Invoking Allah for Rain
(Istisqaa)
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 119:
Narrated 'Abbas bin Tamim's uncle:
The Prophet (p.b.u.h) went out to offer
the Istisqa' prayer and turned (and put on) his cloak inside
out.
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 120:
Narrated Abu Huraira;
Whenever the Prophet (p.b.u.h) lifted
his head from the bowing in the last Raka he used to say: "O
Allah! Save 'Aiyash bin Abi Rabi'a. O Allah! Save Salama bin
Hisham. O Allah! Save Walid bin Walid. O Allah! Save the weak
faithful believers. O Allah! Be hard on the tribes of Mudar and
send (famine) years on them like the famine years of (Prophet)
Joseph ." The Prophet further said, "Allah forgive the tribes of
Ghifar and save the tribes of Aslam." Abu Az-Zinad (a
sub-narrator) said, "The Qunut used to be recited by the Prophet
in the Fajr prayer."
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 121:
Narrated Masruq:
We were with 'Abdullah and he said,
"When the Prophet saw the refusal of the people to accept Islam
he said, "O Allah! Send (famine) years on them for (seven years)
like the seven years (of famine during the time) of (Prophet)
Joseph." So famine overtook them for one year and destroyed
every kind of life to such an extent that the people started
eating hides, carcasses and rotten dead animals. Whenever one of
them looked towards the sky, he would (imagine himself to) see
smoke because of hunger. So Abu Sufyan went to the Prophet and
said, "O Muhammad! You order people to obey Allah and to keep
good relations with kith and kin. No doubt the people of your
tribe are dying, so please pray to Allah for them." So Allah
revealed: "Then watch you For the day that The sky will bring
forth a kind Of smoke Plainly visible ... Verily! You will
return (to disbelief) On the day when We shall seize You with a
mighty grasp. (44.10-16) Ibn Masud added, "Al-Batsha (i.e.
grasp) happened in the battle of Badr and no doubt smoke, Al-Batsha,
Al-Lizam, and the verse of Surat Ar-Rum have all passed .
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 122:
Narrated 'Abdullah bin Dinar:
My father said, "I heard Ibn 'Umar
reciting the poetic verses of Abu Talib: And a white (person)
(i.e. the Prophet) who is requested to pray for rain and who
takes care of the orphans and is the guardian of widows."
Salim's father (Ibn 'Umar) said, "The following poetic verse
occurred to my mind while I was looking at the face of the
Prophet (p.b.u.h) while he was praying for rain. He did not get
down till the rain water flowed profusely from every roof-g
utter: And a white (person) who is requested to pray for rain
and who takes care of the orphans and is the guardian of widows
. . . And these were the words of Abu Talib."
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 123:
Narrated Anas:
Whenever drought threatened them, 'Umar
bin Al-Khattab, used to ask Al-Abbas bin 'Abdul Muttalib to
invoke Allah for rain. He used to say, "O Allah! We used to ask
our Prophet to invoke You for rain, and You would bless us with
rain, and now we ask his uncle to invoke You for rain. O Allah !
Bless us with rain."(1) And so it would rain.
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 124:
Narrated 'Abdullah bin Zaid:
The Prophet turned his cloak inside out
on Istisqa.
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 125:
Narrated 'Abdullah bin Zaid
The Prophet went towards the Musalla
and invoked Allah for rain. He faced the Qibla and wore his
cloak inside out, and offered two Rakat.
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 126:
Narrated Sharik bin 'Abdullah bin Abi
Namir:
I heard Anas bin Malik saying, "On a
Friday a person entered the main Mosque through the gate facing
the pulpit while Allah's Apostle was delivering the Khutba. The
man stood in front of Allah's Apostle and said, 'O Allah's
Apostle! The livestock are dying and the roads are cut off; so
please pray to Allah for rain.' " Anas added, "Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h)
raised both his hands and said, 'O Allah! Bless us with rain! O
Allah! Bless us with rain! O Allah! Bless us with rain!' " Anas
added, "By Allah, we could not see any trace of cloud in the sky
and there was no building or a house between us and (the
mountains of) Sila." Anas added, "A heavy cloud like a shield
appeared from behind it (i.e. Sila' Mountain). When it came in
the middle of the sky, it spread and then rained." Anas further
said, "By Allah! We could not see the sun for a week. Next
Friday a person entered through the same gate and at that time
Allah's Apostle was delivering the Friday's Khutba. The man
stood in front of him and said, 'O Allah's Apostle! The
livestock are dying and the roads are cut off, please pray to
Allah to with-hold rain.' " Anas added, "Allah's Apostle I
raised both his hands and said, 'O Allah! Round about us and not
on us. O Allah! On the plateaus, on the mountains, on the hills,
in the valleys and on the places where trees grow.' So the rain
stopped and we came out walking in the sun." Sharik asked Anas
whether it was the same person who had asked for the rain (the
last Friday). Anas replied that he did not know.
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 127:
Narrated Sharik:
Anas bin Malik said, "A person entered
the Mosque on a Friday through the gate facing the Daril-Qada'
and Allah's Apostle was standing delivering the Khutba (sermon).
The man stood in front of Allah's Apostle and said, 'O Allah's
Apostle, livestock are dying and the roads are cut off; please
pray to Allah for rain.' So Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) raised
both his hands and said, 'O Allah! Bless us with rain. O Allah!
Bless us with rain. O Allah! Bless us with rain!" Anas added,
"By Allah, there were no clouds in the sky and there was no
house or building between us and the mountain of Silas'. Then a
big cloud like a shield appeared from behind it (i.e. Silas
Mountain) and when it came in the middle of the sky, it spread
and then rained. By Allah! We could not see the sun for a week.
The next Friday, a person entered through the same gate and
Allah's Apostle was delivering the Friday Khutba and the man
stood in front of him and said, 'O Allah's Apostle! The
livestock are dying and the roads are cut off; Please pray to
Allah to withhold rain.' " Anas added, "Allah's Apostle raised
both his hands and said, 'O Allah! Round about us and not on us.
O Allah!' On the plateaus, on the mountains, on the hills, in
the valleys and on the places where trees grow.' " Anas added,
"The rain stopped and we came out, walking in the sun." Sharik
asked Anas whether it was the same person who had asked for rain
the previous Friday. Anas replied that he did not know.
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 128:
Narrated Qatada:
Anas I said, "While Allah's Apostle
(p.b.u.h) was delivering the Friday Khutba (sermon) a man came
and said, 'O Allah's Apostle! Rain is scarce; please ask Allah
to bless us with rain.' So he invoked Allah for it, and it
rained so much that we could hardly reach our homes and it
continued raining till the next Friday." Anas further said,
"Then the same or some other person stood up and said, 'O
Allah's Apostle! Invoke Allah to withhold the rain.' On that,
Allah's Apostle I said, 'O Allah! Round about us and not on us.'
" Anas added, "I saw the clouds dispersing right and left and it
continued to rain but not over Medina."
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 129:
Narrated Anas:
A man came to the Prophet (p.b.u.h) and
said, "Livestock are destroyed and the roads are cut off." So
Allah's Apostle invoked Allah for rain and it rained from that
Friday till the next Friday. The same person came again and
said, "Houses have collapsed, roads are cut off, and the
livestock are destroyed. Please pray to Allah to withhold the
rain." Allah's Apostle (stood up and) said, "O Allah! (Let it
rain) on the plateaus, on the hills, in the valleys and over the
places where trees grow." So the clouds cleared away from Medina
as clothes are taken off .
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 130:
Narrated Anas bin Malik:
A man came to Allah's Apostle and said,
"O Allah's Apostle! Livestock are destroyed and the roads are
cut off. So please invoke Allah." So Allah's Apostle prayed and
it rained from that Friday to the next Friday. Then he came to
Allah's Apostle I and said, "O Allah's Apostle! Houses have
collapsed, roads are cut off and the livestock are destroyed."
So Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) prayed, "O Allah! (Let it rain) on
the tops of mountains, on the plateaus, in the valleys and over
the places where trees grow." So the clouds cleared away from
Medina as clothes are taken off.
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 131:
Narrated Anas bin Malik
I p man complained to the Prophet about
the destruction of livestock and property and the hunger of the
offspring. So he invoked (Allah for rain. The narrator (Anas)
did not mention that the Prophet had worn his cloak inside out
or faced the Qibla.
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 132:
Narrated Anas bin Malik
A man came to Allah's Apostle and said,
"O Allah's Apostle! Livestock are destroyed and the roads are
cut off; so please invoke Allah." So Allah's Apostle prayed for
rain and it rained from that Friday till the next Friday. Then a
man came to the Prophet (p.b.u.h) and said, "O Allah's Apostle!
The houses have collapsed, roads are cut off and the livestock
are destroyed." So Allah's Apostle said, "O Allah ! (Let it
rain) on the tops of the mountains, on the plateaus, in the
valleys and over the places where trees grow." So the clouds
cleared away from Medina as clothes are taken off.
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 133:
Narrated Masruq:
One day I went to Ibn Masud who said,
"When Quraish delayed in embracing Islam, the Prophet I invoked
Allah to curse them, so they were afflicted with a (famine) year
because of which many of them died and they ate the carcasses
and Abu Sufyan came to the Prophet and said, 'O Muhammad! You
came to order people to keep good relation with kith and kin and
your nation is being destroyed, so invoke Allah I ? So the
Prophet I recited the Holy verses of Sirat-Ad-Dukhan: 'Then
watch you For the day that The sky will Bring forth a kind Of
smoke Plainly visible.' (44.10) When the famine was taken off,
the people renegade once again as nonbelievers. The statement of
Allah, (in Sura "Ad-Dukhan"-44) refers to that: 'On the day when
We shall seize You with a mighty grasp.' (44.16) And that was
what happened on the day of the battle of Badr." Asbath added on
the authority of Mansur, "Allah's Apostle prayed for them and it
rained heavily for seven days. So the people complained of the
excessive rain. The Prophet said, 'O Allah! (Let it rain) around
us and not on us.' So the clouds dispersed over his head and it
rained over the surroundings."
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 134:
Narrated Anas:
Allah's Apostle I was delivering the
Khutba (sermon) on a Friday when the people stood up, shouted
and said, "O Allah's Apostle! There is no rain (drought), the
trees have dried and the livestock are destroyed; Please pray to
Allah for rain." So Allah's Apostle said twice, "O Allah! Bless
us with rain." By Allah, there was no trace of cloud in the sky
and suddenly the sky became overcast with clouds and it started
raining. The Prophet came down the pulpit and offered the
prayer. When he came back from the prayer (to his house) it was
raining and it rained continuously till the next Friday. When
the Prophet started delivering the Friday Khutba (sermon), the
people started shouting and said to him, "The houses have
collapsed and the roads are cut off; so please pray to Allah to
withhold the rain." So the Prophet smiled and said, "O Allah!
Round about us and not on us." So the sky became clear over
Medina but it kept on raining over the outskirts (of Medina) and
not a single drop of rain fell over Median. I looked towards the
sky which was as bright and clear as a crown.
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 135:
Narrated Abbas bin Tamim
that his uncle (who was one of the
companions of the Prophet) had told him, "The Prophet went out
with the people to invoke Allah for rain for them. He stood up
and invoked Allah for rain, then faced the Qibla and turned his
cloak (inside out) and it rained."
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 136:
Narrated Abbas bin Tamim
from his uncle who said, "The Prophet
went out to invoke Allah for rain. He faced the Qibla invoking
Allah. He turned over his cloak (inside out) and then offered
two Rakat and recited the Quran aloud in them."
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 137:
Narrated Abbas bin Tamim from his
uncle,
"I saw the Prophet on the day when he
went out to offer the Istisqa' prayer. He turned his back
towards the people and faced the Qibla and asked Allah for rain.
Then he turned his cloak inside out and led us in a two Rakat
prayer and recited the Qur'an aloud in them."
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 138:
Narrated Abbas bin Tamlm from his uncle
who said,
"The Prophet invoked Allah for rain and
offered a two Rakat prayer and he put his cloak inside out."
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 139:
Narrated Abbas bin Tamim from his uncle
who said,
"The Prophet went out to the Musalla to
offer the Istisqa' prayer, faced the Qibla and offered a
two-Rakat prayer and turned his cloak inside out." Narrated Abu
Bakr, "The Prophet put the right side of his cloak on his left
side."
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 140:
Narrated 'Abdullah bin Zaid Al-Ansari:
The Prophet went out towards the
Musalla in order to offer the Istisqa' prayer and when he
intended to invoke (Allah) or started invoking, he faced the
Qibla and turned his cloak inside out.
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 141:
Narrated Anas bin Malik
The Prophet never raised his hands for
any invocation except for that of Istisqa' and he used to raise
them so much that the whiteness of his armpits became visible.
(Note: It may be that Anas did not see the Prophet raising his
hands, but it is narrated that the Prophet used to raise his
hands for invocations other than Istisqa. See Hadith No. 807 &
808 and also see Hadith No. 612, Vol. 5).
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 142:
Narrated Aisha:
Whenever Allah's Apostle saw the rain,
he used to say, "O Allah! Let it be a strong fruitful rain."
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 143:
Narrated Anas bin Malik:
In the life-time of Allah's Apostle
(p.b.u.h) the people were afflicted with a (famine) year. While
the Prophet was delivering the Khutba (sermon) on the pulpit on
a Friday, a Bedouin stood up and said, "O Allah's Apostle! The
livestock are dying and the families (offspring) are hungry:
please pray to Allah to bless us with rain." Allah's Apostle
raised both his hands towards the sky and at that time there was
not a trace of cloud in they sky. Then the clouds started
gathering like mountains. Before he got down from the pulpit I
saw rain-water trickling down his beard. It rained that day, the
next day, the third day, the fourth day and till the next
Friday, when the same Bedouin or some other person stood up
(during the Friday Khutba) and said, "O Allah's Apostle! The
houses have collapsed and the livestock are drowned. Please
invoke Allah for us." So Allah's Apostle raised both his hands
and said, "O Allah! Around us and not on us." Whichever side the
Prophet directed his hand, the clouds dispersed from there till
a hole (in the clouds) was formed over Medina. The valley of
Qanat remained flowing (with water) for one month and none, came
from outside who didn't talk about the abundant rain.
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 144:
Narrated Anas:
Whenever a strong wind blew, anxiety
appeared on the face of the Prophet (fearing that wind might be
a sign of Allah's wrath).
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 145:
Narrated Ibn Abbas:
The Prophet said, "I was granted
victory with As-Saba and the nation of 'Ad was destroyed by
Ad-Dabur (westerly wind) .
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 146:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet said, "The Hour (Last Day)
will not be established until (religious) knowledge will be
taken away (by the death of religious learned men), earthquakes
will be very frequent, time will pass quickly, afflictions will
appear, murders will increase and money will overflow amongst
you." (See Hadith No. 85 Vol 1).
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 147:
Narrated Ibn 'Umar:
(The Prophet) said, "O Allah! Bless our
Sham and our Yemen." People said, "Our Najd as well." The
Prophet again said, "O Allah! Bless our Sham and Yemen." They
said again, "Our Najd as well." On that the Prophet said, "There
will appear earthquakes and afflictions, and from there will
come out the side of the head of Satan."
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 148:
Narrated Zaid bin Khalid Al-Juhani:
Allah's Apostle led the morning prayer
in Al-Hudaibiya and it had rained the previous night. When the
Prophet (p.b.u.h) had finished the prayer he faced the people
and said, "Do you know what your Lord has said?" They replied,
"Allah and His Apostle know better." (The Prophet said), "Allah
says, 'In this morning some of My worshipers remained as true
believers and some became non-believers; he who said that it had
rained with the blessing and mercy of Allah is the one who
believes in Me and does not believe in star, but he who said it
had rained because of such and such (star) is a disbeliever in
Me and is a believer in star.' "
Volume 2, Book
17, Number 149:
Narrated Ibn 'Umar:
Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) said, "Keys
of the unseen knowledge are five which nobody knows but Allah .
. . nobody knows what will happen tomorrow; nobody knows what is
in the womb; nobody knows what he will gain tomorrow; nobody
knows at what place he will die; and nobody knows when it will
rain."
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