The concept of water in the Quran

When we consider the context of the Qur’anic verses, we find that the word water appears in multiple forms that go beyond the simple physical connotation to deep symbolic and spiritual connotations. The Qur’an not only describes water as a natural element essential to life, but also as a symbol of moral life, as water is associated with guidance, purification, testing, and even the revelation of the divine memory itself. This variety of uses of the word water reveals the richness of the Qur’anic language and its ability to blend the sensible and the sensible into one integrated framework.

We have counted twenty-three types of waterin the Holy Quran, manifested in different contexts, collected by the honorable brother Abd Rabbo Ali Joufi and presented here as they appear in the texts, as an introduction to our study:

1. Gurgling water: “The water washed away and the matter was decided” (Hud: 44).
2. Sour water: “Behind him is Hell, and he shall be watered with hard water” (Ibrahim: 16).
3. Mehl water: “If they call for help, they will be given water like water, which is like water that roasts the faces” (Al-Kahf: 29).
4. Water of the earth: “And We sent down water from the sky with a measure of fate, and we dwelled in the earth” (Al-Mu’minoon: 18).
5. Pure water: “And We sent down from the sky pure water” (Al-Furqan: 48).
6. Drinking water: “He who sent down from the sky water from which you have a drink” (al-Nahl: 10).
7. Brackish water: “The bridging of the two seas, this is clear fresh water and this is brackish salt” (Al-Furqan: 53).
8. Humiliating water: “Then he made his offspring from a chain of humble water” (Al-Sajdah: 8).
9. Water that is not bilious: “In it are rivers of water that is not watery” (Muhammad: 15).
10. Warm water: “They drank hot water that cut their intestines” (Muhammad: 15).
11. Blessed water: “And We sent down from the sky a blessed water, with which We sowed gardens and a harvest” (Q: 9).
12. Rushing water: “We opened the gates of heaven with flowing water” (Al-Qamar: 11).
13. Poured water: “A stretched shade * and poured water” (Al-Raqqa: 30-31).
14. The water is sunken: “Or its water will become shallow, and you will not be able to ask for it” (Al-Kahf: 41).
15. Certain water: “Who will bring you certain water?” (Al-Malik: 30).
16. The water is abundant: “And if they had stayed on the path, We would have given them abundant water” (Al-Jinn: 16).
17. Euphrates water: “And We have watered you with clear water” (Al-Mursalat: 27).
18. Bubbling water: “And We sent down from the succulents bubbling water” (Al-Nabaa: 14).
19. Flowing water: “He was created from flowing water” (Al-Tariq: 6).
20. The water of Midian: “And when he came to the water of Midian” (Stories: 23).
21. Water is a mirage: “And those who disbelieve, their deeds are like a mirage that the thirsty person thinks is water” (Al-Noor: 39).
22. Salsabil water: “There is a spring in it called Silsabil” (Al-Aman: 18).
23. Springs: “Did you not see that Allah sent down water from the sky, and it flowed into springs in the earth” (Al-Zamar: 21).

This comprehensive list is the key to understanding the semantic diversity of water in the Qur’an. Water sometimes appears as a torment, sometimes as a blessing, sometimes in the context of resurrection and revival, and sometimes in the place of guidance and remembrance. This diversity establishes a new reading through which we see that water, in many places, is nothing but an image of the Qur’an itself: Download, remembrance, mercy and guidance. From here we embark on our study to prove this meaning.

Water in the Quran: Multiple meanings and a symbol of divine revelation

As we noted earlier, whoever reads the context of the Qur’anic verses finds that the word water is not just a reference to the known liquid (H₂O), but a deep and multi-leveled symbol. It may refer to the physical water with which the earth is watered and creatures live, and in other places it may symbolize the deeper moral meaning, namely the Qur’anic revelation itself as a source of life for souls, just as water is a source of life for bodies. In this article, we present our arguments that the Qur’an itself frequently uses the word “water” to refer to itself, i.e. to the divine revelation, based on a number of verses, with a detailed explanation of each position.

Water is the source of life: From the physical to the intangible

God Almighty says:

“And We made out of water all living things” (Al-Anbiya: 30)

But when we reflect on the words “every living thing”, the question arises: are souls included in this generalization or not? The answer is that souls are not excluded from “every living thing”, as they also live by water, but their life is not biological but moral, that is, by the divine revelation that descends on the messengers. Hence we understand that the Qur’an is water that revives souls just as physical water revives bodies. This meaning is emphasized in the words of the Almighty:

“Respond to God and to the Messenger when he calls you for what revives you” (Al-Anfal: 24)

What revives us here is not rainwater, but the Qur’anic revelation that renews the soul and awakens it from the death of inattention.

Purifying water: Cleansing the body or cleansing the soul?

In the words of the Almighty:

“And He will send down water from the sky to purify you and remove from you the vice of Satan, and He will bind your hearts and strengthen your feet.” (Al-Anfal: 11)

If you think about it, physical water cannot take away Satan’s temptations, nor can it bind hearts or stabilize feet in the face of the enemy. What does this is Moral water, i.e. the Quran It is that which cleanses minds from polytheism, removes the effects of Satan from the souls, strengthens faith in the hearts, and stabilizes attitudes and actions. Here it is clear that the water mentioned is broader than a physical liquid, but rather it is God’s descending speech.

Water, both physical and spiritual, in Surat al-Furqan

In a marvelous context, Allah Almighty says:

And it is He who sent the winds as heralds between the hands of His mercy, and We sent down from the sky pure water * To revive a dead country with it, and to water it from what We have created for cattle and many people * We have dispersed it between them that they may remember, but most people are unbelievers.” (Al-Furqan: 48-50)

We note that the discourse began with the physical water that comes down from the sky to revive the earth and water the animals and people, but the verse moved on to another meaning: “And We have dispersed it among them that they may remember.” Here it is understood that what is meant is not only physical water, but also the Qur’an so that they may remember. This meaning is immediately confirmed in the next verse:

“So do not obey the disbelievers, and strive against them with a great jihad” (Al-Furqan: 52)

Jihad cannot be with physical water, but with the Qur’an. So it is clear that the text combines two types of water: Physical water that revitalizes the earth, and spiritual water, the Quran, that revitalizes the souls.

Abundant water: The fascination of revelation, not the abundance of rain

He says:

“And if they would have stayed on the path, we would have watered them with abundant water * in order to test them therein” (Al-Jinn: 16-17)

If we were to take the physical meaning, we would say that God mesmerizes people with heavy rain, which is far-fetched. But if we understand water here as revelation, the meaning becomes clear: If they had followed God’s path, God would have opened the Qur’an to them, overflowing them with guidance, but it would be a test for them: Do they work with it or reject it? So the water here is the overflow of the divine dhikr.

Water forbidden to unbelievers

In a scene from the Day of Judgment, the Almighty says:

And the Companions of the Fire called upon the Companions of Paradise to pour water on us or from what Allah has provided for you. They said, “Allah has forbidden them to the unbelievers * Those who took their religion as a plaything and a game and were seduced by the life of this world.” (Al-A’raf, n.d.) 50-51)

Then the next verse comes right after:

We have brought them a book that we have detailed on the basis of knowledge, a guide and a mercy for people who believe (Al-A’raf: 52)

The connection between the two passages is clear: The water sought on the Day of Judgment is not just physical water, but the guidance and mercy of the Book. The unbelievers were deprived of this water in this world and turned away from it, so they will be deprived of it in the hereafter.

Water and the link between prayer, zakat and purity

In many verses, water is associated with moral purity, which is the essence of prayer. In the words of the Almighty:

“God wants to remove from you the abomination, the people of the house, and purify you.” (Al-Ahzab: 33)

We find that purification is not by drinking water, but by good deeds, by praying (prayer) and paying (zakat), and by obedience to God and His Messenger. This agrees with what we understand from the Anfal verse, where the water is the Qur’an, the purifying Qur’an.