How do we perform the prayer for rain (Istisqa)?

Arab Weather - The prayer for rain is like the Eid prayer. He prays two rak'ahs, saying the takbir seven times in the first and five times in the second. He says the opening takbir and six times after it, then he recites the opening supplication, then he recites Al-Fatihah and whatever else is easy with it, then he bows, then he rises, then he prostrates twice, then he stands for the second rak'ah and prays it like the Eid prayer. He says the takbir five times when he is upright, then he recites Al-Fatihah and whatever else is easy with it, then he recites the Tashahhud and prays upon the Prophet ﷺ, then he supplicates, then he says the taslim, like the Eid prayer. The Prophet prayed it as he used to pray on Eid, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him.

Then he stands up and gives a sermon to the people, admonishing and reminding them, and warning them of the causes of drought. He warns them of sins because they are the causes of drought, the causes of withholding rain, and the causes of punishments. He warns the people of the causes of punishments, which are sins, evils, eating people’s money unjustly, oppression, and other sins. He urges them to repent and seek forgiveness, and he reads to them the verses and hadiths related to this.

Then he calls upon his Lord, raising his hands, and the people raise their hands in supplication, asking his Lord for relief, saying: “O God, grant us relief, O God, grant us relief, O God, grant us relief” three times. “O God, give us abundant, wholesome, plentiful, clear, continuous, widespread, general, beneficial, and not harmful rain, with which You revive the land, and with which You relieve the servants, and make it, O Lord, a provision for the present and the absent.” This is from the supplication that the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, made: “O God, cause the crops to grow for us, and increase the milk in our udders, and give us rain from Your blessings.” He persists in supplication and repeats in supplication: “O God, give us rain and do not make us among those who despair,” just as the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, did.

Then he faces the Qibla while supplicating, he faces the Qibla while raising his hands, he completes his supplication between himself and his Lord while raising his hands, then he lowers his hands, and the people do likewise raise their hands and supplicate with their Imam, and if he faces the Qibla, they supplicate with him... between themselves and raise their hands.

It is Sunnah to turn one's cloak during the sermon when facing the Qibla. He should turn his cloak so that what is on the right is on the left if he is wearing a cloak or a bisht. If he is wearing a bisht, he should turn it over. If he is not wearing anything, such as a ghutra, he should turn it over. The scholars said: It is an act of optimism that God will turn drought into gain... He will turn hardship into prosperity, because it came in a mursal hadith on the authority of Muhammad bin Ali al-Baqir, “that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, turned his cloak so that the drought would be turned over,” meaning: an act of optimism.

It has been established in the two Sahihs, in the hadith of Abdullah bin Zaid, that “the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, turned his cloak around when he led them in the prayer for rain,” and this is the Sunnah for Muslims as well.

As for the Friday sermon, he did not change his cloak, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him. He prayed and sought help while he was in the Friday sermon, as part of his supplication, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him. Seeking help can be done in the Friday sermon, in the Eid sermon, and in other times. One may pray for rain even while sitting at home or in the market, there is no harm in that. The supplication for rain is required of the individual and the group.

But if he leads them in two rak'ahs, he takes them out to the desert and leads them in two rak'ahs like the Eid prayer, then he gives a sermon after that and supplicates and turns his cloak around as the Prophet ﷺ did when he faced the Qibla. It is permissible for him to give a sermon before that, before the prayer, and then pray after it. This and that have been reported from the Prophet ﷺ. It has been reported that he gave a sermon before the prayer and that he gave a sermon after the prayer, and after the prayer like the Eid prayer and before the prayer like the Friday prayer. All of this was done by the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. The intention is to supplicate and beseech God and raise the complaint to Him, the Most High, to remove the drought and hardship and to bring down rain and relief from it.

Some hadiths state that he performed three rak'ahs, others four, and still others five. However, the most authentic and preferred view among scholars is that he prayed two rak'ahs with only two rak'ahs, two recitations, and two prostrations. This is the most authentic account, as previously mentioned. He prayed two rak'ahs... then recited the Tashahhud, invoked blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and supplicated. After completing the prayer, he addressed the people, reminding them of the rulings regarding seeking rain (Istisqa'), explaining the punishments for sins and the need to avoid them. He also emphasized the importance of giving charity, performing good deeds, and frequently remembering and seeking forgiveness from God. This is how prayer leaders and preachers should remind and advise the people, just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did. Yes.