Author: Mufti Noor Mohammad Mohibi
The Quran: A Miracle Beyond Time- A Study of Its Miraculous Nature (part 68)
Divine Treasuries and the System of Provision
The Noble Qur’an repeatedly refers to the concept of “treasuries” in divine governance: “وَإِن مِّن شَیءٍ إِلَّا عِندَنَا خَزَائِنُهُۥ وَمَا نُنَزِّلُهُۥۤ إِلَّا بِقَدَرٍ مَّعلُومٍ” [1] Translation: “There is nothing except that its treasuries are with Us, and We do not send it down except in a known and determined measure.”
In a Hadith Qudsi it is also stated: “أصبح من عبادی مؤمن بی وكافر، فأما من قال: مطرنا بفضل الله ورحمته، فذلك مؤمن بی وكافر بالكوكب، وأما من قال: بنوء كذا وكذا، فذلك كافر بی ومؤمن بالكوكب” [2] Translation: “Allah the Exalted says: ‘Some of My servants enter the morning as believers in Me and others as disbelievers. As for the one who says: We were given rain by the grace and mercy of Allah, he is a believer in Me and a disbeliever in the stars. But the one who says: We were given rain because of the rising and setting of such-and-such a star, he is a disbeliever in Me and a believer in the stars.’”
Therefore, the descent of rain or its reduction is never a sign of inability; rather, it is divine nurturing and discipline. As the Qur’an states: “وَلَو بَسَطَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلرِّزقَ لِعِبَادِهِۦ لَبَغَوا فِی ٱلأَرضِ وَلَٰكِن یُنَزِّلُ بِقَدَرٍ مَّا یَشَاءُۚ إِنَّهُۥ بِعِبَادِهِۦ خَبِیرُ بَصِیرٌ.” [3] Translation: “If Allah were to expand provision for all His servants, they would surely transgress on earth; but He sends it down in due measure as He wills. Indeed, He is All-Aware and All-Seeing of His servants.”
And elsewhere: “وَأَلَّوِ ٱستَقَٰمُوا عَلَى ٱلطَّرِیقَةِ لَأَسقَینَٰهُم مَّاءً غَدَقاً” [4] Translation: “If humans and jinn were to remain steadfast on the straight path (of monotheism and obedience to divine commands and prohibitions), We would surely provide them with abundant water (and plentiful blessings).”
Even recent astronomical discoveries have revealed the existence of enormous clouds of water vapor in space, such that one of these vapor masses could, in a single day, fill all the oceans of the Earth six times over with fresh water. This too is evidence of the boundless vastness of the divine treasuries.
Thus, it must be said that water, in all its dimensions—from its molecular structure to the rain cycle, from its physical properties to its vital role in provision and survival—is a clear manifestation of divine miraculousness in creation. In every drop of water lies a sign of the wisdom, mercy, and power of Allah.
فوا عجباً كیف یعصى الإلهُ
أو كیف یجحدهُ الجاحدُ
وفی كلّ شیءٍ له آیةٌ
تدلّ على أنّه واحدُ
Translation:
“How astonishing it is that Allah is disobeyed…
And how the denier denies Him!
And in everything there is a sign of Him
That testifies that He is One.”
Thus, water is not only the source of physical life, but also a clear sign of spiritual life and divine knowledge. [5]
The Law of Buoyant Force and Manifestations of Divine Miracles in Water and Seas
Water, this wondrous and vital element, is one of the greatest signs of divine power and mercy. Allah the Exalted repeatedly invites us in the Noble Qur’an to reflect upon the creation of the heavens and the earth and natural phenomena: “قُلِ ٱنظُرُوا مَاذَا فِی ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلأَرضِ” [6] Translation: “Say: Observe (open your outward and inward eyes and see) what is in the heavens and the earth.”
Among these signs of divine power are the descent of rain and the formation of oceans and seas. A fundamental question arises here: where did this immense volume of water come from, and what laws govern it? This question opens the way to understanding a remarkable law to which the Qur’an has alluded: “the law of upward thrust”, or what modern science calls the law of buoyant force (Archimedes’ principle).
The Origin of Waters and the Expanse of the Seas
More than seventy percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, while only twenty-nine percent consists of land.
In some regions, the depth of the oceans exceeds twelve kilometers. This vast expanse of water is not only the source of rainfall and the foundation of terrestrial life; it also contains within itself minerals, nourishment, and astonishing laws of creation.
One of the great mysteries of this world is how such an enormous quantity of water came into existence on Earth and through what process it became salty and rich in minerals. Despite extensive efforts, modern science has yet to present a definitive and convincing theory regarding the origin of the salinity of the seas. The Noble Qur’an, however, clarified this truth from the very beginning with a simple yet profound expression: “وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِی مَرَجَ ٱلبَحرَینِ هَٰذَا عَذبٌ فُرَاتٌ وَهَٰذَا مِلحٌ أُجَاجٌ وَجَعَلَ بَینَهُمَا بَرزَخاً وَحِجراً مَّحجُوراً” [7] Translation: “And He is the One who has let loose the two seas—this one fresh and sweet, and that one salty and bitter—and He has placed between them a barrier and an insurmountable partition.”
Continues…
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References:
[1]. Al-Hijr: 21.
[2]. Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of the Description of Prayer, Chapter: The Imam Facing the People after the Salam, Hadith no. 810, vol. 1, p. 290.
[3]. Al-Shura: 27.
[4]. Al-Jinn: 16.
[5]. Summarized from: Encyclopedia of Scientific Miracles in the Qur’an and Sunnah, vol. 2, pp. 83–90.
[6]. Yunus: 101.
[7]. Al-Furqan: 53.
