What is meant by the report in the hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding seeking rain through the stars, and is it shirk (associating partners with Allah) that expels one from the religion?

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. He says: What is meant by the report in the hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding seeking rain through the stars, and is it shirk (associating partners with Allah) that expels one from the religion?

Answer:
Seeking rain through the stars means attributing the descent of rain to the rising or setting of a star, linking this to the star's rising. If one believes that this is the cause, while the rain itself is from Allah, and the star's rising is merely the cause, then this is minor shirk (associating partners with Allah). If one believes that the star's rising is what caused the rain to descend, then this is major shirk (associating partners with Allah), because he attributed the sending down of rain to a created being.
In the hadith of Zayd ibn Khalid (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in the Fajr prayer at al-Hudaybiyah following a sky, meaning rain, that had fallen during the night. He said (peace and blessings be upon him): "Do you know what your Lord said?" They said: "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said: "Your Lord said: This refers to minor shirk (associating partners with Allah), unless he believes that the star is the one who created the rain and sent it down; in that case, it is major shirk."