7) But when We pour down rain on it, it agitates and swells

 

Allah (SWT) says: “You see the earth barren, but when We pour down rain on it, it agitates and swells, and puts forth every kind of beautiful growth.”(XXII: 5) Allah (SWT) also says: “And among His Signs is that you see the earth humble (Khashi’ah), but when We pour down rain on it, it agitates (‘Ihtazzat) and swells (Rabat). Truly, He Who gives life to the (dead) earth can give life to the dead. Indeed, He is able to do all things.” (XLI: 39) In these two Verses Allah (SWT) shows the importance and great role water plays in the life of earth and in cultivating it with every kind of beautiful growth. We will illustrate the aspect of the Qur’anic miracle of linking the descent of rain to the agitation of the soil, and its swelling and producing every kind of beautiful growth. Water is a common solvent of the minerals in the soil and a medium through which the dissolved substances pass to the plant and move through its tissues.

 

Earth consists of three components:

 

1.     The solid matter of soil that consists of mineral particles and organic material,

2.     The soil solution consisting of the soil material that is dissolved in water, and

3.     The water penetrating the soil particles and pores.

 

 

A diagram showing the components of soil that is ideal for the growth of plants. Observe that the solid matter constitutes 50% of the size of soil while the space of pores constitutes the other 50%. The latter portion is divided between water and air. The arrows indicate that these two components may differ greatly, bearing in mind that water and airs are inversely proportional, for any increase in either of them will lead to decrease in the other.

   





 

 

The solid material of soil consists of particles of various sizes ranging from coarse particles of 2mm diameter to very fine particles of less than one micron diameter.[1] These particles consist of mineral layers packed one over another when motionless,[2] a situation described by the Qur’an by the Saying of Allah (SWT): “You see the earth barren” and His Saying: “humble”. Among these particles there are spaces filled with water. The particle carries a negative electric charge.





 

Soil texture is determined by the percentages of various

 sized particles. The percentages of sand, silt and clay

 determine the soil classification.

 

First: Agitation: When rain falls on the soil, subtle agitation takes place, as described in the Qur’an: “but when We pour down rain on it, it agitates and swells.” That is because of:

a.      The fall of raindrops on the soil particles, which results in a mechanic movement.

b.     The movement of the water particles (the Brownian Movement), for the soil particles in the water medium agitate due to the movement of water particles. This agitation is a subtle process that cannot be seen

 
 

 

 

 

 

A kind of clay called
Ililite and between
 the layers of its particles enters potassium
 ion (K+) and another
 kind called monrmoirilite
 between the layers of which enters water causing the clay particle to swell more than it does in the first kind.






 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

c.     with the naked eye, and in spite of the invention of the microscope in 1590 AD the phenomenon of the movement of the particles in the water medium was not seen except in 1827 AD by the Scotch Botanist Robert Brown. He first thought that the vibrating agitation was confined to the living pollens in the plants when they were placed in a water medium. Then he found that the same movement happened with the dead pollens. With the progress of science it has been proved that these movements affect the very tiny particles suspended in water, even if they are of glass, granite, smoke or other particles of soil, and that this is due to the movement of the water particles.[3]

d.     The expulsion of air in the spaces among these particles by water, whereupon the soil particles agitate. The finer the particles the more difficult for the naked eye to perceive the spaces among them and to perceive the movement of water and the agitation of these particles that is caused by water.

  

Notice the swelling of the particle and the increase in its thickness as a result of the penetration of water between its layers

 

 

Water molecules adhere to the surfaces of the soil particles forming aquatic coats around them.

 

e.      The appearance of the electric charges on the particles because of the rain that causes their instability and the appearance of the vibrating movements that cannot settle save after these charges are neutralized by other charges.

 

Second: Swelling:

 

When the thin tiny layers that constitute the soil particles agitate, they allow the water and ions of the dissolved elements to enter the flat fissures or spaces between the thin layers. The layers are further separated from one another and the particles grow and swell due to the storage of water between the layers.[4] The particle is also surrounded by a water covering held fast by the electrostatic attracting forces. Thus the spaces between the particles are filled and thus the soil particles become small water reservoirs that underlie the swelling of the soil[5] and the increase in its size and the provision of the roots of the plants with water after rain stops.

 

Third: the germination of plants:

 

With the descent of rainwater and its storage between the layers of the soil particles and on their surfaces, the plant will benefit by that water during the

 period following precipitation. The dry seeds in the soil will absorb the water and the mineral substances from the medium surrounding them, thus triggering the biochemical processes in the seeds, which will germinate and grow into tubers and bulbs, and a large surface space of root hairs will be exposed to the soil solution, which will facilitate the process of absorbing the water and mineral substances.

Millions of living organisms existing in the soil will activate. Fungi and bacteria will change the remains of plants and animals into mineral substances that the plants will absorb through the roots. Earthworms will dig burrows into the soil allowing air and water to come in. Thus the earth becomes green with all kinds of beautiful vegetation.

 

The Holy Qur’an has described this subtle movement of the soil particles that cannot be seen except with the microscope. It also describes the growth (swelling) of the tiny soil particles because of the penetration of water between the layers composing them and between the soil particles themselves and the ensuing storage of the water for a long period, which results in the continuous germination and growth of plants when there is no rain. Allah (SWT) says: “You see the earth barren (Hamidah), but when We pour down rain on it, it agitates (‘Ihtazzat) and swells (Rabat), and puts forth every kind of beautiful growth.” (XXII: 5)

 

Linguistic Meanings:

 

The Saying of Allah (SWT): (hamidah):

Linguistically it is said “hamada”, where (h, m and d) make up a root implying the motionlessness of a thing.[6]

A hamidah land: lacking vegetation[7]

Humud: death[8]

The Saying of Allah (SWT) “Khashi’ah”: Linguistically, it is said “Khasha’a”, where (kh, sh and ‘) make up a root implying calmness and tranquility.

A “Khashi’ah city”: dusty[9]

“Khushu’”: calmness and humbleness.[10]

“The land Khasha’at”: It got dry due to lack of rain.[11]

The “Humud” of the land means that there is no life, or a plant in it, and it lacks rain. “You see the earth barren (Hamidah)” means dry and dusty.[12]

The Saying of Allah (SWT) “Ihtazzat”: Linguistically, it is said “Hazza”, where (h, z) make up a root implying the turbulence and motion of a thing.[13]

“A thing Ihtazza” means “It moved”. “The plant Ihtazza” means “It grew, moved and got longer.” The “Hazz” means moving something.[14]

The Saying of Allah (SWT) (Rabat): “Rabu” implies increase and growth. “Rabat” means “swelled and rose”.

“ A thing Raba” means “It increased and grew”.[15]

 

The Sayings of the Commentators:

 

“Hamidah”: a) arid and growing no plants[16], b) dry with dust[17], c) dry and broken[18], d) dead.[19]

“Khashi’ah”: a) arid and barren[20], b) dusty and broken[21], c) calm with no vegetation, rather dead.[22]

“Ihtazzat”: a) agitated with plants[23], for the plant does not emerge from the earth unless it slightly removes part of it from another part. This process is metaphorically called “agitation”. Al-Mubarrid said: “It means the plants of the soil agitate (and not the soil itself).” Agitation is more manifest in plants than in the earth.[24]

b) It agitated to bring out vegetation.[25]

c) The agitation of the earth means its movement with the plants and other things caused by water.[26]

 

From the words of the commentators we notice that they attributed the agitation to the plants, and interpreted the Verse as meaning something other than its explicit meaning. Some of them said that agitation was more obvious in the plant than in the earth. This is all because of lack of knowledge at their time and because the agitation of the soil and its particles is a hidden process that cannot be detected by the naked eye, although the Verse is explicit in attributing agitation to the soil itself after Allah sends down rain on it.

 

“Rabat: a) swelled and increased[27], b) shivered before it grew vegetation[28], c) rose before it grew vegetation[29], d) swelled and rose because of the water penetrating it and the vegetation covering it[30], e) swelled and rose and then cracked to reveal vegetation.[31]

“Ihtazzat and Rabat”: Rain scattered in the salty marshes and the hills of the earth.[32]

 

The Aspect of the Miracle

 

The Qur’an mentions the agitation and swelling of the soil after rain comes down on it. They are two subtle, unseen and unperceived processes that cannot be detected except through the microscope. The processes of the agitation and swelling of the soil particles take place after the descent of rainwater. The agitation enables, with Allah’s permission, the water to go between the layers composing the soil and to penetrate the spaces among the particles. The particles then swell and increase in size and turn into stores for water by which plants will benefit, for the seeds existing in the soil will absorb the water and start growing and the root hairs will absorb it to continue growing with the Mercy of Allah.

 

The details of the relationship between the agitation and swelling of the soil, on the one hand, and the cultivation of the earth, on the other hand, are subtle and it was not possible for man to understand them except after the advances in the science of soil and the development of its laboratory instruments.

 

Agitation was observed for the first time in 1827 although the light microscope, the instrument through which the agitation was observed, had been invented in 1590.[33] The scanning electron microscope (SEM) that can be used in investigating the building units that form the soil particles was invented in 1952.[34]

The scientific precedence of the Qur’an becomes more evident when we survey the sayings of the commentators whom the knowledge of their time did not help understand the explicit meaning of the Holy Verse, which forced most of them to interpret it metaphorically.

  The very clear Qur’anic information about these secrets is enough evidence that the Qur’an is a Divine Revelation form Him Who knows the secret in both heavens and earth, and Who says: “Say: ‘It (this Qur’an) has been sent by Him Who knows the secret of the heavens and the earth. Verily, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.’” (XXV: 6) and Who promised in His Book that He would show us His Signs, in His Saying: “And say: ‘Praise be to Allah, Who will soon show you His Signs, so that you shall know them….’” (XXVII: 93)      

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