Chapter Seven: The Rain Prayer

صَلَاةُ الِاسْتِسْقَاء

بَابُ صَلٰوةِ الْاِسْتِسْقَآءِ — Chapter on the Prayer for Rain

(This chapter is about the prayer for rain [ṣalāt al-istisqāʾ].)

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللّٰهِ بْنِ زَيْدٍ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ ۔ قَالَ رَاَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ سَلَّمَ يَوْمًا خَرَجَ يَسْتَسْقِيْ قَالَ فَحَوَّلَ اِلَى النَّاسِ ظَهْرَهٗ وَاسْتَقْبَلَ الْقِبْلَةَ يَدْعُوْ ثُمَّ حَوَّلَ رِدَاءَهٗ ثُمَّ صَلّٰى لَنَا رَكْعَتَيْنِ ۔

(Reported by al-Bukhārī and Muslim; and al-Bukhārī added: "he recited aloud in them.")

Vocabulary: yastasqī — in order to pray the prayer for rain (istisqāʾ); ḥawwala — he turned round; istaqbala — he faced.

Translation: From Ḥaḍrat ʿAbd Allāh ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) [it is reported]; he said: I saw the Prophet ﷺ one day when

he went out to pray the prayer for rain. He said: then he turned his back towards the people and, facing the qibla, began to supplicate; then he turned his cloak inside out, and then prayed two rakʿas with us.

(The "two Shaykhs" have reported it, and al-Bukhārī added this much: that in these two rakʿas he recited aloud [jahrī qirāʾa].)

وَعَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ شَكَى النَّاسُ اِلٰى رَسُوْلِ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قُحُوْطَ الْمَطَرِ فَاَمَرَ بِمِنْبَرٍ فَوُضِعَ لَهٗ فِي الْمُصَلّٰى وَوَعَدَ النَّاسَ يَوْمًا يَخْرُجُوْنَ فِيْهِ قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ فَخَرَجَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حِيْنَ بَدَا حَاجِبُ الشَّمْسِ فَقَعَدَ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ فَكَبَّرَ وَحَمِدَ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ ثُمَّ قَالَ " اِنَّكُمْ شَكَوْتُمْ جَدْبَ دِيَارِكُمْ ۔ وَاسْتِئْخَارَ الْمَطَرِ عَنْ اِبَّانِ زَمَانِهٖ عَنْكُمْ وَقَدْ اَمَرَكُمُ اللّٰهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ اَنْ تَدْعُوْهُ وَوَعَدَكُمْ اَنْ يَّسْتَجِيْبَ لَكُمْ " ثُمَّ قَالَ : " اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعٰلَمِيْنَ ۔ اَلرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ ۔ مٰلِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّيْنِ ۔ لَا اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ يَفْعَلُ مَا يُرِيْدُ ۔ اَللّٰهُمَّ اَنْتَ اللّٰهُ لَا اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اَنْتَ ۔ اَنْتَ الْغَنِيُّ وَنَحْنُ الْفُقَرَاءُ ۔ اَنْزِلْ عَلَيْنَا الْغَيْثَ وَاجْعَلْ مَا اَنْزَلْتَ قُوَّةً وَّبَلَاغًا اِلٰى حِيْنٍ " ثُمَّ رَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ فَلَمْ يَزَلْ فِي الرَّفْعِ حَتّٰى بَدَا بَيَاضُ اِبْطَيْهِ ثُمَّ حَوَّلَ اِلَى النَّاسِ ظَهْرَهٗ وَقَلَبَ اَوْحَوَّلَ رِدَاءَهٗ وَهُوَ رَافِعٌ يَدَيْهِ ۔ ثُمَّ اَقْبَلَ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَنَزَلَ فَصَلّٰى رَكْعَتَيْنِ فَاَنْشَاَ اللّٰهُ سَحَابَةً فَرَعَدَتْ وَبَرَقَتْ ثُمَّ اَمْطَرَتْ بِاِذْنِ اللّٰهِ فَلَمْ يَاْتِ مَسْجِدَهٗ حَتّٰى سَالَتِ السُّيُوْلُ فَلَمَّا رَاٰى سُرْعَتَهُمْ اِلَى الْكِنِّ ضَحِكَ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ سَلَّمَ حَتّٰى بَدَتْ نَوَاجِذُهٗ ۔ فَقَالَ اَشْهَدُ اَنَّ اللّٰهَ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيْرٌ وَاَنِّيْ عَبْدُ اللّٰهِ وَ رَسُوْلُهٗ ۔

(Reported by Abū Dāwūd, who said: this is a gharīb [singly-transmitted] hadith, and its chain is good (jayyid).)

Vocabulary: shakā — complained; quḥūṭ al-maṭar — the stopping of rain; al-muṣallā — the place of prayer (the ʿĪdgāh); ḥājib al-shams — the edge of the sun; jadb — becoming dry for want of rain; istiʾkhār — delaying, being late; ibbān — the proper (early) season; al-ghayth — rain; badā — appeared; ibṭayhi — his two armpits; saḥāba — a cloud; raʿadat wa baraqat — it thundered and flashed with lightning; sālat al-suyūl — the streams flowed; al-kinn — shelter, a place to hide; badat — appeared; nawājidhuhu — his side teeth [molars].

Translation: And from Ḥaḍrat ʿĀʾisha (may Allah be pleased with her) [it is reported] that the people complained to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ of the stopping of rain. So he ordered that a pulpit (minbar) be set up, and it was set up for him at the place of prayer (in the ʿĪdgāh). He promised the people a day on which they would go out. Bībī ʿĀʾisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said that (on that day) the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went out at the time when (in the morning) the edge of the sun appeared. Then on the pulpit

he ascended, and proclaimed the greatness (takbīr) and praise (taḥmīd) of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Then he said: "You people have complained of your settlements becoming dry for want of rain, and of the delay of the rain from the very beginning of its season; and Allah Most High has commanded that you supplicate, and has promised to accept your supplication." Then he said: "اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعٰلَمِيْنَ ۔ اَلرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ ۔ مٰلِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّيْنِ ۔ لَا اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ يَفْعَلُ مَا يُرِيْدُ ۔ اَللّٰهُمَّ اَنْتَ اللّٰهُ لَا اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اَنْتَ اَنْتَ الْغَنِيُّ وَنَحْنُ الْفُقَرَاءُ اَنْزِلْ عَلَيْنَا الْغَيْثَ وَاجْعَلْ مَا اَنْزَلْتَ قُوَّةً وَّبَلَاغًا اِلٰى حِيْنٍ" (All praise belongs to Allah, who is the Lord of all the worlds; the One who shows mercy without [expecting] any favour in return, and the One of special mercy as well; the Master of the Day of Recompense (the Hereafter). There is no god except Allah; He does whatever He wills. O Allah, You alone are God; there is no god besides You. You are free of all need, and we are the needy (fuqarāʾ, in want). Send down rain upon us, and make what You send down a strength for us and a means of benefit for a time.) Then he raised both his hands and kept raising them, until the whiteness of both his armpits appeared. Then he turned his back towards the people and turned his cloak inside out, or turned it round, while he was holding both hands raised. Then he turned back towards the people, came down from the pulpit, and then prayed a prayer of two rakʿas. Allah Most High brought forth a cloud; it thundered and flashed with lightning; then by the command of Allah it rained. He had not yet returned to his mosque when the streams began to flow. When he saw the haste of the people towards shelter and places to hide, he laughed, until his side teeth became visible. Then he said: "I bear witness that Allah has power over everything, and that I am the servant of Allah and His Messenger."

(Abū Dāwūd has reported it and said that this hadith is "gharīb", and its chain is "jayyid" [good].)