Freshwater In Quran
1400 years ago, it was not known that there was no way for sea salt to reach the tops of mountains. However, this concept was mentioned in the Quran.
📖Quran 77:27
And [He] placed upon it towering, firm mountains, and gave you fresh water to drink?
- The verse mentions mountains first, then fresh water, indicating a direct link: mountains help provide fresh water.
- In nature, mountains store glaciers, snow, and springs, which gradually release fresh water to rivers and streams.
- This aligns with modern science: mountains act as natural reservoirs, supplying much of the Earth’s accessible fresh water.
So, the Qur’an highlights that the fresh water humans rely on is closely tied to mountains, not the salty seas.
- About 97% of Earth’s water is salty, found in oceans, seas, and saline groundwater.
- Only 2.5–2.75% is fresh water, and most of that is frozen in glaciers, ice, and snow (1.75–2%).
- A smaller fraction, 0.5–0.75%, exists as fresh groundwater and soil moisture.
- Less than 0.01% is surface water in rivers, lakes, and swamps, which is what humans can most easily access.
Reference: Fresh Water, 2019
Salts cannot evaporate with water, so they cannot be carried into the water cycle or transported to high mountains. This means that the snow found on the peaks of mountains is freshwater, not salty.
Additional Information
The Qur’an is not a book of science, geology, or hydrology; rather, it is a book of guidance that gives signs for people to reflect upon. When it mentions phenomena such as mountains and the provision of fresh water, the purpose is not to provide scientific details but to direct human thought toward the Creator. Science may later explain the mechanisms, such as how salt does not evaporate with water or how mountains store fresh water in snow and glaciers, yet the Qur’an’s verses serve as timeless reminders that these natural processes are signs pointing to Allah’s power and wisdom.