A man came to the Prophet ﷺ on a Friday while he (the Prophet) was delivering a sermon at Medina, and said, "There is lack of rain, so please invoke your Lord to bless us with the rain." The Prophet ﷺ looked at the sky when no cloud could be detected. Then he invoked Allah for rain. Clouds started gathering together and it rained till the Medina valleys started flowing with water. It continued raining till the next Friday. Then that man (or some other man) stood up while the Prophet ﷺ was delivering the Friday sermon, and said, "We are drowned; Please invoke your Lord to withhold it (rain) from us" The Prophet smiled and said twice or thrice, "O Allah! Please let it rain round about us and not upon us." The clouds started dispersing over Medina to the right and to the left, and it rained round about Medina and not upon Medina. Allah showed them (the people) the miracle of His Prophet and His response to his invocation.

أَنَّ رَجُلاً جَاءَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ وَهْوَ يَخْطُبُ بِالْمَدِينَةِ فَقَالَ قَحَطَ الْمَطَرُ فَاسْتَسْقِ رَبَّكَ فَنَظَرَ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ وَمَا نَرَى مِنْ سَحَابٍ فَاسْتَسْقَى فَنَشَأَ السَّحَابُ بَعْضُهُ إِلَى بَعْضٍ ثُمَّ مُطِرُوا حَتَّى سَالَتْ مَثَاعِبُ الْمَدِينَةِ فَمَا زَالَتْ إِلَى الْجُمُعَةِ الْمُقْبِلَةِ مَا تُقْلِعُ ثُمَّ قَامَ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلُ أَوْ غَيْرُهُ وَالنَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَخْطُبُ فَقَالَ غَرِقْنَا فَادْعُ رَبَّكَ يَحْبِسْهَا عَنَّا فَضَحِكَ ثُمَّ قَالَ اللَّهُمَّ حَوَالَيْنَا وَلاَ عَلَيْنَا مَرَّتَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلاَثًا فَجَعَلَ السَّحَابُ يَتَصَدَّعُ عَنِ الْمَدِينَةِ يَمِينًا وَشِمَالاً يُمْطَرُ مَا حَوَالَيْنَا وَلاَ يُمْطِرُ مِنْهَا شَىْءٌ يُرِيهِمُ اللَّهُ كَرَامَةَ نَبِيِّهِ ﷺ وَإِجَابَةَ دَعْوَتِهِ

The Prophet ﷺ was delivering a sermon on a Friday when the people stood up and cried out, saying, “O Messenger of Allah, the rainfall has ceased, the trees have withered, and the livestock have perished—so supplicate to Allah to give us rain.” He said, “O Allah, give us rain,” twice. By Allah, we did not see in the sky even a small patch of cloud, then a cloud formed and it rained. He came down from the pulpit and prayed. When he finished, it continued to rain until the next Friday.

Then, when the Prophet ﷺ stood to deliver the sermon, they cried out to him, “The houses have collapsed and the roads have been cut off—so supplicate to Allah to withhold it from us.” The Prophet ﷺ smiled, then said:

allāhumma, hawālaynaa wa laa ʿalaynā

“O Allah, ˹let it rain˺ around us and not upon us.”

So the rain was turned away from Madinah: it began to rain around it, and not a single drop fell upon the city. I looked at Madinah, and it was as though it were in the middle of a wreath.

كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَخْطُبُ يَوْمَ جُمُعَةٍ، فَقَامَ النَّاسُ فَصَاحُوا، فَقَالُوا: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، قَحَطَ الْمَطَرُ، وَاحْمَرَّتِ الشَّجَرُ، وَهَلَكَتِ الْبَهَائِمُ، فَادْعُ اللَّهَ يَسْقِينَا. فَقَالَ: «اللَّهُمَّ اسْقِنَا» مَرَّتَيْنِ. وَايْمُ اللَّهِ مَا نَرَى فِي السَّمَاءِ قَزَعَةً مِنْ سَحَابٍ، فَنَشَأَتْ سَحَابَةٌ فَأَمْطَرَتْ، وَنَزَلَ عَنِ الْمِنْبَرِ فَصَلَّى. فَلَمَّا انْصَرَفَ لَمْ تَزَلْ تُمْطِرُ إِلَى الْجُمُعَةِ الَّتِي تَلِيهَا.

فَلَمَّا قَامَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَخْطُبُ، صَاحُوا إِلَيْهِ: تَهَدَّمَتِ الْبُيُوتُ، وَانْقَطَعَتِ السُّبُلُ، فَادْعُ اللَّهَ يَحْبِسُهَا عَنَّا. فَتَبَسَّمَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ، ثُمَّ قَالَ:

«اللَّهُمَّ حَوَالَيْنَا وَلَا عَلَيْنَا».

فَكُشِطَتِ الْمَدِينَةُ، فَجَعَلَتْ تُمْطِرُ حَوْلَهَا وَلَا تَمْطُرُ بِالْمَدِينَةِ قَطْرَةً، فَنَظَرْتُ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ وَإِنَّهَا لَفِي مِثْلِ الْإِكْلِيلِ.

"The Prophet ﷺ was delivering the Khutbah one Friday when the people stood up and shouted: 'O Prophet of Allah! There has been no rain and the animals have died. Pray to Allah (SWT) to send us rain.' He said: 'O Allah, send us rain; O Allah, send us rain.' By Allah (SWT), we could not see even a wisp of a cloud in the sky, then a cloud appeared and grew, and it rained. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came down and prayed, and the people departed, and it continued to rain until the following Friday. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood up to deliver the Khutbah, they called out to him and said: 'O Prophet of Allah, the houses are destroyed and the routes are cut off. Pray to Allah to take it away from us.' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ smiled and said: 'O Allah, around us and not on us!' Then is dispersed from Al-Madinah and rain fell around Al-Madinah but not a single drop fell on Al-Madinah. I looked, and it was in something like a ring." (Using translation from Nasāʾī 1517)

كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَخْطُبُ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ فَقَامَ إِلَيْهِ النَّاسُ فَصَاحُوا فَقَالُوا يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ قَحِطَ الْمَطَرُ وَاحْمَرَّ الشَّجَرُ وَهَلَكَتِ الْبَهَائِمُ فَادْعُ اللَّهَ أَنْ يَسْقِيَنَا فَقَالَ «اللَّهُمَّ اسْقِنَا» قَالَ وَايْمُ اللَّهِ مَا نَرَى فِي السَّمَاءِ قَزَعَةً مِنْ سَحَابٍ قَالَ فَنَشَأَتْ سَحَابَةٌ فَانْتَشَرَتْ ثُمَّ إِنَّهَا مَطَرَتْ فَنَزَلَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَصَلَّى وَانْصَرَفَ فَلَمْ تَزَلْ تُمْطِرُ إِلَى الْجُمُعَةِ الْأُخْرَى فَلَمَّا قَامَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَخْطُبُ صَاحُوا وَقَالُوا يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ تَهَدَّمَتِ الْبُيُوتُ وَانْقَطَعَتِ السُّبُلُ فَادْعُ اللَّهَ يَحْبِسْهَا عَنَّا قَالَ فَتَبَسَّمَ ﷺ وَقَالَ «اللَّهُمَّ حَوَالَيْنَا وَلَا عَلَيْنَا» قَالَ فَتَقَشَّعَتْ عَنِ الْمَدِينَةِ فَجَعَلَتْ تُمْطِرُ حَوْلَهَا وَمَا تَقْطُرُ بِالْمَدِينَةِ قَطْرَةً قَالَ فَنَظَرْتُ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ وَإِنَّهَا لَفِي مِثْلِ الْإِكْلِيلِ