Rain In Proportioned, Measured Quantity On Earth
The rainfall and water cycle involve complex calculations. The water cycle on
earth through the states of liquid, water vapor, and cloud is calculated with precision. This cycle of evaporation and rainfall is so much measured and highly precise that now we know that every year all over the world the total rainfall is around 500-520 trillion tons. This yearly value remains constant. Actually, we should call it Precipitation, which is the product of any condensation in the atmospheric water vapor that reaches the surface of the
Earth. This can take on various forms such as rain, snow, or hail, although the majority happens as rain. Precipitation is part of the hydrologic cycle and serves to bring water down back to the Earth.
Average Annual Precipitation
Again this measured quantity in the rain has been discovered by modern research. It is estimated that in one second, approx. 16 million tons of water evaporates from the Earth. The average annual precipitation of the entire surface of our planet is estimated to be around 1000 mm per year(100 cm/39 inches) or approximately 88 mm per month. Not only this the time spend by a water drop between its evaporation from the surface and its return on earth is on average nine days.
Therefore, water continuously circulates in a balanced cycle, according to a measure. The earth’s annual rainfall is always of the same amount. This measured amount is of great importance in keeping the ecological balance of planet Earth.
Now, look what the Quran says almost 1400 years ago as in Surah Zukhruf Verse 11 and Surah Muminun verse 18.
١١ وَالَّذِي نَزَّلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً بِقَدَرٍ فَأَنْشَرْنَا بِهِ بَلْدَةً مَيْتًا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ تُخْرَجُونَ
And who sends down rain from the sky in measured amounts, and We revive thereby a dead land – thus will you be brought forth. Surah Zukhruf 43:11
١٨ وَأَنْزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً بِقَدَرٍ فَأَسْكَنَّاهُ فِي الْأَرْضِ ۖ وَإِنَّا عَلَىٰ ذَهَابٍ بِهِ لَقَادِرُونَ
And We send down water from the sky according to (due) measure, and We cause it to soak in the soil, and We certainly are able to drain it off (with ease). Surah Muminun 23:18
Only a few decades back not even scientists knew that if there is any measure in rainfall as they didn’t have the proper instruments and no awareness of what’s happening in the whole world. Because everyone had knowledge of his own region; thus, the perception was that rainfall differs in quantity every year and therefore not quantifiable. Just for a rough idea One inch of rain falling on 1 acre of ground is equal to about 27,154 gallons and weighs about 113 tons. An inch of snow falling evenly on 1 acre of ground on average is equivalent to about 2,715 gallons of water. Approx. 505,000 cubic Km of water falls as precipitation each year; 398,000 cubic Km of it over the oceans. Given the Earth’s surface area, that means the globally averaged annual precipitation is 1000 mm / 39 in.
Miracle in the use of the word “مَاءً”
There is also a miracle in the use of the word “مَاءً” as this simply means water in any form. Quran does not use the proper words for Rainfall which in Arabic can be “الْوَدْقَ”, “غَيْثٍ”, “مَطَرٍ” but instead Quran used مَاءً so that later when we calculate the annual precipitation this word would have the capacity that it covers all forms of precipitation (rain, snow, or hail).
Miracle in the use of the word “بِقَدَرٍ”:
Imagine The Fall of 1000’s Of Kgs Of Frozen Water
Further, there is also another miracle in the word “بِقَدَرٍ” and sending back of water to earth. Now we know that even at minus celsius temperatures clouds do not freeze. Although some clouds have vertical depths like mountains which may exist in extreme cold layers of the
atmosphere, but it never happened that all of the water in the clouds would have become one mass. Water always come down as drops, snow or as hail with the heaviest as 1.02 kg in Gopalganj Bangladesh in 1986, largest circumference 47.6 cm in Aurora, Nebraska in 2003. But they do not freeze into mountains of ice to fall upon the earth. Imagine the fall of thousands of Kgs of frozen water falling from the sky what a catastrophe it can create on earth. Its all because of the physical properties of water and
air and the due measure that
God programmed in all these phenomena that not only the quantity but also the size of rain, snow or hail is in due measure.
