The Mention of Water in the Holy Qur'an (Part 1)

H2O is a very familiar chemical formula to any high school student. We are so dependent on water that no one can deny its vital role in our life. Its importance in forming the creation in all of its aspects in general and the living-creatures in particular, as well as human kind, animals and plants is evident to all. However, the Qur'an mentions water’s magnificence in forming all creation and making life in every living thing in the following passages:

By considering these inspirational verses of Holy Qur'an, the time of their revelation and also the newly discovered scientific facts regarding the water and its individual properties, it strikes a chord deep within us.

The fact that all life originated from water would not have been an easy thing to convince people of fourteen centuries ago. Indeed, if 1400 years ago you had stood in the desert and told someone, "All of this, you see (pointing to yourself), is made-up of mostly water, no one would have believed you. Proof of that was not available until the invention of the microscope. They had to wait to find out that cytoplasm, the basic substance of the cell, is made-up of 80% water. Nonetheless, the evidence did come, and once again, the Qur'an stood the test of time.

We offer you the scientific findings about the properties of water and their strong correlation with the Qur'anic viewpoints. At the end, you also, like us, will certainly feel compelled to admit the authenticity of Holy Qur'an as a wonderful miracle from God Almighty, being revealed to Muhammed, the prophet of Islam.

Scientific Viewpoint

What Is Water?

Hydrogen and oxygen atoms comprise the basis of the water molecule. When two hydrogen and one oxygen atom bind together, water is formed. One molecule of water has two atoms of hydrogen (abbreviated H) and one atom of oxygen (abbreviated 0). The chemical formula for water is H20.

Water covers almost three-quarters of earth's total surface-about 379 million square kilometers (146 million square miles). Water makes earth the "blue" planet; visually unique from all others in the solar system. Almost all plants, animals, and people need clean water to live a healthy life.

Three phases to a quick-change artist

Changes in temperature can change water from a solid to a liquid to a gas and back again. At 0*C (32*F) pure water freezes. At 100*C (212*F) water boils. Andres Celsius (1701-1744) based his units of temperature (Celsius, abbreviated *C) on the three phases of water. Water becomes ice - a solid - at low temperatures. At medium temperatures, water stays in its liquid state. Water forms steam or vapor (gas at high temperatures).

A frozen pond warming in the winter sun may show all three phases at once. Solid ice floating on the lake surface, liquid water below and rising steam where the sun warms the melting ice.

Forming the link to life

All three phases of water - solid, liquid, and gas - form vital links to life. Liquid water accounts for two-thirds of our body weight. To stay healthy, we need about one liter (about one quart) of water each day. Water helps blood and its components transport oxygen and nutrients and remove waste products through our circulatory system. Each time we exhale, water vapor leaves our bodies.

It is the main substance, which is imperative for living creatures especially plants to survive.

Among the earth's varied environments, animals and plants adapt to water (or the lack of water) in different ways. Some plants and animals contain a great amount of water - a jellfish is 95% water. In addition, watermelon aptly named contains 97% water. Most fishes and other aquatic creatures can only live when completed covered with water.

Some land animals, like amphibians, lay eggs in water. Others, like the desert kangaroo rat, seldom drank water but survive by eating seeds, plants, and metabolizing fat to produce water.

Green plants break down water (and carbon dioxide) during photosynthesis to produce oxygen and the simple sugars they require for energy.

Powerful Properties Shape Our World

When oxygen (0) and hydrogen (H) negative charge (OH-) atoms combine, they form a V-shaped, triangular molecule. While water molecules are electrically neutral, the oxygen atom holds a small negative charge and the two hydrogen atoms hold small positive charges. Scientists believe this unusual electrical balancing, called polarity, gives water some of its remarkable properties.

World's best dissolver

Scientists often call water the "universal solvent" because water can dissolve more substances than any other liquid. Why?

First, water molecules are very small and move easily around other atoms and molecules. Secondly, the negative charges on the oxygen atom and positive charges on the hydrogen atoms allow water molecules to interact with other molecules. Thirdly, water is very stable; at 2,000-C (3,632-F), only about 2% of water molecules break into parts. These parts are hydrogen ions with a positive charge (H+) and hydroxyl ions with a negative charge (OH-).

Some substances, like common table salt (sodium chloride), dissolve in water very easily. When placed in water, sodium chloride molecules fall apart. The positively charged sodium ion (Na+) binds to oxygen, while the negatively charged chloride ion (CI-) attaches to hydrogen. This makes a very stable "salty" water molecule.

Source: imamreza.net

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