What is the ruling on neglecting the prayer for rain on the grounds of the multitude of sins?
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Question:
The questioner asks: What is the ruling on neglecting the prayer for rain, citing the multitude of existing sins, or the availability of water? Did you notice what he said? What is the ruling on neglecting the prayer for rain? Neglecting it. Yes, on the grounds of the multitude of existing sins, or the availability of water, yes.
Answer:
As for when water is available, then no, the prayer for rain is not prescribed, because there is no need for it.
As for his saying that it is due to the multitude of sins, this is not permissible. This is despair of the mercy of Allah. Is it not permissible for us to leave the prayer for rain and say, "It will not be answered for us because of the multitude of sins and transgressions"? This is from ignorance and from having a bad opinion of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Should we not despair of the mercy of Allah even if our sins are great?
Allah is near and responsive to supplication[Az-Zumar 39:53] We ask for rain and we persist, and Allah is near and responsive to supplication. But the matter is that we must be sincere. We do not pray a formalistic prayer, but a prayer of repentance, of seeking forgiveness, and of turning away from evil deeds. This is what is required. And the greater the sins, the more this becomes, the more this becomes, the more this becomes imperative in terms of repentance and seeking forgiveness. The greater the sins, the more this becomes imperative in terms of repentance and seeking forgiveness.
As for the one who says that if sins are numerous, then do not seek forgiveness and do not ask for rain, this is a compound ignoramus. And he has despair of the mercy of Allah.
And Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) says[Al-Hijr 15:56] and He says [Yusuf 12:87] We ask Allah for well-being. So based on this, he should repent to Allah from this statement. Yes.
The questioner asks: What is the ruling on neglecting the prayer for rain, citing the multitude of existing sins, or the availability of water? Did you notice what he said? What is the ruling on neglecting the prayer for rain? Neglecting it. Yes, on the grounds of the multitude of existing sins, or the availability of water, yes.
Answer:
As for when water is available, then no, the prayer for rain is not prescribed, because there is no need for it.
As for his saying that it is due to the multitude of sins, this is not permissible. This is despair of the mercy of Allah. Is it not permissible for us to leave the prayer for rain and say, "It will not be answered for us because of the multitude of sins and transgressions"? This is from ignorance and from having a bad opinion of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Should we not despair of the mercy of Allah even if our sins are great?
Allah is near and responsive to supplication
Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah.
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِAs for the one who says that if sins are numerous, then do not seek forgiveness and do not ask for rain, this is a compound ignoramus. And he has despair of the mercy of Allah.
And Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) says
And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord except for those astray?"
وَمَن يَقْنَطُ مِن رَّحْمَةِ رَبِّهِ إِلَّا الضَّالُّونَIndeed, no one despairs of relief from Allah except the disbelieving people."
إِنَّهُ لَا يَيْأَسُ مِن رَّوْحِ اللَّهِ إِلَّا الْقَوْمُ الْكَافِرُونَ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ما حكم إهمال صلاة الاستسقاء بحجة كثرة الذنوب؟ للشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.
