Invoking Allah for Rain (Istisqaa)

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Whenever the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) lifted his head from bowing in the last Rakʿah, he used to say: "O Allah, save ʿAyyāsh ibn Abu Rabīʿah. O Allah, save Salamah ibn Hishām. O Allah, save Al-Walīd ibn al-Walīd. O Allah, save the oppressed believers. O Allah, be hard on [the tribe of] Mudar. O Allah, afflict them with years of famine and drought like the years of Yūsuf!" The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) further said: "[The tribe of] Ghifār, Allah forgave them. [The tribe of] Aslam, Allah had peace with them." Ibn Abu Az-Zinād, reporting from his father, said: "All that was in the Fajr Prayer.”

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: A man entered the mosque on a Friday through the gate facing Dār al-Qadā’ while the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was standing delivering the sermon. The man stood in front of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said: O Messenger of Allah, the properties (livestock) have perished and the roads have been cut off. So supplicate Allah to send us rain. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) raised his hands and then said: "O Allah, send us rain. O Allah, send us rain. O Allah, send us rain." Anas said: By Allah, we could see no cloud or even a small patch of cloud in the sky, and there was not a single house or dwelling between us and (Mount) Sal‘. He said: Then, all of a sudden, a big cloud like a shield appeared from behind it and when it arrived in the middle of the sky, it spread out and rained. By Allah, we did not see the sun for a week. On Friday, a man entered through the same gate while the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was delivering the sermon. The man stood in front of him and said: O Messenger of Allah, the properties have perished and the roads have been cut off. So supplicate Allah to withhold the rain. He said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) raised his hands and said: "O Allah, around us and not upon us. O Allah, on the hills, the small mountains, the valleys, and the places where trees grow." He said: The rain stopped, and we came out walking in the sunshine. Sharīk said: I asked Anas ibn Mālik: Was it the same first man? He replied: "I do not know."

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: A man entered the mosque on a Friday through the gate facing Dār al-Qadā’ while the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was standing delivering the sermon. The man stood in front of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said: O Messenger of Allah, the properties (livestock) have perished and the roads have been cut off. So supplicate Allah to send us rain. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) raised his hands and then said: "O Allah, send us rain. O Allah, send us rain. O Allah, send us rain." Anas said: By Allah, we could see no cloud or even a small patch of cloud in the sky, and there was not a single house or dwelling between us and (Mount) Sal‘. He said: Then, all of a sudden, a big cloud like a shield appeared from behind it and when it arrived in the middle of the sky, it spread out and rained. By Allah, we did not see the sun for a week. On Friday, a man entered through the same gate while the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was delivering the sermon. The man stood in front of him and said: O Messenger of Allah, the properties have perished and the roads have been cut off. So supplicate Allah to withhold the rain. He said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) raised his hands and said: "O Allah, around us and not upon us. O Allah, on the hills, the small mountains, the valleys, and the places where trees grow." He said: The rain stopped, and we came out walking in the sunshine. Sharīk said: I asked Anas ibn Mālik: Was it the same first man? He replied: "I do not know."

Zayd ibn Khālid al-Juhani (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) led us in the Fajr prayer at Al-Hudaybiyah after rainfall during the night. At the conclusion of the prayer, he turned toward the people and said: "Do you know what your Lord has said?" They replied: "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said: "He has said: 'Some of My servants have entered the morning as believers in Me and some as disbelievers. He who says, 'We have had rainfall by the grace and mercy of Allah' believes in Me and disbelieves in the stars, and he who says, 'We have had rainfall by the rising of such and such star' disbelieves in Me and believes in the stars.'"