Who sends down water (rain) from the sky??

Who sends down water (rain) from the sky??

“It
is He Who sends down water (rain) from the sky, and with it We bring
forth vegetation of all kinds, and out of it We bring forth green
stalks, from which We bring forth thick clustered grain.”

(Surat Al-An’am - The Cattle: 99)

By: Dr. / Zaghloul El-Naggar

Surat
Al-An’am was revealed in Makkah and is one of the longest chapters in
the Qur’an with 165 verses. This surah gets its name from the many
references it makes to cattle. One of the main attributes of this surah
is that it was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
at one time. It deals mainly with Islamic doctrines and legislation and
mentions the stories of some of the prophets and messengers who came
before Muhammad (PBUH) and of
some previous nations. A number of verses that refer to signs of
creation and the divine creative ability of Allah prove that the stories
mentioned in this surah are real and bear witness to His Oneness,
exclusive of partners, peers, rivals, companions or offspring.

Surat Al-An’am begins with the verse that can be translated as, “All
praises and thanks be to Allah, Who (Alone) created the heavens and the
earth, and originated the darkness and the light; yet those who
disbelieve hold others as equal with their Lord.” This
verse means that the disbelievers liken The Creator, Protector, Lord
and Sovereign of the heavens, the earth and all that is in them to the
creatures they worship or the idols they have created themselves. The
surah rejects this disgraceful attitude of the disbelievers and
polytheists. It emphasizes the fact that it is Allah (SWT) who created
man from earth and determined the moment of death and resurrection for
all creatures. Many people, however, deny the resurrection and doubt its
inevitability.

Signs of creation in Surat Al-An’am

Allah
created the heavens and the earth in truth and made the darkness and
light, with reference to the fact that darkness was first in the
universe.
He created man from clay.
Reference to creatures who walk in the day and the night.
Reference to the possibility of classifying animals.
Anticipation of contemporary technological and scientific advancement and that it will be a test for the disbelievers.
The comparison between sleep and death and wakening from sleep and the resurrection after death.
Reference to the central position of Makkah in relation to the heavens and the earth.
Reference
to the fact that it is Allah (SWT) who causes seeds and fruit stones to
split and sprout and that He brings forth the living from the dead and
the dead from the living.
Affirmation
that it is Allah (SWT) who brings about the new day and that it is He
who has appointed the night for resting and the sun and the moon for
calculating the time. This is a reference to the precision of their
rotation and the possibility of using their rotation to mark time and
make calendars.
Reference to the fact that it is Allah (SWT) who has made the stars to guide us through the darkness of the land and sea.
Confirmation
that Allah (SWT) created mankind from a single person (Adam) and gave
him a place of residence and of burial on the Earth.
Reference
to the fact that it is Allah (SWT) who sends down rain from the sky and
brings forth vegetation of all kinds, producing stalks and grain.
Reference
to the creation of palm-trees and its spadix, which is the first thing
to appear, out of which hang clusters of dates and the creation of
gardens full of grapes, olives and pomegranates, each are similar but
different in variety and taste. Some of these gardens have espaliers and
others do not.
Confirmation of the reality of creation and that it is Allah (SWT) who created everything.
Reference to the fact that pressure and oxygen decrease with height, making it difficult to breath.
Confirmation that there are things unseen to us of which only Allah (SWT) Has knowledge.

Each of
these items needs to be addressed individually, thus I shall focus my
discussion on the twelfth point above which talks about chlorophyll (the
substance that makes plants green) and photosynthesis which is
essential for plants to produce seeds. Before addressing this point, I
will first mention some interpretations of this verse by classical and
contemporary scholars.

Interpretations of the verse by scholars

Botanists
have commented on this verse saying that it sheds light on the way
plants are created and develop at different stages until they reach
complete maturity and contain all the fats, proteins and carbohydrates
they require. This is all synthesized in sunlight through the presence
of a green substance called chlorophyll, found in all green plants and
particularly in their leaves. This is where these compounds are
synthesized and then distributed to seeds and fruits. Moreover, the
verse affirms that rainwater is the only source of fresh water on earth
and solar energy is the source of energy for all living creatures.
Plants, however, can only store solar energy through chlorophyll and
then pass it on to humans and animals through the organic nutrients they
synthesize. Science has revealed an amazing fact that proves the
Oneness of the Creator; hemoglobin, which is necessary for respiration
in both humans and animals, is similar to chlorophyll. The active sites
of both hemoglobin and chlorophyll are a porphin molecule. In
hemoglobin, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen atoms of this porphin
molecule enclose an iron atom while in chlorophyll it encloses a
magnesium atom. Medical research has also proved that once chlorophyll
has been metabolized by the human body it is assimilated into its
tissues, strengthens them and helps them destroy bacteria, providing
protection against diseases. At the end of this verse, Allah (SWT) says
what can be translated as, “Look at their fruits when they begin to bear, and the ripeness thereof.” This
reference preceded modern botany in relying on the examination of the
external form of plant organs in their different stages.

In Safwat al-Tafassir, Allah says what can be translated as, “It is He Who sends down water (rain) from the sky, and with it We bring forth vegetation of all kinds”. Allah (SWT) sends down rain from clouds bringing forth all vegetation, such as fruits, legumes, grass and trees; “and out of it We bring forth green stalks,” meaning that we bring forth a tender green part; “from which We bring forth thick clustered grain,” meaning
that we bring forth grains clustered one on top of each other like
spikes of barley and wheat. Ibn Abbas said: “It means wheat, barley,
corn and rice”.

The scientific implications of the verse

“It is He Who sends down water (rain) from the sky,”

The
process of precipitation involves the wind blowing and passing by water
sources filled with water vapor. Clouds are formed due to the elevation
of this wind that reaches the upper parts of the sky where weather
variations occur. These clouds are enriched through the water cycle
around the earth with water vapor resulting from volcano eruptions,
vaporization of water by sunrays, plant transpiration, human and animal
excretion and breathing. The ascension of water vapor helps it to
condense because of the drop in pressure and temperature. Rain clouds
are then formed, by the will of Allah, as the size of the water drops
becomes greater and the vapor becomes more condensed and falls as rain,
hail, or snow.

By the
will of Allah, wind plays a very important role in this process. The
levels of moisture, temperature and wind speed and the size of the
condensation nucleus (dust and salts particles, tiny snow crystals,
etc.) determine the degree of its importance, until it reaches
saturation at a certain temperature degree and atmospheric pressure.
Air, at that point, cannot hold any more vapors so it falls as rain in
the amount and at the location determined by Allah (SWT) in His
Knowledge and Wisdom. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “No one knows when
it will rain but Allah. “ (Fateh A- Bari)

“And with it We bring forth vegetation of all kinds,”

Allah (SWT)
has willed that once ripe, seeds are transported away from the mother
plant in order to disperse horizontally for the better distribution of
plants and to prevent competition for their vital sources of soil, water
and sun light. This dispersion is achieved either by the fruits
bursting or by the seeds being transported by the air, water or animals
who eat fruit, move to a different place and then release the seeds in
their excrement or store them in zones where they can germinate
properly. Seeds can also move hanging on to an animal’s fur. Allah (SWT)
has provided seeds with wings, borders or the ability to float,
enabling them to scatter widely across the surface of the ground. When
Allah (SWT) sends down rain,
water reaches these buried seeds and they start to germinate. They
absorb water and swell, causing the seed’s coat to rip apart allowing a
radicle and a plumule to grow out. The radicle goes down through the
soil to fasten itself and the plumule moves up to the surface. The first
leaves to appear on the stalk are called cotyledons; they are more
transparent than the real ones. This small plant is called a seedling
and is nourished by the nutrients stored in the seeds until the real
leaves grow. These plants have been given the ability to produce food
for the growing plants through photosynthesis until they flower and
become ready to produce fruits and seeds. We now know of more than a
quarter of a million flowering plants (angiosperms) as well as of a
large number of non-flowering ones.

“And out of it We bring forth green stalks”

As
soon as the leaves appear on the growing plants (seedling), Allah
provides them with a green pigment called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll has
the ability to absorb a certain amount of solar energy and convert it
into chemical energy. It uses this chemical energy to make carbohydrates
out of the water absorbed by the roots and carbon dioxide, which plants
absorb from air, producing oxygen in return. As for aquatic plants,
especially those completely submerged under water, they get carbon
dioxide from the portion dissolved in water. This later reaches very
tiny organelles called chloroplasts which are either dissolved or are
part of bicarbonate
salts. This last process is also called carbon fixation because of the
importance of carbon in forming carbohydrates.

There
are eight types of chlorophyll and it is very similar to hemoglobin
insofar as its chemical structure is concerned; it has a magnesium atom
whereas an iron atom is found in hemoglobin.

Chloroplasts
are found in long vertical cells adjacent to the leaf wall. Allah (SWT)
gave them the ability to move freely inside the cell in order to absorb
as much light as possible. Plants absorb carbon dioxide from air
through their leaves and water with the sap from the soil through its
roots by capillarity rise to reach the top of the plant. Chlorophyll
collects energy from sunrays and uses it to dissociate water, releasing
oxygen which is released into the air through the stomata in the leaves
and hydrogen which combined with carbon dioxide to make sugars, starches
and other carbohydrates. This process, in which the chlorophyll plays a
major role, takes place over many stages. Enzymes participate in this
process to complete it. Most of the carbohydrates formed by
photosynthesis are used as nutrients by the plants in order to provide
the energy they need to grow. The excess carbohydrates are stored inside
cells and are used later to make fruit, grain and seeds. Plants get the
energy they need from their food in a reverse process to
photosynthesis, called respiration. In this process, carbohydrates and
oxygen combine to release energy out and carbon dioxide fuses with water
as follows:

· Photosynthesis.

· Carbon dioxide + water + energy.

· Carbohydrate + oxygen.

· Respiration.

Depending
to the abundance or shortage of light, one of the processes takes place
at the expense of the other; when there is a lot of light,
photosynthesis speeds up and produces more carbohydrates and oxygen than
is consumed during respiration. However, when it is completely dark,
respiration speeds up and consumes carbohydrates to release energy as
well as carbon dioxide and water. At dawn and dusk, the two processes
reach equilibrium; photosynthesis produces enough carbohydrates and
oxygen for respiration while the latter produces the energy, carbon
dioxide and water needed for photosynthesis.

“From which We bring forth thick clustered grain.”

Seeds
in angiosperms are produced as a result of fertilization. A seed
contains the embryo of a new plant and a reserve of food that is
sufficient for it until it is able to produce its own food. These seeds
can be the fruit of the plant or can be enclosed within a fruit, which
in either case can then be dispersed to produce new plants or collected
by people and animals. Seeds are generally protected by a seed coat that
contains a hilum, which indicates the place of attachment of the ovules
to the wall of the ovary. We can also see a small pore, the micropyle,
which marks the entry site of the pollen tube during fertilization and
is where water passes through to the embryo. This later is made up of
the epicotyl (future shoot system), hypcotyl, and the radicle (embryonic
root).

Caryopsis
are the fruit of all cereals such as wheat, barley, oat, corn, rice and
other monocotyledonae belonging to the gramineae family which consist
of approximately 7000 species. Such plants are very successful in that
they cover a larger area than any other plants. They are also the major
food source for both humans and herbivores.

These
grains consist mainly of carbohydrates that are synthesized as a result
of chlorophyll-mediated photosynthesis inside chloroplasts (which give
plants its green color). One is amazed by this verse revealed 1400 years
ago, stating what can be translated as, “It
is He Who sends down water (rain) from the sky, and with it We bring
forth vegetation of all kinds, and out of it We bring forth green
stalks, from which We bring forth thick clustered grain.”

This
verse links germination and precipitation (of water) as well as the
vitality of angiosperms (flowering plants, which most plants are) and
their ability to produce their own food via chlorophyll-mediated
photosynthesis in their green stalks. The verse goes further in linking
grains and the properties of green (chlorophyll rich) plant parts. This
is very accurate as the excess carbohydrates produced in the green parts
of plants by photosynthesis are stored in the grain. Through research
and acquired knowledge, mankind has only learned these facts in the
twentieth century! Their mention in the Qur’an in such a thorough and
precise manner fourteen centuries ago is confirmation of the fact that
the Qur’an is Allah’s word revealed to the last of His prophets and
messengers and is preserved in the language in which it was revealed in
(Arabic).

Praise
be to Allah (SWT) who revealed the Noble Qur’an, and peace and blessings
upon the Prophet who received it and transmitted it with complete
honesty and devotion. May Allah (SWT) grant him the best rewards and
award him Al Wassilah (a rank in paradise) and Al Fadilah and the
sublime, high ranks He had promised him, for Allah (SWT) never breaks
His promise.

الموضوع الأصلي : Who sends down water (rain) from the sky??

المصدر : ملتقى الجزائريين والعرب