that the Prophet ﷺ performed it as he performed the Eid prayer. (1)

However, it differs from the Eid prayer in that it is a sunnah, whereas the Eid prayer is a communal obligation.

His statement, “When the imam wishes to go out for it,” may refer to the imam who leads them in the prayer for rain; or it may refer to the supreme imam—that is, the ruler. The first meaning is more likely.

His statement, “He admonishes the people”: admonition is a reminder joined with encouragement or warning. Thus, he encourages them to fulfill their obligations and warns them against violating sacred prohibitions.

For this reason, he said, “And commands them to repent of sins.” Repentance is to return to Allah ﷿ from disobedience to Him to obedience to Him. The scholars have mentioned conditions for repentance, which it is appropriate to mention here:

The first is sincerity to Allah ﷿: that, through his repentance to his Lord, he intends to seek his Lord’s pleasure—not that he repents before people out of ostentation or the desire for a reputation.

The second is that he regret the sin he has committed. Some scholars have said that this condition cannot be fulfilled, because regret is an emotion within the soul, and a person does not control his emotions.

But the correct view is that he can control it, because regret means manifesting grief and concern over the sin that has befallen him and that he has committed; and this is something that can occur.