Surah An-Noor (24) — Ayah 43

43. Do you not see that Allah drives the clouds gently [70], then joins them together, then makes them into layers? Then you see the rain coming out from within them. And He sends down from the sky hail out of the mountains within it, striking with it whom He wills and turning it away from whom He wills. The flash of its lightning almost blinds the eyes [71].

[70] The difficulty arises that our scholars of astronomy have discovered such physical laws in every sign of Allah that the hand of Allah’s power does not seem to be at work anywhere, and these very laws are taught to children in schools and colleges. For example, the physical laws discovered for rain are that, due to the heat of the sun, vapors rise from the sea. Then the direction of the winds carries these vapors towards a specific direction, until these vapors reach a cold atmospheric region. Upon reaching there, these vapors turn back into water, and it starts to rain. If they reach an extremely cold region, then hail begins to fall. According to these principles, in our country Pakistan, rain occurs in such a way that in the hot months of June and July, vapors rise from the Arabian Sea, which collide with the Himalayas. Here, the winds then turn their direction towards Pakistan, and when they reach the cold parts of these mountains, they turn into water, and thus, during the rainy season or in July or August, we have rains. In this respect, the factors for rain at a particular place are: the distance from the sea to that place, the altitude above sea level, the direction of the winds, the direction and height of the mountains. According to these principles, it is necessary that at a particular place and in a particular season, there should be the same amount of rain every year, because neither the expanse of the sea changes, nor the heat of the sun, nor the height and direction of the mountains, and even the cold winds, according to physical law, always take a specific direction. But our observation is that the same amount of rain does not occur every year. In one year, due to excessive rain at that particular place, there is flooding, and in another year, it passes completely dry, with no rain at all. Then why does this increase, decrease, and change occur in the results of these physical laws? After all, why can’t it be concluded from these things that there is such a powerful and supreme Being who has full authority to change the results of these lifeless laws?

Is Rain Merely the Result of Physical Laws?

Another point worth considering is that the clouds, which are laden with millions of tons of water vapor, when they reach a cold region, turn into water. So why does this water, when it falls, take the form of drops? If the amount of water vapor is small, one could say so, but why does this huge quantity of water not fall all at once at a particular place? To send down this large amount of water in such a manner that it proves beneficial, rather than harmful, for the creation of Allah, the trees, and the vegetation of the earth—after all, which lifeless physical law is responsible for this? Then, when these vapors reach an extremely cold region, the water freezes. Regarding this very condition, the Noble Quran has described it in these words: that there are mountains of hail in the heights, whose benefit is very little and harm is much greater. That is, the very thing which was Allah’s mercy, begins to fall as Allah’s punishment, and instead of benefiting the crops, it destroys them. And these hailstones also fall only at the place where Allah wills. Allah, according to His will, immediately changes the direction of the winds, and whomever He wills, He saves from the punishment of these hailstones, and upon whichever nation He wills, He sends down this punishment.
[71]
Harmful Aspects of Clouds and Rain:

That is, from the collision of water vapors or frozen clouds, electricity is also produced, which, when it falls, burns and destroys everything, and its light is so intense and dazzling to the eyes that if a person looks at it for a while, it can destroy the light of his eyesight as well. That is, rain, which contains an aspect of goodness for all the inhabitants of the earth, also contains many aspects of harm for them. That is, in this rainwater, there is also electricity and fire. In it, there is such intense light that it can blind the eyes. Then this very water, when it becomes hail, turns into something harmful. Therefore, in times of happiness, a person should never become arrogant, but should always remain fearful of Allah’s grasp.