سُوْرَةُ الْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ
Surah Al-Muminoon (23) — Ayah 18
وَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءًۢ بِقَدَرٍ فَأَسْكَنَّـٰهُ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَإِنَّا عَلَىٰ ذَهَابٍۭ بِهِۦ لَقَـٰدِرُونَ ﴿18﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And We sent down from the sky water (rain) in (due) measure, and We gave it lodging in the earth, and verily, We are Able to take it away.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَأَنزَلْنَا
wa-anzalnā
And We send down
مِنَ
mina
from
ٱلسَّمَآءِ
l-samāi
the sky
مَآءًۢ
māan
water
بِقَدَرٍۢ
biqadarin
in (due) measure
فَأَسْكَنَّـٰهُ
fa-askannāhu
then We cause it to settle
فِى
fī
in
ٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ
l-arḍi
the earth
وَإِنَّا
wa-innā
And indeed, We
عَلَىٰ
ʿalā
on
ذَهَابٍۭ
dhahābin
taking it away
بِهِۦ
bihi
taking it away
لَقَـٰدِرُونَ
laqādirūna
surely (are) Able
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
18. And We sent down water from the sky in due measure [20], and lodged it in the earth, and surely We are able to take it away [21].
[20]
The Total Amount of Water That Allah Sent Down from the Sky:
The question is: when did Allah Almighty send down this specific amount of water? One answer is that when Allah created the earth, at that very time He sent down a specific and abundant amount of water. Such a vast quantity that it would suffice for the needs of all creatures to be born on earth until the Day of Judgment, regardless of their kind. A large portion of this abundance has turned three-fourths of the earth’s surface into oceans. Then, a significant part of this abundance went beneath the earth’s surface, as rivers of water flow beneath the ground, and much of the earth’s surface is such that if you dig, water emerges from below. Humans extract this water for their use, and sometimes springs gush forth from the earth by themselves. Then, to fulfill the needs of His creation, Allah Almighty established this system: by the heat of the sun, water vapor rises from the oceans, which, upon reaching a cold layer, takes the form of clouds and, with further cooling, begins to fall upon the earth as rain. All the vegetation of the earth is irrigated by this rainwater. Living beings also fulfill their needs from it. Then, part of this rainwater is absorbed into the ground, and the rest flows in the form of streams and rivers, eventually falling back into the oceans. And the water that creatures use also ultimately either goes into the earth as water or mixes into the air as vapor. From these explanations, the conclusion is that the amount of water Allah sent down to the earth has neither increased nor decreased. However, in this way, Allah has provided a permanent and continuous arrangement to fulfill the needs of His creation.
Refutation of Naturalism and Atheism:
The astonishing thing in this matter is that water itself is a compound made from two parts hydrogen gas and one part oxygen (H2O). Hydrogen gas is a flammable and instantly ignitable gas, and oxygen is the gas that aids in burning. Thus, from these fiery substances, Allah Almighty created something that extinguishes fire, and then, through chemical processes, it can be split back into those gases. Another astonishing thing is that hydrogen and oxygen gases are still abundantly present in the atmosphere today; if they combined by themselves at the time of the earth’s creation to form water, then why do they not combine today to increase the amount of water? For the naturalists and atheists, this is a very important point to ponder. As for us, we have a clear answer: as much water as Allah willed and as much as was in accordance with His estimation, that much was created. These gases do not have the power by themselves to combine and form water. And the second meaning of this statement is that, according to the needs of His creation, He sends down water from the sky as needed—not so much that the creatures drown and die, nor so little that they perish from famine—unless it is in the form of divine punishment.
[21] That is, He may take the underground water reserves so deep that extracting them becomes beyond human capacity, or He may make those reserves bitter and brackish so that they are no longer usable.
[20]
The Total Amount of Water That Allah Sent Down from the Sky:
The question is: when did Allah Almighty send down this specific amount of water? One answer is that when Allah created the earth, at that very time He sent down a specific and abundant amount of water. Such a vast quantity that it would suffice for the needs of all creatures to be born on earth until the Day of Judgment, regardless of their kind. A large portion of this abundance has turned three-fourths of the earth’s surface into oceans. Then, a significant part of this abundance went beneath the earth’s surface, as rivers of water flow beneath the ground, and much of the earth’s surface is such that if you dig, water emerges from below. Humans extract this water for their use, and sometimes springs gush forth from the earth by themselves. Then, to fulfill the needs of His creation, Allah Almighty established this system: by the heat of the sun, water vapor rises from the oceans, which, upon reaching a cold layer, takes the form of clouds and, with further cooling, begins to fall upon the earth as rain. All the vegetation of the earth is irrigated by this rainwater. Living beings also fulfill their needs from it. Then, part of this rainwater is absorbed into the ground, and the rest flows in the form of streams and rivers, eventually falling back into the oceans. And the water that creatures use also ultimately either goes into the earth as water or mixes into the air as vapor. From these explanations, the conclusion is that the amount of water Allah sent down to the earth has neither increased nor decreased. However, in this way, Allah has provided a permanent and continuous arrangement to fulfill the needs of His creation.
Refutation of Naturalism and Atheism:
The astonishing thing in this matter is that water itself is a compound made from two parts hydrogen gas and one part oxygen (H2O). Hydrogen gas is a flammable and instantly ignitable gas, and oxygen is the gas that aids in burning. Thus, from these fiery substances, Allah Almighty created something that extinguishes fire, and then, through chemical processes, it can be split back into those gases. Another astonishing thing is that hydrogen and oxygen gases are still abundantly present in the atmosphere today; if they combined by themselves at the time of the earth’s creation to form water, then why do they not combine today to increase the amount of water? For the naturalists and atheists, this is a very important point to ponder. As for us, we have a clear answer: as much water as Allah willed and as much as was in accordance with His estimation, that much was created. These gases do not have the power by themselves to combine and form water. And the second meaning of this statement is that, according to the needs of His creation, He sends down water from the sky as needed—not so much that the creatures drown and die, nor so little that they perish from famine—unless it is in the form of divine punishment.
[21] That is, He may take the underground water reserves so deep that extracting them becomes beyond human capacity, or He may make those reserves bitter and brackish so that they are no longer usable.
