This is simply a linguistic question, Mr. Yousuf Ali's translation has many virtues, though at times he can be too literal, as in this case. He uses the preposition "from" simply because it is the one used in the Arabic text. I admit that I have never found the Arabic text confusing because the preposition used in all these verses simply implies a reference to the original substance used in the creation of the animal kingdom. In English, perhaps, the preposition "from" is not particularly useful in this context.

I have looked these verses up in other translations I use. Before I explain how they render these verses, I would like to say that although there are about 20 different English translations of the Qur'an, none of them is free of defects. Each has its own merit, but there is hardly one which can be recommended without reservations. In Mr. Pickthall's translation, we find the first of these verses (21:30) rendered as "We made every living thing of water." The same phrase, "of water", is used in the verse in Surah 24, while the verse in Surah 25 is rendered as: "He it is who hath created man from water". In Mr. N.J. Dawood's translation, published by Penguin, the phrase "of water" is used in the first of the three verses while, "from water" is used in the other two. This is a little surprising because Mr. Dawood's translation is far from literal. In Mr. Muhammad Asad's translation, the second of these verses (24:25) is rendered as follows: "It is God who has created all animals out of water." The phrase, "out of water", is retained in the other two verses. The same phrase "out of water" is used in the rendering of all three verses by Dr. Thomas Irving, whose translation is the first by an American. Mr. Asad's and Dr. Irving's are two of the most recent translations. Mr. Asad's was published in 1980, while Dr. Irving's in 1985.

I hope that what I have mentioned about the different translations is sufficient to clear the confusion which you have felt to arise from the rendering of these verses in English. As you see, it is the translator's preference in each case which influences his rendering. Perhaps a few additional words are needed here to explain the meaning of these verses.

From the first of these verses, we understand that "Allah has made every living thing out of water". This is a very important truism which tells us that water is the origin of all life. The Qur'an has revealed 14 centuries ago, when no human being even remotely linked the origin of life with water. Today, we accept this fact easily because we know that water is the predominant element in all living creatures. Moreover, it is the environment in which life originated. Scientists did not discover that until recently. But the fact that this is now admitted by science is no reason to make us more convinced of the truth of the Qur'an. Because even if science did not have anything to say on the subject, we would still accept Allah's statement as absolutely true and irrefutable.

The Qur'an has a very important place in the lives of Muslims. It is God's own word, revealed to His last messenger, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. It contains God's guidance which must be implemented in human life. Therefore, it must be read carefully and understood fully and followed with diligence. No Muslim would take a casual attitude toward the Qur'an. Moreover, God has made it an aspect of His grace that we earn generous reward when we read the Qur'an or listen to it and reflect on its meaning. Indeed credit is given to us for every single letter of the Qur'an we read.

All this makes every Muslim give the Qur'an a special place in his life. He realizes that it is God's own word addressed to him personally so that he has the guidance he needs to ensure that God is well pleased with him when he implements His instructions. He treats the Qur'an with great respect. When he listens to a verse, he reflects on its meaning, realizing that he may always discover a connotation of which he has been unaware.

A Muslim always attaches great importance to the Qur'an. It is sufficient to emphasize that importance to remember the fact that when we offer our prayers, we read the Qur'an and glorify God. The closest anyone of us can get to God is when we stand in prayer, reciting the Qur'an. Hence, God gives us the general command that we have to listen attentively to the Qur'an whenever it is read. It is simply an offense that the Qur'an is being read and we do not pay any attention. Such an attitude is unacceptable. If someone is talking to you and you make it clear by word or gesture that you are not listening to him, he will consider your attitude affront. A speaker in public gathering will be put off if he finds some of his audience engaged in a side discussion. How can we be guilty of such an attitude, when God's words are being recited?

I have known a God-fearing scholar who commanded great respect in his home town. If he entered, say, a barber's shop and found the radio switched on with a Qur'anic recitation being heard and a few customers talking to each other, he would insist that the radio is switched off. People may protest that they would like to listen to the recitation. He would say that they all should stop talking and listen attentively to what is being recited. If they cannot do that then they should not have the Qur'an on. This is the correct attitude, if we want really to comply with God's order. To switch the Qur'an and go about doing things and talking to other people while the recitation is in progress, saying that we capture bits and pieces is to treat the Qur'an like anything that the radio may transmit, a song, a piece of music, a news bulletin, etc. This is totally wrong.

The Qur'an is Allah's Book which He revealed to the Prophet through the Angel Gabriel. Everything that has to do with the Qur'an is, therefore, directed by Allah. It is true that the Qur'an was revealed at different times and places and some verses were revealed to provide guidance with regard to particular occasions and events. However, the Prophet could be receiving Qur'anic revelations of different surahs at the same period in time, with all of these surahs not being complete yet. When he received such revelation, he also received guidance as to its place in the Qur'an. The Angel Gabriel would tell him : these verses come after such and such verse of such and such a surah. Nothing was left to discretion or to competent scholarship. Allah's Book is given in the order Allah has chosen.

The same applies to the arrangement of the surahs. It is true that the arrangement does not follow a chronological order. It is arranged in the best order which a book meant to provide guidance to all generations of humanity should take. It was often the case that Qur'anic revelations dealt with particular events as and when they happened in the life of the Muslim community. Hence the order of revelation suited that particular and additional purpose. As for later generations, they have the Qur'an complete and they refer to any part of it as suits their circumstances. The ordering of the surahs is also divine. The Prophet used to receive the Angel Gabriel when the two of them recited the Qur'an to each other, once every Ramadhan. In the last year of the Prophet's life, they recited the Qur'an to each other twice. Moreover, the Prophet used to read the Qur'an in the order we have now.

The compilation of the Qur'an which took place after the Prophet had passed away was ordered by Abu Bakr, the Prophet's first successor as a ruler of the Muslim state. You are certainly aware that Abu Bakr's reign lasted only two years. He put in charge of this task a young companion of the Prophet who knew the Qur'an by heart and had a full command of its recitation and ordering. He completed his task before Abu Bakr had passed away. Some fifteen years later, the third caliph, Uthman, appointed the same man, Zaid ibn Thabit, as the head of a commission charged with writing six copies of the Qur'an, making use of the earlier compilation, to send one copy to each capital of the Islamic provinces to remain as a reference for Qur'anic scholarship.

[Added: Preservation of the original text of the Qur'an, in its unadulterated form, is guaranteed by Allah Himself. It is no wonder that we see no change in the order of the Qur'an, in its every detail.]