Episode 77: What is to be said upon the descending of rain (1/2)

We have spoken about the invocations pertaining to rain which a Muslim is permitted to say upon the lack of rain or its delay from its fixed time and the resulting dryness in plants, destruction of animals, and other harms. They are blessed invocations and useful prayers that are be performed to the Lord of the worlds and the creator of all creatures in whose hands lie the affairs of the heavens and the earth, the One whose command to something is just "Be."

Invocation indicates the dire need, the ascertainment of servitude, and entails that a person should subject to the Lord of the entire world; how many invocations could be causes for removing different kinds of harms or obtaining several kinds of goodness and blessings! A person invokes Allah in all conditions and for all affairs. If rain is delayed, a man invokes Allah when rain descends and when a person hears the sound of thunder. So, his need to Allah is bad, whereas he cannot do without his Lord and master, for Allah is All Rich and Worthy of all praise. When rain comes down, it is part of the Sunnah that a Muslim would say: "O Allah, may it be a beneficial rain cloud" because of the Hadith reported by Al Bukhari on the authority of `A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saw the rain, he said: "O Allah, may it be a beneficial rain cloud." [Sahih Al Bukhari No. 1032].

As for the Prophet's saying: "beneficial," to exclude the harmful; and that indicates that rain may be beneficial and may be harmful. A Muslim should ask Allah to make rain beneficial. This invocation is desirable to be said after the descending of rain to benefit from its goodness and blessings and to ward off its harmful effect. It is obligatory upon a person in this situation to recognize the blessings of Allah given to him and attribute the merit to its true owner who sends down blessings and in whose Hands lie giving and withholding; there is no god but He. It was authentically reported in Sahih Al Bukhari and Sahih Muslim on the authority of Zayd ibn Khalid (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) led us in the Fajr Salah at Hudaybiyah after a rainy night. On completion of Salah, he faced the people and said: "Do you know what your Lord has said (revealed)?" The people replied: "Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) know better." He said: "Allah has said: 'In this morning some of My Servants remained as true believers and some became non-believers; whoever said that the rain was due to the blessings and the mercy of Allah had belief in Me and he disbelieves in the stars, and whoever said that it rained because of a particular star had no belief in Me but believes in that star.'" [Sahih Al Bukhari No. 1538 and Sahih Muslim No. 71].

As for the Prophet's saying: "led us in Salah" is the wordings of Imam Muslim, so the one who said at the descending of rain: "We were given rain by the favor and mercy of Allah" has attributed the blessing to its true giver and ascribed the favor to its owner, and believed that favor, goodness, and mercy are blessings from Allah.

However, the people who said that we were given rain because of such and such cloud, they either believe that the cloud is the actual sender of rain which is a mere disbelief or believe that the Causer of rain is Allah and the cloud is just a cause; in this case they attribute the blessing to the cloud because they see the clouds sending down rain and that is considered a hidden polytheism. Clouds are not the causes of sending down rains but the reason for sending down rain is the need of people to their lord, asking Him, and seeking His Forgiveness and Mercy. The faith of a person is not complete until he admits the apparent and hidden blessings of Allah upon himself and upon others and attributes them to Him, then uses them in worshipping, mentioning, and thanking Him. [See Al Qawl As-Sadid of Ibn Sa`dy P. 108-109].

Add comment