al-Wāqi‘ah

أفَرَأيْتُمُ الْمَاء الَّذِي تَشْرَبُونَ

أأنتُمْ أنزَلْتُمُوهُ مِنَ الْمُزْنِ أمْ نَحْنُ الْمُنزِلُونَ

لَوْ نَشَاء جَعَلْنَاهُ اُجَاجًا فَلَوْلَآ تَشْكُرُونَ

68. Have you thought about the water that you drink.

69. Is it you who cause it from the rain clouds to come down, or are We the Causer of it to come down?

70. If We willed, We indeed could make it salt: why then do you not give thanks?

These blessed Verses further treat of Resurrection reflecting Divine Omnipotence over everything including raising of the dead. The blessed Verse 68 asks:

"Have you thought about the water that you drink?"

The blessed Verse 69 poses the question:

"Is it you who cause it from the rain clouds to come down, or are We the Causer of it to come down?"

The Arabic word muzn denotes white rain cloud. The Arabic word ujaj is applied to salty and bitter water. These Verses make human conscience encounter a series of questions and make them acknowledge Divine Omnipotence. The blessed Verse 68 is asking men that have they ever thought about the water as their means of subsistence. Who is commanding the sun to shine upon the face of oceans, purify salty and bitter water and make it into pure and sweet water and evaporate it? Who commands vapors to condense into rain? Who commands winds to move clouds and send them over scorched and dead lands?

Who has made higher strata of atmosphere to lose the capacity to absorb the vapor when it is cold as a consequence of which vapors turn into rain drops descending unfalteringly upon lands? If the sun ceases to shine for one year, winds cease to blow, higher strata of atmosphere keep vapors, and the heaven fails to send down rain, you shall die of thirst and your animals, gardens, and farms shall die. God Almighty who is All-Able to bestow such blessings easily upon you through such means shall be Omnipotent to raise the dead like the dead lands which are rejuvenated through absorption of rain. All these instances reflect Divine Unity and Glory.

How is it that you do not show gratitude for Divine Blessings? Had He willed, he would have allowed aquatic mineral to evaporate into the heaven to form salty and bitter rain clouds raining bitter brine like sea water, but it is through His Divine Omnipotence that he does not allow minerals as well as noxious microbes to evaporate onto the heaven thus polluting rain drops. Consequently, if the air happens to be free from pollution, rain water is the purest and sweetest water.

It is also worthy of attention that the Noble Prophet (S) when desiring to drink water said:

"Praise be to the Lord Who through His Graciousness, made pure and sweet water available to us without making available bitter and salty water unto us." ⁷

Footnotes

1. 7. Tafsir Maraghi; Tafsir Ruh al-Ma‘ani.