Science in the Glorious Quran: Fire Whirls

“أَيَوَدُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن تَكُونَ لَهُ جَنَّةٌ مِّن نَّخِيلٍ وَأَعْنَابٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ لَهُ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ وَأَصَابَهُ الْكِبَرُ وَلَهُ ذُرِّيَّةٌ ضُعَفَاءُ فَأَصَابَهَا إِعْصَارٌ فِيهِ نَارٌ فَاحْتَرَقَتْ ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمُ الْآيَاتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَفَكَّرُونَ” البقرة: 266

“Would anyone of you like to have a garden of palms and vines, under which rivers flow with all kinds of fruit in it for him, and old age has stricken him, and he has weak children then a whirlwind with fire batters it and it burns down? Thus, God makes clear the signs for you so that you may reflect.” (Qur’an, 2:266)

Whirlwinds of fire, or firenadoes, are a rare phenomenon. They may occur when intense rising heat and turbulent wind conditions combine to form whirling eddies of air. These eddies could be contracted into a tornado-like structure that sucks in burning debris and combustible gases. A firenado can reach up to 1,090 °C, which is hot enough to potentially reignite ashes sucked up from the ground. However, whirlwinds of fire rarely grow to become actual tornadoes.

To keep the blessing of God, He would like us to be generous to the poor and give them of what we possess, because if not we may lose what we possess in a moment. The rare phenomenon of firenadoes was documented by the Qur’an more than 14 centuries ago. Who told the Prophet Muhammad about it?

Kanto, Japan, 1923, after a fire tornado.

Canberra tornado, Australia, 2003.

Brazil, Sao Paulo, 2010.