Surah Al-Anbiyaa and Water in 2025: New Year's Best Topic

"We made every living thing from water. Will they not then believe?"

Surah Al-Anbiyaa:

This ayah is from Surah Al-Anbiyaa (Chapter. No. 21, Verse.No.30). The Surah is found in Para 17 of the Holy Quran. It has 112 ayahs (verses) and 7 rukus (sections).

Water as a Source of Life:

Revealed in Makkah, Surah Al-Anbiyaa is about the wonderful creation of Allah and His divine ability. Besides its main theme, which revolves around faith and Islamic monotheism, the Surah reveals the important fact of water, as a source of life.

Amount of Water in Living Things:

Mankind was not aware of these facts before 20th century. After the advancement of science, it was found that a living being contains cells and the basic substance of cell is cytoplasm containing over 80% water. 

Science tells us that every living human/creature contains 50 to 90 % water. It is  essential for swallowing, digesting, transporting and distribution of food, vitamins, hormones, immunity system elements and oxygen to all parts of the body. Moreover, it is needed for excretion of wastes and toxins and maintaining the temperature and humidity of the body.

Water is Essential for Life:

Living things not only originates from water, but also depends on it for continuation of life. It plays a vital role in maintaining body temperature, controlling blood pressure and levels of acidity. The shortage of water can cause the cells to become dehydrated disrupting their work. It may also cause tissues to dry, joints to stick together, blood to clot and the living organism to perish. 

The symptoms of shortage of water in the body of a living organism are dangerous. For instance, if a person loses just 1% of the water in his body, he will feel thirsty. If this percentage is 5%, his tongue and mouth will become dry, he will have difficulties in talking and will suffer from weakness. If the percentage increases to 10%, he will die. In addition, the increase may cause vomiting, general weakness and ends in a comma.

Surah Ta Ha and Water:

The Holy Qur'an further shed light on the importance of water in Surah Ta Ha (Chapter No.20, Verse.No.53). “It is He who sends down water from the sky and with it brings diverse pairs of plants, each separate from the other”. Pairs mean the male and female sexes in plants. It was, indeed, a revolution in the field of Botany.

Water Distribution on Earth:

Broadly speaking, water covers 71% of the earth’s surface. Most of the water (97. 22%) is distributed in seas and oceans. Whereas, the amount of ice that covers the earth’s two poles and the apex of the mountains have reportedly a thickness of 4 kilometres in the South Pole and 3800 meters in the North Pole; the amount of water contained in these icebergs 2.15% of the water found on the earth’s surface. 

The remaining amount, estimated at 0.63% of the water found on the earth’s surface, largely stored in rocks (underground water), is found on the earth’s crust. An amount of 0.017% is found in lakes and in rivers, the humidity in the air and the soil that help plants to grow; it also plays a vital role in forming clouds that shade the earth from many of the sun’s burning rays during the day, whilst also returning the warmth that has been emitted by the rocks as soon as the sun has set. While the land occupies 29% of the whole surface area. 

The earth also has stores of water below its surface, especially in the weak sphere, called asthenosphere. This groundwater reportedly extracts to the surface at the suitable time by the will of Allah Almighty through volcanic activities.

Water Controls the Earth’s Climate and Accommodate Life:

How miraculously the water has been distributed on the earth’s surface. It plays a major role in controlling the earth’s climate and accommodate life. Life would not have been possible on the earth without these vast watery and icy areas. Contrarily, the temperature could have crossed 100oC during the daytime and dropped down to -100oC at night. 

These conditions would have made the existence of life impossible on earth. It's the mercy of Allah that water is a hydrosphere system, controlling the temperature, the constant evaporation of large amounts of water and its condensation in the form of clouds, fog and dew, which then falls as rain, ice and snow, accompanied by thunder and lightning to release nitrogen compounds and other elements that enrich the soil with the compounds that are needed by our plant.

Regulating Temperature of Seas and Oceans:

What is more, water helps in regulating the temperature of the seas and oceans to maintain marine life. This is reportedly through a combination of hot and cold sea currents, the absorption of a great amount of sunlight and energy from the activities of the various marine life forms and the redistribution of this heat together with the heat obtained from volcanoes that erupt on the troughs of the oceans and on a number of seas. 

The most important function of water is in protecting aquatic life from climate changes, especially when the temperature decreases to below zero.

Characteristics of Water: 

Water has a number of physical and chemical characteristics that are not found in other elements. The most obvious one is its low density when it freezes. This enables it to float on the surface of seas and oceans instead of sinking to bottom, which might have otherwise destroyed various life forms existing there. 

Reportedly, these floating icebergs on water surface act as insulators between cold air surrounding them and the relatively warm water underneath. This is a little of the unique natural and chemical characteristics that Allah SWT has instilled in water.

Miracle of Water:

Water is, ofcourse, one of the great miracles of Allah, revealed in His Holy Book over 1400 years ago. Allah has enabled it to carryout a major role in humans, plants, and animals. 

Its ability to dissolve large amounts of solids, liquids and gases, its molecular structure with double pole and resistance to dissolution and ionization, together with its special freezing and boiling points and the high specific and latent heat, impressive viscosity and surface tension, low density in freezing, its great ability in the processes of oxidation and reduction and to react with many chemical compounds help to crack the soil to facilitate the germination of plants. 

The amazing creative power of water: 

The amazing creative power of water is visible to all. Every rational person can notice it in the Mercy of Allah. This also proves that Holy Qur'an is the word of Allah and Muhammad (PBUH) is the last prophet of Allah.

The Significance of Water in 2025: A Precious Resource at a Crossroads

Water is, indeed, a driving force of nature, a wonderful creation of Almighty Allah, which is a timeless truth and continues to resonate. But how grateful we are, its implications are more urgent than ever in 2025. The unsustainable practices of the growing populations are threatening the availability and quality of freshwater.

Inextricable Link between Climate Change and Water:

The link between water and climate change is more evident in 2025. Today humanity is facing critical choices about how to protect and preserve water. Reportedly, over 2 billion people globally lack access to safe drinking water. Melting glaciers, rising sea levels, and altered precipitation patterns are disrupting water cycles. Prolonged droughts, erratic rainfall, and rising temperatures are  reducing the availability of freshwater. 

Global Water Crisis: A Persistent Challenge:

Urbanization and industrialization are exacerbating the situation. The cities across the globe are grappling with water scarcity, while industries are persistent in releasing untreated wastewater into rivers, polluting vital ecosystems. The challenges of water governance and its equitable distribution are becoming increasingly evident.

Technological Advances: A Ray of Hope

The story of water is both a challenge and opportunity in 2025. The technological innovations are providing some hope despite the grim statistics mentioned above. Desalination plants, converting seawater into freshwater, are becoming more efficient and accessible. Smart water management systems are gaining traction, using AI and IoT to monitor and optimize water usage. 

These tools are helping in conserving water from leak detection in pipelines to precision irrigation. Moreover, large scale wastewater recycling and rainwater harvesting are being adopted, offering sustainable solutions.

The Role of Policy and Community Action:

Governments and organizations around the world are increasingly recognizing the importance of water conservation. Policies are being implemented for promoting sustainable water usage, stricter pollution controls, and incentives for water-efficient technologies. Unfortunately, enforcement still remains a challenge in many regions.

Community-driven Initiatives in Addressing the Water Crisis:

In order to highlight the importance of public participation in addressing water crisis, community-driven initiatives are playing a crucial role.  Movements at grassroots  for rainwater harvesting, afforestation, and watershed management are empowering local populations to take charge of their water resources. 

A Call to Action:

Water is not just a resource, but a shared heritage and a fundamental human right. Hence, our decisions will determine whether the future generations inherit a world where water remains a source of life and prosperity, or a source of conflict and crisis. So, it is our collective responsibility to safeguard this precious resource.

Water Saving Habits:

Starting from individual level, we can contribute by adopting water-saving habits, supporting policies for sustainable water management, and raising awareness about the importance of conservation.

Water Development Agenda:

Regarding the governments, industries, and organizations, it is a turning point for them to prioritize water in development agendas, invest in innovation, and collaborate to ensure equitable access. Adaptation measures, like building climate-resilient infrastructure and restoring wetlands, are crucial to mitigate these impacts. 

Resolving Transboundary Water Disputes:

International cooperation is the need of the hour to resolve transboundary water disputes. Steps must be taken to resolve them through diplomacy and shared agreements. In this context, initiatives like the United Nations' Water Action Decade (2018–2028) emphasize the need for global solidarity in managing water resources.