كتاب الاستسقاءAsking for Rain

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr ibn Amr

ibn Hazm that he had heard Abbad ibn Tamim say that he had heard

Abdullah ibn Zayd al-Mazini say, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah

bless him and grant him peace, came out to the place of prayer and

asked for rain, and when he faced the qibla he turned his cloak inside

out."

Malik was asked how many rakas there were in the prayer

of asking for rain and he said, "Two rakas, and the imam does the

prayer before he gives the khutba. He prays two rakas, and then he

gives a khutba and makes dua, facing the qibla and turning his cloak

inside out. He recites out loud in both rakas, and when he turns his

cloak inside out he puts what is on his right on his left, and what is

on his left on his right, and all the people turn their cloaks inside

out when the imam does so, and face the qibla, sitting."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said from Amr ibn

Shuayb that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him

peace, said, when he asked for rain, "O Allah, give water to Your

slaves and Your animals, and spread Your mercy, and give life to Your

dead land."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Sharik ibn Abdullah ibn Abi

Namir that Anas ibn Malik said, "A man came to the Messenger of Allah,

may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, 'Messenger of

Allah, our animals are dying and our camels are too weak to travel, so

make dua to Allah.' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and

grant him peace, made dua, and it rained on us from one jumua to the

next."

Anas continued, "Then a man came to the Messenger of

Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, 'Messenger

of Allah, our houses have fallen down, the paths are blocked, and our

flocks are dying.' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and

grant him peace, said, 'O Allah, (only) the mountain and hill-tops,

the valley bottoms, and the places where trees grow.' "

Anas

added, "It cleared away from Madina like a garment being removed."

Malik said, about a man who missed the prayer of asking for

rain but caught the khutba, and wished to pray in the mosque, or in

his house when he returned, "He is free to do so, or not, as he

wishes."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Salih ibn Kaysan from

Ubaydullah ibn Abdullah ibn Utba ibn Masud that Zayd ibn Khalid al-

Juhani said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant

him peace, took the subh prayer with us at Hudaybiyya after it had

rained in the night. When he had finished he went up to the people and

said, 'Do you know what your Lord has said?' They said, 'Allah and His

Messenger know best.' He said, 'Some of my slaves have begun the

morning believing in Me, and others have begun it rejecting Me. As for

those who say, 'We were rained on by the overflowing favour of Allah

and His mercy,' they believe in Me and reject the stars. But as for

those who say, 'We were rained on by such and such a star, they reject

Me and believe in the stars.' "

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that the

Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to

say, "When a cloud appears from the direction of the sea and then goes

towards ash-Sham, it will be an abundant source of rain."

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Abu Hurayra

used to say, when morning came after it had rained on the people, "We

have been rained upon by the rain of Allah's opening," and would then

recite the ayat, "Whatever Allah opens to man of His mercy no-one can

withhold, and whatever He withholds no-one can send forward after Him.

" (Sura 35 ayat 2).