Narrated Sharik: Anas bin Malik said, "A person entered the Mosque on a Friday through the gate facing the Dar al- Qada' and Allah's Messenger ﷺ was standing delivering the Khutba (sermon). The man stood in front of Allah's Messenger ﷺ and said, 'O Allah's Messenger ﷺ, livestock are dying and the roads are cut off; please pray to Allah for rain'. So Allah's Messenger ﷺ (pbuh) raised both his hands and said, 'O Allah! Bless us with rain. O Allah! Bless us with rain. O Allah! Bless us with rain!" Anas added, "By Allah, there were no clouds in the sky and there was no house or building between us and the mountain of Sila'. Then a big cloud like a shield appeared from behind it (ie Silas Mountain) and when it came in the middle of the sky, it spread and then rained. By Allah! We could not see the sun for a week. The next Friday, a person entered through the same gate and Allah's Messenger ﷺ was delivering the Friday Khutba and the man stood in front of him and said, 'O Allah's Messenger ﷺ! The livestock are dying and the roads are cut off; Please pray to Allah to withhold rain'. " Anas added, "Allah's Messenger ﷺ raised both his hands and said, 'O Allah! Round about us and not on us. O Allah!' On the plateaus, on the mountains, on the hills, in the valleys and on the places where trees grow'. " Anas added, "The rain stopped and we came out, walking in the sun". Sharik asked Anas whether it was the same person who had asked for rain the previous Friday. Anas replied that he did not know.
This hadith teaches us about how powerful prayer can be when we ask Allah sincerely from our hearts with faith in Him alone being able to answer our prayers no matter how difficult they may seem at first glance. It also shows us how merciful Allah is when He answers our prayers even if we are asking Him something different than what someone else has requested before us; He listens carefully to each individual’s needs before deciding what is best for everyone involved in any given situation or circumstance!
