9. Istisqāʾ Prayer (Asking for Rain)
٩۔ كتاب صلاة الاستسقاء
When there was on any day windstorm or dark cloud (its effects) could be read on the face of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he moved forward and backward (in a state of anxiety) ; and when it rained, he was delighted and it (the state of restlessness) disappeared. 'A'isha said: I asked him the reason of this anxiety and he said: I was afraid that it might be a calamity that might fall upon my Ummah, and when he saw rainfall he said: It is the mercy (of Allah).
أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ عَائِشَةَ زَوْجَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ تَقُولُ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِذَا كَانَ يَوْمُ الرِّيحِ وَالْغَيْمِ عُرِفَ ذَلِكَ فِي وَجْهِهِ أَقْبَلَ وَأَدْبَرَ فَإِذَا مَطَرَتْ سُرَّ بِهِ وَذَهَبَ عَنْهُ ذَلِكَ قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ فَسَأَلْتُهُ فَقَالَ إِنِّي خَشِيتُ أَنْ يَكُونَ عَذَابًا سُلِّطَ عَلَى أُمَّتِي وَيَقُولُ إِذَا رَأَى الْمَطَرَ رَحْمَةٌ
Whenever the wind was stormy, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to say: O Allah! I ask Thee for what is good in it, and the good which it contains, and the good of that which it was sent for. I seek refuge with Thee from what is evil in it, what evil it contains, and the evil of that what it was sent for; and when there was a thunder and lightning in the sky, his colour underwent a change, and he went out and in, backwards and forwards; and when the rain came, he felt relieved, and I noticed that (the sign of relief) on his face. 'A'isha asked him (about it) and he said: It may be as the people of 'Ad said: When they saw a cloud formation coming to their valley they said:" It is a cloud which would give us rain" (Qur'an, xlvi. 24).
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ إِذَا عَصَفَتِ الرِّيحُ قَالَ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ خَيْرَهَا وَخَيْرَ مَا فِيهَا وَخَيْرَ مَا أُرْسِلَتْ بِهِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّهَا وَشَرِّ مَا فِيهَا وَشَرِّ مَا أُرْسِلَتْ بِهِ قَالَتْ وَإِذَا تَخَيَّلَتِ السَّمَاءُ تَغَيَّرَ لَوْنُهُ وَخَرَجَ وَدَخَلَ وَأَقْبَلَ وَأَدْبَرَ فَإِذَا مَطَرَتْ سُرِّيَ عَنْهُ فَعَرَفْتُ ذَلِكَ فِي وَجْهِهِ قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ فَسَأَلْتُهُ فَقَالَ لَعَلَّهُ يَا عَائِشَةُ كَمَا قَالَ قَوْمُ عَادٍ { فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهُ عَارِضًا مُسْتَقْبِلَ أَوْدِيَتِهِمْ قَالُوا هَذَا عَارِضٌ مُمْطِرُنَا}
I never saw Messenger of Allah ﷺ laugh to such an extent that I could see his uvula-whereas he used to smile only-and when he saw dark clouds or wind, (the signs of fear) were depicted on his face. I said: Messenger of Allah, I find people being happy when they ace the dark cloud in the hope that it would bring rain, but I find that when you see that (the cloud) there is an anxiety on your face. He said: 'A'isha, I am afraid that there may be a calamity in it, for a people was afflicted with wind, when the people saw the calamity they said:" It is a cloud which would give us rain" (Qur'an. xlvi. 24).
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ مَا رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ مُسْتَجْمِعًا ضَاحِكًا حَتَّى أَرَى مِنْهُ لَهَوَاتِهِ إِنَّمَا كَانَ يَتَبَسَّمُ قَالَتْ وَكَانَ إِذَا رَأَى غَيْمًا أَوْ رِيحًا عُرِفَ ذَلِكَ فِي وَجْهِهِ فَقَالَتْ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَرَى النَّاسَ