Causes of the Withholding and Prevention of Rain

Question:
We have Ibrahim on the line from al-Hawtah. Please, go ahead. Good evening, Professor Khalid. Good evening, may Allah keep Shaykh Salih safe. May Allah welcome you, please go ahead. May Allah keep you in goodness. Good evening, I have just one question. I would like the Shaykh to speak briefly about the rains and the causes of the withholding of rain. Now, some people are making supplications, for example, saying, "Our prayers are not answered, and rain does not fall upon us," and so on. If the Shaykh could briefly touch upon the causes of the withholding of rain. Thank you, Ibrahim. May Allah reward you. Please, Shaykh.

Answer:
First, it is not permissible to despair of the mercy of Allah, no matter what sins we have committed. We do not despair of the mercy of Allah, nor do we lose hope in the mercy of Allah. Only the misguided ones despair of the mercy of their Lord. Allah is Generous, Forgiving, and Merciful.
As for the withholding of rain, the general cause is sins and disobedience. Corruption has appeared on land and in the sea due to what the hands of people have earned, so that He may make them taste some of what they have done, perhaps they will return. Among the greatest causes of the withholding of rain is the withholding of zakah. A people are not prevented from receiving rain from the sky because they withhold the zakah of their wealth, except that if it were not for the animals, they would not have been given rain. So let Muslims beware of this. Let them rectify their affairs, seek rain, and ask their Lord for rain. Allah is Near and He answers. (Glorified and Exalted is He). Yes.