Rain prayer

Rain prayer
Rain prayer
Official name	صلاة الاستسقاء
Also called	Drought prayer
Observed by	Muslims
Type	Islamic
Significance	A Muslim prayer offered to God seeking rain water.
Observances	Sunnah prayers
Begins	Duha
Ends	Zenith - Noon
Frequency	Occasionally
Related to	Salah, 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

According to Muslim prophetic tradition, during 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 in Dua and prayed to God for a downpour.^[2] After his supplication was answered with torrential rain for days, Muhammad again prayed to God for the excessive rain to stop.^[3]

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

Ritual

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]

Practice

On the day fixed to perform this prayer, the imam of the mosque leads Muslims in a collective ritual to ask God to give them enough rain for agricultural and human drinking needs, and personal hygiene.^[6]

This prayer ritual takes place in the same open space outside the mosque where the two Eid prayers are held annually.^[7]

Prayers in different countries

Different countries across the world observed many times this prayer.

Thousands of worshippers across the UAE came together on 7th December 2024, Saturday to observe rain prayers, ( Salat Al Istisqa) following a call by President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.^[8]The prayers were performed at 11am in mosques and prayer halls nationwide, as the country sought divine blessings for rainfall.^[9]

In Saudi Arabia also offered this prayer many times in different years. ^[10] King Salman called on Muslims in Saudi Arabia on 27th November to pray on Thursday for rain, the Saudi Press Agency reported. “Everyone who is able should be keen to perform the prayer, in accordance with the tradition of Prophet Muhammad,” the Royal Court said.^[11]

References

^ "صلاة الاستسقاء".
^ Ali, Maulana Muhammad (14 April 2015). The Religion of Islam. Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat Islam Lahore USA. ISBN 9781934271186.
^ Nur Mohammed, Bakheit M. (2017). The Religious Men in Jebel Marra: The Process of Learning and the Performance of Islamic Rituals and Practices. LIT Verlag Münster. ISBN 9783643909169.
^ Frank, Allen J. (January 2001). Muslim Religious Institutions in Imperial Russia: The Islamic World of Novouzensk District and the Kazakh Inner Horde, 1780-1910. BRILL. ISBN 9004119752.
^ Saqib, Muhammad Abdul Karim (13 April 2015). "A Guide to Salat (Prayer) in Islam".
^ Stilt, Kristen (12 January 2012). Islamic Law in Action: Authority, Discretion, and Everyday Experiences in Mamluk Egypt. OUP Oxford. ISBN 9780191629822.
^ Diem, Werner; Schöller, Marco (2004). The Living and the Dead in Islam: Epitaphs as texts. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. ISBN 9783447050838.
^ National, The. "UAE worshippers answer President's call to pray for rain". The National. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
^ "Nationwide rain prayers held in UAE, seeking divine mercy". gulfnews.com. 2024-12-07. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
^ ഡെസ്‌ക്, വെബ്. "സഊദിയിൽ മഴക്ക് വേണ്ടിയുള്ള പ്രത്യേക നിസ്‌കാരം നടന്നു". Sirajlive.com (in Malayalam). Retrieved 2024-12-09.
^ "5. King Salman: The Daedalus of Saudi Arabia", Mohammed bin Salman, Lynne Rienner Publishers, pp. 61–72, 2021-09-01, doi:10.1515/9781685851057-006, ISBN 978-1-68585-105-7, retrieved 2024-12-09

[1] "صلاة الاستسقاء".

[2] Ali, Maulana Muhammad (14 April 2015). The Religion of Islam. Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat Islam Lahore USA. 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. LIT Verlag Münster. 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. BRILL. ISBN 9004119752.

[5] Saqib, Muhammad Abdul Karim (13 April 2015). "A Guide to Salat (Prayer) in Islam".

[6] Stilt, Kristen (12 January 2012). Islamic Law in Action: Authority, Discretion, and Everyday Experiences in Mamluk Egypt. OUP Oxford. ISBN 9780191629822.

[7] Diem, Werner; Schöller, Marco (2004). The Living and the Dead in Islam: Epitaphs as texts. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. ISBN 9783447050838.

[8] National, The. "UAE worshippers answer President's call to pray for rain". The National. Retrieved 2024-12-09.

[9] "Nationwide rain prayers held in UAE, seeking divine mercy". gulfnews.com. 2024-12-07. Retrieved 2024-12-09.

[10] ഡെസ്‌ക്, വെബ്. "സഊദിയിൽ മഴക്ക് വേണ്ടിയുള്ള പ്രത്യേക നിസ്‌കാരം നടന്നു". Sirajlive.com (in Malayalam). Retrieved 2024-12-09.

[11] "5. King Salman: The Daedalus of Saudi Arabia", Mohammed bin Salman, Lynne Rienner Publishers, pp. 61–72, 2021-09-01, doi:10.1515/9781685851057-006, ISBN 978-1-68585-105-7, retrieved 2024-12-09

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