“See you not, that Allah sends down water (rain) from the sky, ...."
2010/03/23 IQNA/The New Nation, Bangladesh
By Sayed Mabub Alam
In Islam, water is considered a gift from God, so no individual literally owns it. Humans are the stewards of water and other common resources that belong to the community.
Water distribution has very clear cut legislation in Islam. In general terms its rules are based on the principle of benefiting all those who share its water course. Water rules are laid down according to the origin of the water source. These are divided according to size of the source, the kind of water, and its usage. Accordingly water sources are divided into rivers, water springs, wells, and rain water. Rivers are divided into natural rivers, large and small, and human dug canals and irrigation channels.
The water cycle is described by the Quran in the following verses:
“See you not, that Allah sends down water (rain) from the sky, and causes it to penetrate the earth, (and then makes it to spring up) as water-springs and afterward thereby produces crops of different colours, and afterward they wither and you see them turn yellow, then He makes them dry and broken pieces. Verily, in this, is a Reminder for men of understanding.” (Quran 39:21)
When the verses of the Quran concerning the role of water in man's existence are read in succession today, they all appear to us to express ideas that are quite obvious. The reason for this is simple: in our day and age, we all, to a lesser or greater extent, know about the water cycle in nature.
The Quran is the first book that handles the disinfecting characteristic of rain water or distilled water and this attribute is not mentioned except in association with sky water. Whereas the human writing does not differentiate between the fresh water, the sweet water and the pure water while the Quran accurately made a distinction and positioned each term in its accurate place. Glory is to Allah, every single word and letter in his Book fits flawlessly.
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