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Sahih al-BukhariInvoking Allah for Rain (Istisqaa)

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) went out to invoke Allah for rain. He faced the direction of Qiblah as he was invoking Allah, and turned his upper garment inside out. Then he prayed two Rak‘ahs and recited the Qur'an out loud in both of them

Chapter: To recite aloud while offering the prayer of Istisqa'

Authentic hadith of Sahih al-Bukhari Sahih al-Bukhari 1024

Narrator:Abdullāh ibn Zayd

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو نُعَيْمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ أَبِي ذِئْبٍ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ عَبَّادِ بْنِ تَمِيمٍ، عَنْ عَمِّهِ، قَالَ

خَرَجَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَسْتَسْقِي فَتَوَجَّهَ إِلَى الْقِبْلَةِ يَدْعُو، وَحَوَّلَ رِدَاءَهُ، ثُمَّ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ جَهَرَ فِيهِمَا بِالْقِرَاءَةِ‏.‏

‘Abdullāh ibn Zayd ibn ‘Āsim al-Māzini (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) went out to invoke Allah for rain. He faced the direction of Qiblah as he invoked Allah, and turned his upper garment inside out. Then he prayed two Rak‘ahs and recited the Qur'an out loud in them.

In another wording: "...facing the place of praying."

Reported by Al-Bukhari (No. 1024) and An-Nasa’i (No. 1522).

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Explanation

Allah, the Exalted, tests His slaves with many types of trials, so that they will invoke Him alone and remember Him. So, when the earth became barren during the lifetime of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) he went out with the people toward the place where Eid prayer is performed in the desert to ask for rain from Allah, the Exalted, and in order to show more humbleness and need to Allah, the Exalted. So, he faced the direction of Qiblah, where supplication is more likely to be answered, and began to invoke Allah to send down rain for the Muslims and to remove the drought that afflicted them. Out of optimism that their situation would change from drought and hardship to fertility and life of ease, he turned his upper garment inside out, then led the people in Istisqā' prayer. The prayer consisted of two Rak‘ahs in which his recitation of the Qur'an was out loud, because it was a largely congregational prayer.

Explanation in Arabic

يبتلي الله تعالى العباد بأنواع من الابتلاء؛ ليقوموا بدعائه وحده وليذكروه، فلما أجدبت الأرض في عهد النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ، خرج بالناس إلى مصلى العيد بالصحراء؛ ليطلب السقيا من الله تعالى ، وليكون أقرب في إظهار الضراعة والافتقار إلى الله تعالى ، فتوجه إلى القبلة، مظنة قبول الدعاء، وأخذ يدعو الله أن يغيث المسلمين، ويزيل ما بهم من قحط.

وتفاؤلا بتحول حالهم من الجدب إلى الخصب، ومن الضيق إلى السعة، حوَّل رداءه من جانب إلى آخر، ثم صلى بهم صلاة الاستسقاء ركعتين، جهر فيهما بالقراءة؛ لأنها صلاة جامعة.

  • مشروعية صلاة الاستسقاء.
  • مشروعية إقامتها في مصلى العيد.
  • استقبال القبلة عند الدعاء؛ لأنها مظنة الإجابة.
  • مشروعية تحويل الرداء أثناء الدعاء للاستسقاء، تفاؤلاً بتحول الحال من القحط والجدب إلى الرخاء والخصب.
  • الجهر في صلاة الاستسقاء بالقراءة، كالجمعة، والعيدين، والكسوف وأنها ركعتان.
  • أن الدعاء بالسقيا قبل الصلاة، ويجوز بعدها كما في روايات أخرى.
  • أن النبي -صلى الله عليه وسلم- مفتقر إلى الله -تعالى- في جلب المنافع ودفع المضار ولا يملك لنفسه ولا لغيره نفعًا ولا ضرًّا.

Classical commentary

Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani — Fath al-Bari

قَوْله : ( ثُمَّ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ يَجْهَر ) فِي رِوَايَة كَرِيمَة وَالْأَصِيلِيّ " جَهَرَ " بِلَفْظِ الْمَاضِي.…

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Scholars’ grades

ScholarGradeApplies toWork
Al-Bukharid. 256 AH Authenticصحيح The hadith صحيح البخاري No. 1024

Other versions

Also reported by… (1)
  • التحقيق في مسائل الخلاف لابن الجوزي (844)خَرَجَ ، فَتَوَجَّهَ إِلَى الْقِبْلَةِ يَدْعُو ، وَحَوَّلَ رِدَاءَهُ ، ثُمَّ صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ جَهَرَ فِيهِمَا بِالْقِرَاءَةِ

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خَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِلَى الْمُصَلَّى فَاسْتَسْقَى وَحَوَّلَ رِدَاءَهُ حِينَ اسْتَقْبَلَ الْقِبْلَةَ ‏.‏

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