Book Seventeen –Invoking Allah for Rain (Istisqa’)

Hadith Number 119.

Narrated by 'Abbas bin Tamim's uncle : The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) went out to offer the Istisqa' prayer and turned (and put on) his cloak inside out.


Hadith Number 120.

Narrated by Abu Hurairah (Radhi Allahu Anhu): Whenever the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) lifted his head from the bowing in the last Rakah 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."


Hadith Number 121.

Narrated by Masruq : We were with 'Abdullah (Radhi Allahu Anhu) and he said, "When the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) 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 (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) 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. (Surah Ad-Dukhan 44:10-16) Ibn Masud (Radhi Allahu Anhu) 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.


Hadith Number 122

Narrated by 'Abdullah bin Dinar: My father said, "I heard Ibn 'Umar (Radhi Allahu Anhu) reciting the poetic verses of Abu Talib: And a white (person) (i.e. the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam)) 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 (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) 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."


Hadith Number 123.

Narrated by Anas (Radhi Allahu Anhu): Whenever drought threatened them, 'Umar bin Al-Khattab (Radhi Allahu Anhu), used to ask Al-Abbas bin 'Abdul Muttalib (Radhi Allahu Anhu) 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."(*) And so it would rain.


*It is of great importance to notice that t is permissible for one to request a living religious person to invoke Allah on his behalf but if you ask Allah through a dead or an absent (person etc) then it is not allowed. And it is forbidden to request the dead for anything; it is regarded as Shirk.


Hadith Number 124.

Narrated by 'Abdullah bin Zaid (Radhi Allahu Anhu): The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) turned his cloak inside out on Istisqa.


Hadith Number 125.

Narrated by 'Abdullah bin Zaid (Radhi Allahu Anhu): The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) went towards the Musalla and invoked Allah for rain. He faced the Qiblah and wore his cloak inside out, and offered two Rakat.

Hadith Number 126.

Narrated by Sharik bin 'Abdullah bin Abi Namir : I heard Anas bin Malik (Radhi Allahu Anhu) saying, "On a Friday a person entered the main Mosque through the gate facing the pulpit while Allah's Apostle was delivering the Khutbah. The man stood in front of Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) and said, 'O Allah's Messenger! The livestock are dying and the roads are cut off; so please pray to Allah for rain.' " Anas added, "Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) 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 (Radhi Allahu Anhu) 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 Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) was delivering the Friday's Khutbah. The man stood in front of him and said, 'O Allah's Messenger! The livestock are dying and the roads are cut off, please pray to Allah to with-hold rain.' " Anas (Radhi Allahu Anhu) added, "Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) 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 (Radhi Allahu Anhu) replied that he did not know.


Hadith Number 127.

Same as above


Hadith Number 128.

Narrated by Qatada : Anas (Radhi Allahu Anhu) said, "While Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) was delivering the Friday Khutbah (sermon) a man came and said, 'O Allah's Messenger! 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 (Radhi Allahu Anhu) 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 Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said, 'O Allah! Round about us and not on us.' " Anas (Radhi Allahu Anhu) added, "I saw the clouds dispersing right and left and it continued to rain but not over Al-Madinah."


Hadith Number 129.

Narrated by Anas (Radhi Allahu Anhu): A man came to the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) and said, "Livestock are destroyed and the roads are cut off." So Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) 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 Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) (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 Al-Madinah as clothes are taken off.


Hadith Number 130.

Same as above


Hadith Number 131.

Narrated by Anas bin Malik (Radhi Allahu Anhu): A man complained to the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) about the destruction of livestock and property and the hunger of the offspring. So he (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) invoked (Allah for rain. The narrator (Anas) did not mention that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) had worn his cloak inside out or faced the Qiblah.


Hadith Number 132.

Narrated by Anas bin Malik (Radhi Allahu Anhu): A man came to Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) and said, "O Allah's Messenger! Livestock are destroyed and the roads are cut off; so please invoke Allah." So Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) prayed for rain and it rained from that Friday till the next Friday. Then a man came to the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) and said, "O Allah's Messenger! The houses have collapsed, roads are cut off and the livestock are destroyed." So Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) 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 Al-Madinah as clothes are taken off.


Hadith Number 133.

Narrated by Masruq: One day I went to Ibn Masud (Radhi Allahu Anhu) who said, "When Quraish delayed in embracing Islam, the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) 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 (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) 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! So the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) recited the Holy verses of SurahAd-Dukhan: 'Then watch you For the day that The sky will Bring forth a kind Of smoke Plainly visible.' (Surah Ad-Dukhan 44: 10) When the famine was taken off, the people renegade once again as non believers. The statement of Allah, Surah Ad-Dukhan 44:16 refers to that: 'On the day when We shall seize You with a mighty grasp.' And that was what happened on the day of the battle of Badr." Asbath added on the authority of Mansur, "Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) prayed for them and it rained heavily for seven days. So the people complained of the excessive rain. The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) 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."


Hadith Number 134.

Narrated by Anas (Radhi Allahu Anhu): Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) I was delivering the Khutbah (sermon) on a Friday when the people stood up, shouted and said, "O Allah's Messenger! There is no rain (drought), the trees have dried and the livestock are destroyed; Please pray to Allah for rain." So Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) 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 (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) 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 (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) started delivering the Friday Khutbah (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 (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) smiled and said, "O Allah! Round about us and not on us." So the sky became clear over Al-Madinah but it kept on raining over the outskirts (of Al-Madinah) and not a single drop of rain fell over Al-Madinah. I looked towards the sky which was as bright and clear as a crown.


Hadith Number 135.

Narrated by Abbas bin Tamim: That his uncle (who was one of the companions of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam)) had told him, "The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) went out with the people to invoke Allah for rain for them. He stood up and invoked Allah for rain, then faced the Qiblah and turned his cloak (inside out) and it rained."


Hadith Number 136.

Narrated by Abbas bin Tamim: From his uncle who said, "The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) went out to invoke Allah for rain. He faced the Qiblah invoking Allah. He turned over his cloak (inside out) and then offered two Rakat and recited the Qur’an aloud in them."

Hadith Number 137.

Narrated by 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."


Hadith Number 138.

Narrated by Abbas bin Tamlm: From his uncle who said, "The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) invoked Allah for rain and offered a two Rakat prayer and he put his cloak inside out."


Hadith Number 139.

Narrated by Abbas bin Tamim: From his uncle who said, "The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) went out to the Musalla to offer the Istisqa' prayer, faced the Qiblah and offered a two-Rakat prayer and turned his cloak inside out." Narrated Abu Bakr (Radhi Allahu Anhu), "The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) put the right side of his cloak on his left side."


Hadith Number 140.

Narrated by 'Abdullah bin Zaid Al-Ansari: The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) 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 Qiblah and turned his cloak inside out.


Hadith Number 141.

Narrated by Anas bin Malik (Radhi Allahu Anhu): The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) 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 Book 26 and also see Hadith No. 612 Book 59).


Hadith Number 142.

Narrated by 'Aishah (Radhi Allahu Anha): Whenever Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) saw the rain, he used to say, "O Allah! Let it be a strong fruitful rain."


Hadith Number 143.

Narrated by Anas bin Malik (Radhi Allahu Anhuma): In the life-time of Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) the people were afflicted with a (famine) year. While the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) was delivering the Khutbah (sermon) on the pulpit on a Friday, a Bedouin stood up and said, "O Allah's Messenger! The livestock are dying and the families (offspring) are hungry: please pray to Allah to bless us with rain." Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) 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 Messenger! The houses have collapsed and the livestock are drowned. Please invoke Allah for us." So Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) 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 Al-Madinah. The valley of Qanat remained flowing (with water) for one month and none, came from outside who didn't talk about the abundant rain.


Hadith Number 144.

Narrated by Anas (Radhi Allahu Anhu): Whenever a strong wind blew, anxiety appeared on the face of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) (fearing that wind might be a sign of Allah's wrath).


Hadith Number 145.

Narrated by Ibn Abbas (Radhi Allahu Anhu): The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said, "I was granted victory with As-Saba (easterly winds) and the nation of 'Ad was destroyed by Ad-Dabur (westerly wind).


Hadith Number 146.

Narrated by Abu Hurairah (Radhi Allahu Anhu): 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 Book 3).


Hadith Number 147.

Narrated by Ibn 'Umar (Radhi Allahu Anhuma): The Prophet said, "O Allah! Bless our Sham and our Yemen." People said, "Our Najd as well." The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) again said, "O Allah! Bless our Sham and Yemen." They said again, "Our Najd as well." On that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said, "There will appear earthquakes and afflictions, and from there will come out the side of the head of Satan."


Hadith Number 148.

Narrated by Zaid bin Khalid Al-Juhani : Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) led the morning prayer in Al-Hudaibiya and it had rained the previous night. When the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) 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 (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) 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.'"


Hadith Number 149.

Narrated by Ibn 'Umar (Radhi Allahu Anhuma): Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) 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."