Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Hijr Verse 22

Mufti Taqi Usmani

And We sent forth winds carrying the clouds, then sent down water from the sky and gave it to you to drink, and you are not able to store it.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

We send fertilizing winds, and bring down rain from the sky for you to drink. It is not you who hold its reserves.

Ruwwad Translation Center

And We send fertilizing winds, and send down rain from the sky for you to drink, and it is not you who could store it.

A. J. Arberry

And We loose the winds fertilising, and We send down out of heaven water, then We give it to you to drink, and you are not its treasurers.

Abdul Haleem

We send the winds to fertilize, and We bring down water from the sky for you to drink- you do not control its sources.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And We send the winds fertilizing, then We send down water from the heaven and We give it to you to drink, and thereof ye could not be the treasurers.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And We send the fecundating winds, then cause the rain to descend from the sky, therewith providing you with water (in abundance), though ye are not the guardians of its stores.

Abul Ala Maududi

We send fertilizing winds, and then cause rain to descend from the sky, providing you abundant water to drink even though you could not have stored it up for yourselves.

Ahmed Ali

We send rain-impregnated winds, and water from the sky which you drink, but you are not the keepers of its store.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And We sent the winds that relieve the clouds’ burden, therefore caused water to descend from the sky, then give it to you to drink; and you are not at all its treasurers.

Ali Quli Qarai

And We send the fertilizing winds and send down water from the sky providing it for you to drink and you are not maintainers of its resources.

Ali Ünal

And We send the winds to fertilize, and so We send down water from the sky, and give it to you to drink (and use in other ways); it is not you who are the keepers of its stores (under earth).

Amatul Rahman Omar

And We send impregnating winds and pour water from the clouds and give it to you to drink. You are not the ones to store it up.

English Literal

And We sent the winds/breezes (as) pollinators , so We descended from the sky water, so We gave it to you to drink, and you are not for it with storing.

Faridul Haque

And We sent the winds that relieve the clouds’ burden, therefore caused water to descend from the sky, then give it to you to drink; and you are not at all its treasurers.

Hamid S. Aziz

And We send forth the impregnating (fertilizing, invigorating, fecundating) winds, and We send down water from the sky, and We give it to you to drink. It is not you who hold the store thereof.

Hilali & Khan

And We send the winds fertilizing (to fill heavily the clouds with water), then caused the water (rain) to descend from the sky, and We gave it to you to drink, and it is not you who are the owners of its stores [i.e. to give water to whom you like or to withhold it from whom you like].

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And there is not a thing but with Us are the treasures of it, and We send it not down but in a known measure.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And We send the winds fertilizing, then send down water from the cloud so We give it to you to drink of, nor is it you who store it up.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And We send the winds fertilising, and cause water to descend from the sky, and give it you to drink. It is not ye who are the holders of the store thereof.

Muhammad Sarwar

We send impregnating winds and send down water from the sky for you to drink and you have no (control over its) storage.

Qaribullah & Darwish

We send the winds fertilizing, and We send down out of heaven water, from which you drink and you are not its treasurers.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And We send the winds fertilizing, then We cause the water to descend from the sky, and We give it to you to drink, and it is not you who are the owners of its supply.

Wahiduddin Khan

We let loose fertilizing winds, and bring water from the sky for you to drink; and you could not have stored it up for yourselves.

Talal Itani

We send the fertilizing winds; and send down water from the sky, and give it to you to drink, and you are not the ones who store it.

Tafsir jalalayn

And We send the winds as fertilisers, to fertilise the clouds, whereupon they fill up with water, and send down out of the heaven, [out of] the clouds, water, rain, so that We give it to you to drink, for you are not the storers thereof, that is, the stores thereof are not in your control.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

وَأَرْسَلْنَا الرِّيَاحَ لَوَاقِحَ

And We send the winds fertilizing.

i.e., fertilizing the clouds so that they give rain, and fertilizing the trees so that they open their leaves and blossoms.

These winds are mentioned here in the plural form because they give results, unlike the barren wind (Ar-Rih Al-'Aqim, see Adh-Dhariyat 51;41), which is mentioned in the singular and described as barren since it does not produce anything; because results can only be produced when there are two or more things.

Abdullah bin Mas`ud said,

"The wind is sent bearing water from the sky, then it fertilizes the clouds until rain begins to generously fall, just as the milk of the pregnant camel flows generously."

This was also the opinion of Ibn Abbas, Ibrahim An-Nakha`i and Qatadah.

Ad-Dahhak said;

"Allah sends it to the clouds and it gets fertilized and becomes full of water."

Ubayd bin Umayr Al-Laythi said;

"Allah sends the wind which stirs up the earth, then Allah sends the wind which raises clouds, then Allah sends the wind which forms clouds, then Allah sends the fertilizing wind which pollinates the trees."

Then he recited,
وَأَرْسَلْنَا الرِّيَاحَ لَوَاقِحَ
(And We sent the winds fertilizing).
Fresh Water is a Blessing from Allah

Allah says;

فَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاء مَاء

then We cause the water to descend from the sky,

فَأَسْقَيْنَاكُمُوهُ

and We give it to you to drink,

This means, "and We send it down to you fresh and sweet, so that you can drink it; if We had wished, We could have made it salty (and undrinkable)", as Allah points out in another Ayah in Surah Al-Waqi`ah, where He says;

أَفَرَءَيْتُمُ الْمَأءَ الَّذِى تَشْرَبُونَ

أَءَنتُمْ أَنزَلْتُمُوهُ مِنَ الْمُزْنِ أَمْ نَحْنُ الْمُنزِلُونَ

لَوْ نَشَأءُ جَعَلْنَـهُ أُجَاجاً فَلَوْلَا تَشْكُرُونَ

Tell Me! The water that you drink, is it you who cause it to come down from the rain clouds, or are We the cause of it coming down! If We willed, We verily could make it salty (and undrinkable), why then do you not give thanks (to Allah)! (56;68-70)

And Allah says;

هُوَ الَّذِى أَنْزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَأءً لَّكُم مَّنْهُ شَرَابٌ وَمِنْهُ شَجَرٌ فِيهِ تُسِيمُونَ

He it is Who sends water down from the sky; from it you drink and from it (grows) the vegetation on which you send your cattle to pasture. (16;10)

وَمَا أَنتُمْ لَهُ بِخَازِنِينَ



and it is not you who are the owners of its supply.

The meaning is, "You are not taking care of it; rather We send it down and take care of it for you, making springs and wells flourish on the earth."

If Allah so willed, He could make it disappear, but by His mercy He sends it down and makes it fresh and sweet, maintaining the springs, wells, rivers and so on, so that they may drink from it all year long, water their livestock and irrigate their crops.
The Power of Allah to initiate and renew Creation

Allah says