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li-nuḥyiya bihī baldatan maytan wa-nusqiyahū mimmā khalaqnā ʾanʿāman wa-ʾanāsiyya kathīran
with which We revive a dead country and provide water to many of the cattle and humans We have created.
— Ali Quli Qarai
25Al-FurqānالفرقانVerse 49 of 77
The Criterion25. Al-Furqānالفرقان
Al Furqān
The Criterion
MeccanVerse 49 of 77
Surah al-Furqan - Verses 48-49
48. “And He it is Who sends the winds as heralds of glad tidings going before His Mercy (rain), and We send down pure water from the sky.”
49. “That thereby We may give life to a dead land, and We give many beasts and men that We have created to drink thereof.”
After mentioning these great blessings in the pervious holy verses, which are as the main principles of man’s life, now another important blessing is mentioned. It says:
The function of winds as herald of descending of divine blessing is not concealed to anyone, for if they did not exist, a drop of rain would never fall on dry land. It is true that the shining of the sun evaporates water of the seas and the condensing of vapors in cold layer of atmosphere forms rain clouds. But if winds do not move these rain clouds from oceans to dry lands, once more clouds change into rain and falls on the seas. In short, these heralds of blessing that move continually throughout the earth quench the thirst of dry lands, brings the enlivening rain, forms streams, springs, wells, and grows various kinds of plant.
Always some of these winds, that move in font of clouds and are mixed with mild moisture, create a pleasant breeze which emits the smell of rain. They are like givers of glad tidings that announce the coming of a dear traveler. Using the Qur’anic word /riyah/ (winds) may refer to the various kinds of wind: some of them flow from the north, some flow from the south, some flow from east to west, and some flow from west to east. Consequently they spread clouds in all areas of the earth.
It is worth-considering that here the adjective ‘pure’ is attributed to ‘water’. This is overstatement, therefore, its meaning is being pure and to purify. It means that water is both essentially clean and can purify defiled things. In addition to water, there are many objects that are clean, but they can never purify a defile object. Anyway, besides being enlivener, water can purify. If there were not water, all of our life, body and soul would be defiled and dirty. Though water cannot kill microbes, it can dissolve and wash microbes. In this way, it is an effective help to man’s health and it fights against many diseases.
Moreover, we know that for purification of soul we also perform ritual bathing and ablution. So this enlivening liquid purifies both soul and body. However, this purifying characteristic of water is in the second rank, though it is important. Therefore, in this noble verse, Allah adds:
Some Points
1. In this verse, ‘many beasts and men’ are mentioned, though all of animals and men use rainwater.
This is because it wants to refer to those who dwell in desert and nomads who do not have permanent water and use rainwater directly. They perceive this important blessing more than other people do. When a piece of cloud appears in the sky and the rain falls, pits will be filled with clean water. Then their animals drink water from them and they themselves also use that water. They will perceive life and movement in themselves and their domestic animals.
2. The Arabic word /nusqih/ is derived from the word /’isqa’/. As Raqib, in Mufradat, and other commentators say, its difference from the word /saqiya/ is in that /’isqa’/ means to prepare water and to let man to drink it whenever he likes, while the word /saqiya/ means to give someone a container of water for drinking. In other words, the word /’isqa’/ has got more extensive meaning.
3. In this verse ‘dead land’ is mentioned first and then beasts and after that men are brought up. This is because when dead lands are not enlivened by rain, beasts do not have food and when beasts are not fed, men cannot use them as food.
4. Mentioning enlivenment of water after the issue of purification may refer to their close relationship.6
5. The Qur’anic word /tahūr/ is applied to something that is both very pure and purifier.
6. The Arabic word /bilad/ means land, whether it is city or village or farm, for the verse of Surah Al-’A‘raf, No. 7, verse 58 says:
It is clear that the growth of plant is not limited to city.
7. The Arabic word /’anasi/ is the plural form of the word /’insi/ which means man.
8. Since the meaning of the Arabic word ‘Balad’ is the same as the word ‘Baldah, instead of the word ‘Maytatan’, the word ‘Maytan’ is used to describe it.7
9. In using water, agriculture ranks first, then there is the rank of animals, and then men are the last. Therefore, in the verse, first agriculture and revivification of land, then animals and finally men are mentioned.
10. Winds have got many benefits such as fining of weather, transferring of clouds, lessening of heat, and fecundation of plants.
Footnotes