Attributing the cause of rain to the abundance of seas
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Q: In geography books, they attribute the cause of rain to the abundance of seas. Is this explanation permissible, and is it sufficient to rely on it instead of performing the prayer for rain?
A: The scholars have mentioned that the vapor from the water of the seas may gather to form water in the clouds by the command of Allah, the Exalted. He may also create water in the air and cause it to rain upon people by the command of Allah, the Exalted, who is capable of all things. As He, Glorified and Exalted is He, said: [Yasin:82]. And Allah, Exalted and Majestic is He, knows best what benefits His servants. It may be that this water gathers from the seas by the permission of Allah, and then Allah makes it fresh in the atmosphere, transforming it from salt to fresh, and He directs it in the clouds to whatever lands He wills, that are in need of it, as He wills, Exalted and Majestic is He.
Allah, the Exalted, may also create water in the air, and the clouds and winds carry it to places that need it. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned this meaning in his book *Miftah Dar al-Sa'adah*, and others have mentioned it as well.
Our Lord, the Exalted, is capable of all things and All-Aware of all things, as He, Exalted and Majestic is He, said: [Al-Talaq:12]. So Glorified is He; how great is His affair and how perfect is His power.
It is established in authentic hadiths that water gushed forth from between the fingers of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in Madinah and outside of it, and people drank from it and performed ablution with it. This is among the great signs of Allah indicating the perfection of His power, knowledge, mercy, excellence, and the truthfulness of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
One does not dispense with the prayer for rain on this basis. Rather, the prayer for rain is prescribed when its conditions are met, whether the people of the town know what the scholars have mentioned regarding this matter or not. This is because Allah, the Exalted, has prescribed for His servants the prayer for rain when its conditions are met, so that they may ask Him, supplicate to Him, and recognize their poverty and their need for His mercy.
This occurred more than once during the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He performed the prayer for rain with the people in the Friday sermon, and on another occasion he went out with the Companions to the desert, where he led them in the prayer for rain and delivered a sermon. Allah relieved them in all the times He prayed for rain for them, as a mercy from Allah to His servants, a support for His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and a manifestation of the truth of his prophethood and the truthfulness of his message, peace and blessings be upon him.
A: The scholars have mentioned that the vapor from the water of the seas may gather to form water in the clouds by the command of Allah, the Exalted. He may also create water in the air and cause it to rain upon people by the command of Allah, the Exalted, who is capable of all things. As He, Glorified and Exalted is He, said:
His command is only when He intends a thing that He says to it, "Be," and it is.
إِنَّمَا أَمْرُهُ إِذَا أَرَادَ شَيْئًا أَنْ يَقُولَ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُAllah, the Exalted, may also create water in the air, and the clouds and winds carry it to places that need it. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned this meaning in his book *Miftah Dar al-Sa'adah*, and others have mentioned it as well.
Our Lord, the Exalted, is capable of all things and All-Aware of all things, as He, Exalted and Majestic is He, said:
It is Allah who has created seven heavens and of the earth, the like of them. [His] command descends among them so you may know that Allah is over all things competent and that Allah has encompassed all things in knowledge.
اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ وَمِنَ الْأَرْضِ مِثْلَهُنَّ يَتَنَزَّلُ الْأَمْرُ بَيْنَهُنَّ لِتَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ أَحَاطَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عِلْمًاIt is established in authentic hadiths that water gushed forth from between the fingers of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in Madinah and outside of it, and people drank from it and performed ablution with it. This is among the great signs of Allah indicating the perfection of His power, knowledge, mercy, excellence, and the truthfulness of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
One does not dispense with the prayer for rain on this basis. Rather, the prayer for rain is prescribed when its conditions are met, whether the people of the town know what the scholars have mentioned regarding this matter or not. This is because Allah, the Exalted, has prescribed for His servants the prayer for rain when its conditions are met, so that they may ask Him, supplicate to Him, and recognize their poverty and their need for His mercy.
This occurred more than once during the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He performed the prayer for rain with the people in the Friday sermon, and on another occasion he went out with the Companions to the desert, where he led them in the prayer for rain and delivered a sermon. Allah relieved them in all the times He prayed for rain for them, as a mercy from Allah to His servants, a support for His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and a manifestation of the truth of his prophethood and the truthfulness of his message, peace and blessings be upon him.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.