Does innovation prevent rain from falling in the prayer for rain?

The questioner : Shaykh, on the occasion of istisqa’, I do not know, I fear that their going out, as you mentioned, is an innovation, and that it is a cause for the rain not to come, because Allah has withheld repentance from every innovator. So when they go out in innovation, then our Lord, Exalted is He, has withheld repentance from them. So when a person turns to Allah without a repentant heart and wants to seek rain, Allah, Exalted is He, may withhold this matter from him. What is your opinion?

The Shaykh : By Allah, if I understood your question, it contains danger, but perhaps it was not intended. First, first, do you mean that every individual among these people who will go out with them is an innovator, and that there cannot be a man among them who is not an innovator? So how did you conceive this picture?

The questioner : I mean, who leads this matter?

The Shaykh : My brother, it is permissible for people with sound hearts to go out with him and seek rain through him, as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said in the authentic hadith:

The questioner :

The Shaykh : and their sincerity. If you become bankrupt, then it is up to you.

The questioner: This is a shaykh telling me that a man came from Italy saying that in Italy, this year it became like what happened to us now, with drought and no rain falling. He says the church went out and they prayed, of course, the prayer.

The Shaykh: it would be.

The questioner : Yes, so he would say, "Rain fell the next day." They prayed here, but no rain fell for you. I told him, "We have a preacher who used to say, 'O Allah, do not send down rain.' So I asked him, 'Why, O man? Is supplication forbidden? You are doing it this way.'" He said, "Perhaps he was thinking of the poor, a righteous man."