Request of the people to the Imam to offer the Istisqa‘ prayer
باب سُؤَالِ النَّاسِ الإِمَامَ الاِسْتِسْقَاءَ إِذَا قَحَطُوا
Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Invoking Allah for Rain (Istisqaa)(view book)
Narrated 'Abdullah bin Dinar:
My father said, "I heard Ibn 'Umar reciting the poetic verses of Abu Talib: And a white (person) (i.e. the Prophet) who is requested to pray for rain and who takes care of the orphans and is the guardian of widows." Salim's father (Ibn 'Umar) said, "The following poetic verse occurred to my mind while I was looking at the face of the Prophet ﷺ while he was praying for rain. He did not get down till the rain water flowed profusely from every roof-g utter: And a white (person) who is requested to pray for rain and who takes care of the orphans and is the guardian of widows . . . And these were the words of Abu Talib."
حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو قُتَيْبَةَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ دِينَارٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ عُمَرَ، يَتَمَثَّلُ بِشِعْرِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ وَأَبْيَضَ يُسْتَسْقَى الْغَمَامُ بِوَجْهِهِ ثِمَالُ الْيَتَامَى عِصْمَةٌ لِلأَرَامِلِ وَقَالَ عُمَرُ بْنُ حَمْزَةَ حَدَّثَنَا سَالِمٌ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، رُبَّمَا ذَكَرْتُ قَوْلَ الشَّاعِرِ وَأَنَا أَنْظُرُ، إِلَى وَجْهِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ يَسْتَسْقِي، فَمَا يَنْزِلُ حَتَّى يَجِيشَ كُلُّ مِيزَابٍ. وَأَبْيَضَ يُسْتَسْقَى الْغَمَامُ بِوَجْهِهِ ثِمَالَ الْيَتَامَى عِصْمَةً لِلأَرَامِلِ وَهْوَ قَوْلُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ.
Classification
Narrated Anas:
Whenever drought threatened them, 'Umar bin Al-Khattab, used to ask Al-Abbas bin 'Abdul Muttalib to invoke Allah for rain. He used to say, "O Allah! We used to ask our Prophet to invoke You for rain, and You would bless us with rain, and now we ask his uncle to invoke You for rain. O Allah ! Bless us with rain."(1) And so it would rain.
حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الأَنْصَارِيُّ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، عَنْ ثُمَامَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَنَسٍ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ، أَنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ كَانَ إِذَا قَحَطُوا اسْتَسْقَى بِالْعَبَّاسِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ فَقَالَ اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا كُنَّا نَتَوَسَّلُ إِلَيْكَ بِنَبِيِّنَا فَتَسْقِينَا وَإِنَّا نَتَوَسَّلُ إِلَيْكَ بِعَمِّ نَبِيِّنَا فَاسْقِنَا. قَالَ فَيُسْقَوْنَ.