The Rain prayer ( ar, صلاة الاستسقاء; ', "rain request prayer") is a

sunnah In Islam, , also spelled ( ar, سنة), are the traditions and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad that constitute a model for Muslims to follow. The sunnah is what all the Muslims of Muhammad's time evidently saw and followed and passed ...

salah (, plural , romanized: or Old Arabic ͡sˤaˈloːh, ( or Old Arabic ͡sˤaˈloːtʰin construct state) ), also known as ( fa, نماز) and also spelled , are prayers performed by Muslims. Facing the , the direction of the Kaaba wit ...

(Islamic prayer) for requesting and seeking rain water from God.

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 Islam, Friday prayer or Congregational prayer ( ar, صَلَاة ٱلْجُمُعَة, ') is a prayer ('' ṣalāt'') that Muslims hold every Friday, after noon instead of the Zuhr prayer. Muslims ordinarily pray five times each day according ...

in the

Al-Masjid an-Nabawi Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (), known in English as the Prophet's Mosque, is a mosque built by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the city of Medina in the Al Madinah Province of Saudi Arabia. It was the second mosque built by Muhammad in Medina, after Qub ...

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. 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. 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 Al-Fatiha (alternatively transliterated Al-Fātiḥa or Al-Fātiḥah; ar, ألْفَاتِحَة, ; ), is the first ''surah'' (chapter) of the Quran. It consists of 7 '' ayah'' (verses) which are a prayer for guidance and mercy. Al-Fatiha i ...

aloud, as he does in

Evidence in Quran

Evidence in Hadiths

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

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

. `Abbad ibn Tamim's uncle narrated: Ishaaq ibn Abdillah ibn Kinaanah said: `Abbad bin Tamim from his uncle narrated:

Ritual

Eid al-Fitr prayers in Tehran - November 4, 2005 (3)

In Muslim agricultural societies, in times of calamity such as drought, the ''

Imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...

'' is asked to provide spiritual help to the community in the hope of inducing God to fall rain. Indeed, the farmers regard the rain as a great divine blessing, and every time it rains showers, people rejoice and thank God Almighty. 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.

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. 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.

References

{{Authority control Salah Salah terminology