Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (5/224)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

Thus, the call for the prayer for rain and the Eid prayer is unsound both in transmitted evidence and in reasoning. As for the transmitted evidence, it was not reported despite the presence of its cause during the Prophet’s ﷺ lifetime; and as for reasoning, there is a relevant distinction between the original case and the case being compared to it.

“The imam’s permission is not a condition for it. It is recommended that one stand at the beginning of the rainfall, and that one put out one’s belongings and clothes for the rain to fall upon them . . .”

His statement, “The imam’s permission is not a condition for it,” means that the imam’s authorization is not a condition for holding it. Rather, if rainfall is scarce and the land becomes drought-stricken, the people go out and pray. Even if each town were to pray separately, they would not be departing from the sunnah.

Indeed, if the cause exists and the imam says, “Do not pray,” then there is room for consideration regarding his preventing them, since the cause exists and he should not prevent them. Yet, according to the custom prevailing among us, the prayer for rain is not held except with the imam’s permission.

Unless, that is, there are people from the desert dwelling far from the cities, who are not bound by this practice; in that case, they may perhaps hold it, even if the inhabitants of the town do not hold it.

His statement, “It is recommended that one stand at the beginning of the rainfall”: sunnah, in the terminology of the jurists, is that for which the one who does it in compliance with the command is rewarded, while the one who leaves it is not punished.

His statement, “that one stand,” means that one should stand as soon as the rain begins to fall.

His statement, “and that one put out one’s belongings and clothes for the rain to fall upon them,” means one’s possessions that are in one’s house—or in one’s tent, if one is out in the open—as well as one’s clothes, which one puts out, because this was narrated from Ibn Abbas (1).

What is established from the Prophet’s ﷺ sunnah is that “when rain fell, he uncovered part of his garment” (2),

(1) Reported by al-Shafi'i in al-Umm, 1:152. (2) Reported by Muslim (898), on the authority of Anas.

فالنداء لصلاة الاستسقاء والعيد لا يصح أثراً ولا نظراً، وأما أثراً؛ فلعدم وروده مع وجود سببه في حياة النبي ﷺ، وأما نظراً؛ فلوجود الفرق بين الأصل والفرع. وَلَيْسَ مِنْ شَرْطِهَا إِذْنُ الإِْمَامِ. وَيُسَنُّ أَنْ يَقِفَ فِي أَوَّلِ المَطَرِ، وَإِخْرَاجُ رَحْلِهِ وَثِيَابِهِ لِيُصِيبَهُمَا المَطَرُ ........... قوله: «وليس من شرطها إذن الإِمام»، أي: ليس من شرط إقامتها أن يأذن الإِمام بذلك، بل إذا قحط المطر وأجدبت الأرض خرج الناس وصلوا، ولو صلى كل بلد وحده لم يخرجوا عن السنة. بل لو وجد السبب، وقال الإِمام: لا تصلوا، فإن في منعه إياهم نظراً؛ لأنه وجد السبب فلا ينبغي أن يمنعهم، ولكن حسب العُرف عندنا لا تقام صلاة الاستسقاء إلا بإذن الإِمام. اللهم إلا أن يكون قوم من البادية بعيدون عن المدن ولا يتقيدون، فهنا ربما يقيمونها، وإن كان أهل البلد لم يقيموها. قوله: «ويسن أن يقف في أول المطر»، السنة في اصطلاح الفقهاء: هي ما يثاب فاعله امتثالاً، ولا يعاقب تاركه. قوله: «أن يقف»، أي: أن يقف قائماً أول ما ينزل المطر. قوله: «وإخراج رحله وثيابه ليصيبهما المطر»، أي: متاعه الذي في بيته، أو في خيمته إن كان في البر، وكذلك ثيابه يخرجها؛ لأن هذا روي عن ابن عباس ﵄ (١). والثابت من سنّة النبي ﷺ: «أنه إذا نزل المطر حسر ثوبه» (٢)،

(١) أخرجه الشافعي في «الأم» (١/ ١٥٢). (٢) أخرجه مسلم (٨٩٨) عن أنس ﵁.