The Friday the Rain Came

The Story

It was Friday in Madinah, and there was not a cloud in the sky.

The land needed rain. Trees were drying up, and the animals were suffering.

Inside the mosque, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was delivering the Friday sermon when a man entered.

He had come to ask for help.

The man asked the Prophet ﷺ to pray to Allah for rain.

The Prophet raised both his hands. Three times, he asked Allah to send it.

Anas, who was there that day, remembered the empty sky. Beyond the mosque, Mount Sila stood in plain sight.

Then a cloud appeared.

It rose from behind the mountain, round like a shield.

As it reached the middle of the sky, it spread out. Rain began to fall over Madinah.

When the prayer finished, it was still raining.

And it kept raining through the days that followed. The sun stayed hidden.

By the next Friday, the rain had become too much. Roads were blocked, and people needed relief.

The Prophet ﷺ was delivering the Friday sermon again when a man entered through the same door.

This time, the request was different.

He asked the Prophet to pray for the rain to stop.

The Prophet ﷺ smiled and raised his hands.

“O Allah! Around us and not on us.”

He asked Allah to send the rain onto the hills, into the valleys, and where the trees grew.

The sky above Madinah cleared. Rain still fell around the city, but no longer upon it.

The people stepped out of the mosque and walked in the sunshine.

Beyond the city, the rain could keep watering the land.

Allah had answered the Prophet’s prayer.

And you can turn to Allah too. When something troubles you, you can ask Him for help, wherever you are. 🌙

Dua of the Week: Dua for Beneficial Rain

اللَّهُمَّ صَيِّبًا نَافِعًا

Allahumma sayyiban nafi‘an

"O Allah, make it beneficial rain."

The Prophet ﷺ said this when rain began to fall. Say it together whenever you hear raindrops and ask Allah to make the rain helpful.

Quran Verse: Surah Al-Mu’minun 23:18

وَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً بِقَدَرٍ فَأَسْكَنَّاهُ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَإِنَّا عَلَىٰ ذَهَابٍ بِهِ لَقَادِرُونَ

"We sent down water from the sky in due measure and settled it in the earth. And We are surely able to take it away."

Family Discussion

The people asked Allah for help when there was too little rain and again when there was too much. What would you like to ask Allah for help with tonight?

Good Deed Challenge

The Secret Dua Tonight, pick someone you love. Raise your hands like the Prophet ﷺ did and ask Allah for one good thing for them. You can keep their name between you and Allah.

Sources: Sahih al-Bukhari 1014, Sahih al-Bukhari 1021 and 3582 corroborate the drought, continuous rain until the following Friday, blocked roads and damaged homes, the Prophet’s smile, the clearing over Madinah, and rain remaining around the city, Qur’an 23:18 connects the story to Allah sending water from the sky in due measure and His power to take it away