1580年，伯纳德·帕利西（Bernard Palissy）首次描述了当今所说的“水循环”概念。他阐述了水如何从海洋中蒸发，并冷却形成云。云朵飘向内陆，在那里上升、凝结并以雨的形式降落。这些水汇集成湖泊和溪流，然后又流回海洋，形成一个持续不断的循环。公元前7世纪，米利都的泰勒斯认为，海洋表面的浪沫被风吹起，带到内陆，并以雨的形式落下。

n 1580, Bernard Palissy was the first person to describe the present day concept of ‘water cycle’. He described how water evaporates from the oceans and cools to form clouds. The clouds move inland where they rise, condense and fall as rain. This water gathers as lakes and streams and flows back to the ocean in a continuous cycle. In the 7th century B.C., Thales of Miletus believed that surface spray of the oceans was picked up by the wind and carried inland to fall as rain.

在早先时代，人们并不知道地下水的来源。他们认为，海洋的水在风力的作用下被推向大陆内部。他们还相信，水是经由一条秘密通道或大深渊流回的。这条通道与海洋相连，自柏拉图时代起就被称为“塔耳塔洛斯”。

In earlier times people did not know the source of underground water. They thought the water of the oceans, under the effect of winds, was thrust towards the interior of the continents. They also believed that the water returned by a secret passage or the Great Abyss. This passage is connected to the oceans and has been called the ‘Tartarus’, since Plato’s time.

即使是笛卡尔这位十八世纪的伟大思想家也认同这一观点。直到十九世纪，亚里士多德的理论仍然占据主导地位。

Even Descartes, a great thinker of the eighteenth century, subscribed to this view. Till the nineteenth century, Aristotle’s theory was still prevalent.

根据这一理论，水在凉爽的山洞中凝结，形成地下湖泊，并为泉水提供水源。如今，我们已经知道，渗入地面裂缝的雨水才是造成这一现象的原因。

According to this theory, water was condensed in cool mountain caverns and formed underground lakes that fed springs. Today, we have come to know that the rainwater that seeps into the cracks of the ground is responsible for this.

这一点在《古兰经》以下经文中有所描述：

This is described by the Qur’an in the following verses:

“你难道没有看见吗？真主从天上降下雨水，并让它在地中流成泉源？

“Seest thou not that Allah sends down rain from the sky, and leads it through springs in the earth?

然后，祂借着雨水使各种颜色的农作物生长。」【《古兰经》39:21】「祂从天空降下雨水，借它使已经死去的大地重新获得生机：

then He causes to grow, therewith, produce of various colours.” [Al-Qur’an 39:21] “He sends down rain from the sky and with it gives life to the earth after it is dead:

“诚然，其中有迹象，给有理智的人。”[古兰经 30:24] “我从天上降下雨水，依一定的分量；我使雨水储存在大地上，我确能使它消失。”[古兰经 23:18] 在1400年前的其他任何文本中，都找不到对水循环如此精确的描述。

Verily in that are Signs for those who are wise.” [Al-Qur’an 30:24] “And We send down water from the sky according to (due) measure, and We cause it to soak in the soil; and We certainly are able to drain it off (with ease).” [Al-Qur’an 23:18] No other text dating back 1400 years ago gives such an accurate description of the water cycle.

“以循环往复的天空起誓” [Al-Qur’an 86:11]

“By the Firmament which returns (in its round),” [Al-Qur’an 86:11]

“我派遣了能使植物受精的风，然后从天上降下雨水，用它供给你们饮用，而你们并不是储存它的人。”[《古兰经》15:22] 这里使用的阿拉伯语词是 lawaaqih，它是 laqih 的复数形式，而 laqih 源自 laqaha，意思是使受孕或使受精。在此语境中，“受孕”指风推动云层聚集，增强凝结，从而产生闪电，并形成降雨。《古兰经》的以下经文中也有类似的描述：

“And We send the fecundating winds, then cause the rain to descend from the sky, therewith providing you with water (in abundance).” [Al-Qur’an 15:22] The Arabic word used here is lawaaqih which is the plural of laqih from laqaha, which means to impregnate or fecundate. In this context, impregnate means that the wind pushes the clouds together increasing the condensation that causes lightning and thus rain. A similar description is found in the following verses of the Qur’an:

你难道没有看到，真主轻轻地驱动云彩，然后把它们聚合起来，再堆叠成层？——于是你会看到雨水从云层中间涌出。他还从天空降下如山般的云块。

“Seest thou not that Allah makes the clouds move gently, then joins them together, then makes them into a heap?–then wilt thou see rain issue forth from their midst. And He sends down from the sky mountain masses (of clouds)

"Hail" here is a weather term (冰雹), so the sentence means: Allah strikes with it whom He wills, and turns it away from whom He wills. Translation: 祂以它击打祂所意欲的人，也以它使祂所意欲的人避开。

wherein is hail: He strikes therewith whom He pleases and He turns it away from whom He pleases.

“他那闪电的明亮几乎要夺走人的视力。”[《古兰经》24:43]“真主派遣风，风便掀起云层：”

the vivid flash of His lightning well-nigh blinds the sight.” [Al-Qur’an 24:43] “It is Allah Who sends the Winds, and they raise the Clouds:

然后，祂随意将云铺展于天空，并将其分裂成碎片，直到你看见雨滴从云层中间涌出：

then does He spread them in the sky as He wills, and break them into fragments, until thou seest raindrops issue from the midst thereof:

然后，当祂使他们遇到祂所意欲的仆人时，看哪，他们便欢欣起来！”[古兰经 30:48] 现代水文学的数据与古兰经关于同一主题的描述完全吻合。

then when He has made them reach such of His servants as He wills, behold, they do rejoice!” [Al-Qur’an 30:48] Modern data on Hydrology agrees perfectly with the Qur'anic description on the same subject.

水循环在《古兰经》的其他几节经文中也有描述，包括7:57、13:17、25:48-49、35:9、36:34、45:5、50:9-11、56:68-70和67:30。

The water cycle is described in several other verses of the Glorious Qur’an, including 7:57, 13:17, 25:48- 49, 35:9, 36:34, 45:5, 50:9-11, 56:68-70 and 67:30.