Al-Mursalat 77:27
In one breath the verse sets out two images.
وَجَعَلْنَا فِيهَا رَوَٰسِىَ شَـٰمِخَـٰتٍ وَأَسْقَيْنَـٰكُم مَّآءً فُرَاتًا
And set on it lofty mountains, and given you pure water to drink
Al-Mursalat 77:27 · Translation: talal-itani
Image
"Rawāsiya shāmikhāt" — towering, majestic firm mountains; the horizon the eye first catches. "Māʾan furātā" — sweet, drinkable water; the taste the mouth first seeks. Horizon and lip are bound together within the same verse: a person meets the reminder of provision both in the mass he looks up to and in the sip he draws.
Observation
Mountains play a decisive role in the hydrological cycle: altitude-dependent cooling retains atmospheric moisture and increases precipitation; water accumulated as snow melts slowly in spring, feeding rivers and aquifers. The continuous flow of mountain springs largely derives from this snowmelt mechanism; a significant share of the world's freshwater resources is provided by mountain watersheds.
Exegesis
Classical exegetes note that "furāt" carries not the sense of ordinary water but specifically of drinkable water that is "pleasant, sweet, refreshing." Al-Zamakhsharī observes that by setting the two elements side by side — towering mountains and sweet water — the verse shows the two faces of the gift: magnitude and delicacy, majesty and tenderness. The recurring refrain of Sūrat al-Mursalāt, "Woe that day to the deniers," is the backdrop of this enumeration of gifts — the verse is a reminder of provision set within the air of a warning.
Sources
Tafsīr: al-Zamakhsharī · al-Kashshāf; classical tafsīr readings of Sūrat al-Mursalāt as a whole.