Rain prayer
Official nameصلاة الاستسقاء
Also calledDrought prayer
Observed byMuslims
TypeIslamic
SignificanceA Muslim prayer offered to God seeking rain water.
ObservancesSunnah prayers
BeginsDuha
EndsZenith - Noon
FrequencyOccasionally
Related toSalah, Nafl prayer, Five Pillars of Islam

The Rain prayer (Arabic: صلاة الاستسقاء; ṣalāt al-istisqa, "rain request prayer") is a sunnah salah (Islamic prayer) for requesting and seeking rain water from God.[1]

Presentation

Muslim prophetic tradition has reported that on a certain exceptional occasion, while there had been a prolonged drought, a man came to Muhammad as he was delivering the Khutba (sermon) of the Friday prayer in the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi mosque, to pray and implore for the rain to fall, for the men and the cattle and the orchards suffered from the lack of water, and in response, Muhammad raised his hands for the Dua and prayed to God to make it rain a downpour.[2]

Likewise, when his supplication was answered and the torrential rain lasted for whole days, Muhammad again prayed to God and implored him for the precipitation to cease because there was an excess of rain which then caused damage.[3]

On another reported occasion, Muhammad walked out of the mosque in broad daylight into an esplanade with the congregation of priors, and allegedly prayed for the rain to fall, then performed a prayer consisting of two rak'ahs as a group while reading Al-Fatiha aloud, as he does in Friday prayer.[4]

Evidence in Quran

He, the Most Glorified, assured them of answering their supplications, as He (Exalted and Glorified be He) said: “And your Lord said: “Invoke Me, I will respond to your (invocation). Verily! Those who scorn My worship [i.e. do not invoke Me, and do not believe in My Oneness, (Islâmic Monotheism)] they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!”

— Quran 40:60

“And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright.”

— Quran 2:186

He (Exalted and Glorified be He) said: “Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret. He likes not the aggressors.”

— Quran 7:55

Evidence in Hadiths

Offering prayers for rain is Sunnah, as confirmed by sahih hadiths and the practice of the early generations of Islam.

`Abbad ibn Tamim's uncle narrated:

The Prophet (ﷺ) went out to offer the Istisqa' prayer and turned (and put on) his cloak inside out.

— `Abbad ibn Tamim's uncle

Ishaaq ibn Abdillah ibn Kinaanah said:

al-Waleed ibn ‘Uqbah, who was the governor of Madinah, sent me to ask Ibn ‘Abbaas about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) for rain (istisqa’). He said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went out wearing modest clothes, walking humbly and beseeching Allah, until he reached the prayer place, where he ascended the minbar, but he did not give a khutbah like this khutbah of yours; rather he continued to offer supplication (du‘aa’), beseech Allah and recite takbeer, then he prayed two rak‘ahs as he used to pray at Eid.

— Ishaaq ibn Abdillah ibn Kinaanah

`Abbad bin Tamim from his uncle narrated:

"The Prophet (ﷺ) went out to the Musalla to offer the Istisqa' prayer, faced the Qibla and offered a two rak`at prayer and turned his cloak inside out." Narrated Abu Bakr, "The Prophet (ﷺ) put the right side of his cloak on his left side."

— `Abbad bin Tamim's uncle

Ritual

Raising hands in Dua

In Muslim agricultural societies, in times of calamity such as drought, the Imam is asked to provide spiritual help to the community in the hope of inducing God to fall rain.[5]

Indeed, the farmers regard the rain as a great divine blessing, and every time it rains showers, people rejoice and thank God Almighty.[6]

These Muslim farmers have their livelihoods depending mainly on agriculture, and if it does not rain on time, it means that there will be insufficient harvest, and this causes a lot of worry and anxiety.[7]

Practice

On the day fixed to perform this prayer, the Imam of the mosque mobilizes the faithful to perform this ritual with him collectively to implore God to give them enough rain for the agricultural season and for human drinking needs, and personal hygiene.[8]

This prayer ritual takes place in the same open space outside the mosque where the two Eid prayers are held annually according to similar principles.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "صلاة الاستسقاء".
  2. ↑ Ali, Maulana Muhammad (14 April 2015). The Religion of Islam. ISBN 9781934271186.
  3. ↑ Nur Mohammed, Bakheit M. (2017). The Religious Men in Jebel Marra: The Process of Learning and the Performance of Islamic Rituals and Practices. ISBN 9783643909169.
  4. ↑ Frank, Allen J. (January 2001). Muslim Religious Institutions in Imperial Russia: The Islamic World of Novouzensk District and the Kazakh Inner Horde, 1780-1910. ISBN 9004119752.
  5. ↑ Saqib, Muhammad Abdul Karim (13 April 2015). "A Guide to Salat (Prayer) in Islam".
  6. ↑ Shammsuddin, Khawaja (22 October 2017). Baran-e-Rahmat - the Rain of Mercy Part 1. ISBN 9781326258085.
  7. ↑ Schimmel, Annemarie (14 May 1992). Islam: An Introduction. ISBN 9780791413289.
  8. ↑ Stilt, Kristen (12 January 2012). Islamic Law in Action: Authority, Discretion, and Everyday Experiences in Mamluk Egypt. ISBN 9780191629822.
  9. ↑ Diem, Werner; Schöller, Marco (2004). The Living and the Dead in Islam: Epitaphs as texts. ISBN 9783447050838.
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