Page 200 - For Men of Understanding

which are rich in salt, are then carried away by winds and ascend in the atmos-
phere. These particles, which are called aerosols, function as water traps, and
form cloud drops by collecting around themselves the water vapour, which
ascends from the seas as tiny drops.
SECOND STAGE: " ... which stir up clouds which He spreads about the sky
however He wills. He forms them into dark clumps..."
The clouds form from water vapour that condenses around the salt crystals
or dust particles in the air. Because the water drops in these clouds are very
small (with a diameter between 0.01 and 0.02 mm), the clouds are suspended
in the air and they spread in the sky. Thus, the sky is covered with clouds.
THIRD STAGE: "...and you see the rain come pouring out from the middle
of them."
The water particles that surround salt crystals and dust particles thicken and
form raindrops, so, the drops which become heavier than air leave the clouds,
and start to fall on the ground as rain.

THE RAIN MADE SWEET

The Qur’an draws our attention to the rain’s
being "sweet":
Have you thought about the water that you
drink? Is it you who sent it down from the
clouds or are We the Sender? If We wished We

"Among His Signs is that could have made it bitter, so will you not give
thanks? (Surat al-Waqi’ah: 68-70)
you see the earth laid bare
and then when We send …and (did We not) give you sweet fresh
down water on it, it quivers water to drink? (Surat al-Mursalat: 27)
and swells. He Who gives it It is He Who sends down water from the sky.
life is He Who gives life to From it you drink and from it come the
the dead. Certainly He has shrubs among which you graze your herds.
power over all things." (Surat an-Nahl: 10)
(Surah Fussilat: 39) As we know, the source of rainwater is evap-
oration and 97% of evaporation takes place from
"salty" oceans. Rainwater, however, is sweet. The
reason why rain is sweet is because of another physical law that Allah estab-
lished. According to this law, no matter whether water evaporates from salt
seas, or mineralised lakes, or from within mud, it does not contain any foreign
material. It falls on the ground pure and clean according to Allah’s ordinance
"…And We send down from heaven pure water" (Surat al-Furqan: 48)

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