-Nur (24:43):
Arabic: يُزْجِي سَحَابًا ثُمَّ يُؤَلِّفُ بَيْنَهُ ثُمَّ يَجْعَلُهُ رُكَامًا فَتَرَى الْوَدْقَ يَخْرُجُ مِنْ خِلَالِهِ ۖ وَيُنَزِّلُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مِن جِبَالٍ فِيهَا مِن بَرَدٍ فَيُصِيبُ بِهِ مَن يَشَاءُ وَيَصْرِفُهُ عَن مَّن يَشَاءُ ۖ يَكَادُ سَنَا بَرْقِهِ يَذْهَبُ بِالْأَبْصَارِ
Transliteration: “Yuzji sahaban thumma yu’allifu baynahu thumma yaj’aluhu rukaman fatara al-wadqa yakhruju min khilalihi wayunazzilu mina al-sama’i min jibalin feeha min baradin fayuseebu bihi man yashau wayasrifuhu ‘amman yashau yakadu sana barqihi yadhhabu bil-absar.”
Translation: “Do you not see that Allah drives clouds? Then He brings them together, then He makes them into a mass, and you see the rain emerge from within it. And He sends down from the sky, mountains [of clouds] within which is hail, and He strikes with it whom He wills and averts it from whom He wills. The flash of its lightning almost takes away the eyesight.”
This verse captures the sequential stages of cloud formation, their accumulation, and the resultant rainfall, which is strikingly similar to the scientific explanation of the rain process.
Scientific Understanding of the Raining Process
The modern scientific understanding of the raining process can be summarized in the following steps:
- Evaporation: Water from oceans, rivers, and other bodies of water evaporates due to the heat of the sun, forming water vapor that rises into the atmosphere.
- Condensation: As the water vapor rises, it cools and condenses to form tiny water droplets. These droplets come together to form clouds.
- Coalescence: The tiny droplets within the clouds collide and combine to form larger droplets. When these droplets become heavy enough, they fall as rain.
- Precipitation: This is the final stage where the condensed water droplets fall to the earth’s surface as precipitation in the form of rain, snow, or hail, depending on the atmospheric conditions.
The Quran’s Description vs. Modern Science
When comparing the Quranic description with modern science, it is evident that the Quran’s portrayal of the raining process is remarkably accurate:
- Driving Clouds: The verse mentions how Allah “drives clouds,” which aligns with the movement of clouds driven by wind currents.
- Bringing Clouds Together: The phrase “He brings them together” refers to the gathering of clouds, akin to the coalescence of water droplets in scientific terms.
- Formation of a Mass: “He makes them into a mass” corresponds to the accumulation of these water droplets into larger clouds, which then become dense and heavy.
- Rain Emerging from Within: “You see the rain emerge from within it” perfectly aligns with the concept of precipitation, where rain falls from the clouds once the droplets reach a certain size.
- Mountains of Hail: The verse also mentions “mountains within which is hail,” which could be a poetic description of cumulonimbus clouds, known for producing heavy rainfall and hailstones. These clouds often appear as towering structures in the sky, similar to mountains.
The resemblance between the Quranic description and modern science is not coincidental but rather indicative of the Quran’s divine origin, as the knowledge contained within it was far beyond the scientific understanding of the 7th century.
Other Relevant Quranic Verses
The Quran mentions the process of rainfall in other verses as well, reinforcing the concept and providing further details:
- Surah Ar-Rum (30:48):
- Arabic: ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى يُرْسِلُ ٱلرِّيَـٰحَ فَتُثِيرُ سَحَابًۭا فَيَبْسُطُهُۥ فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ كَيْفَ يَشَآءُ وَيَجْعَلُهُۥ كِسَفًۭا فَتَرَى ٱلْوَدْقَ يَخْرُجُ مِنْ خِلَـٰلِهِۦ ۖ فَإِذَآ أَصَابَ بِهِۦ مَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِۦٓ إِذَا هُمْ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ
- Transliteration: “Allahu allathee yursilu alrriyaha fatutheeru sahaban fayabsutuhu fee alssama-i kayfa yashao wayajAAaluhu kisafan fatara al-wadqa yakhruju min khilalihi fa-itha asaba bihi man yashao min AAibadihi itha hum yastabshiroon.”
- Translation: “It is Allah who sends the winds so they stir up clouds and spreads them in the sky as He wills, and makes them fragments so you see the rain emerge from within them. And when He causes it to fall upon whom He wills of His servants, immediately they rejoice.”
- Surah Al-Mu’minun (23:18):
- Arabic: وَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءًۭ بِقَدَرٍۢ فَأَسْكَنَّـٰهُ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَإِنَّا عَلَىٰ ذَهَابٍۢ بِهِۦ لَقَـٰدِرُونَ
- Transliteration: “Wa-anzalna mina alssama-i maan biqadarin fa-askannahu fee al-ardi wa-inna AAala thahabin bihi laqadiroon.”
- Translation: “And We sent down water from the sky in a measured amount, and We settled it in the earth, and indeed, We are able to take it away.”
These verses, when viewed together, provide a holistic understanding of the raining process, from the stirring of clouds by wind to the measured descent of rain and its crucial role in sustaining life on Earth.
Human Discovery of the Raining Process
The scientific understanding of the rainfall process developed over centuries, with significant contributions from various cultures and civilizations. Ancient Greeks, for instance, had rudimentary ideas about the water cycle, but it was not until the 17th century that scientists like Pierre Perrault and Edmond Halley began to understand and quantify the processes of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.
In modern times, advancements in meteorology and atmospheric science have provided a detailed understanding of how water evaporates, forms clouds, and eventually precipitates as rain. The discovery of the precise mechanisms behind these processes, such as cloud formation and precipitation, has been made possible through the development of technologies like weather satellites and radar.
However, the remarkable accuracy of the Quranic verses in describing these processes, long before they were scientifically understood, suggests a knowledge beyond the reach of human observation at the time.