the heavens and earth.” 1 Allah Most High also says: “Seek forgiveness from your Lord, then repent to Him; He will grant you good enjoyment.” 2

These passages indicate that repentance and seeking forgiveness are causes for good things to descend, blessings to follow in succession, and supplications to be answered.

In such circumstances, the Muslim must beware lest despair and despondency take hold of his heart or he utter words expressing vexation and discontent. The believer continues to ask his Lord, hope for His bounty, and look forward to His mercy. He remains ever in need of Him to secure every benefit and ward off every harm. He knows that he has no lord besides Him to whom he may turn and supplicate, and no deity other than Him in whom he may place his hopes. He neither turns nor withdraws from his Master’s door, and his heart neither clings nor turns to anyone else.

The sunnah and noble guidance of the Prophet ﷺ contain blessed supplications that the Muslim is prescribed to make when seeking rain. They express humility before Allah, submission in His presence, acknowledgment of His greatness and perfection, and recognition of His servants’ need for Him, while He—Glorified is He—is the Self-Sufficient, the Praiseworthy.

Al-Bukhārī and Muslim narrated from Anas ibn Mālik—may Allah be pleased with him—“A man entered on Friday through a door facing the pulpit while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was standing and delivering the sermon. The man stood facing the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, the livestock have perished and the roads have been cut off, so supplicate Allah to send us rain.’ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ raised his hands and said, ‘O Allah, grant us rain! O Allah, grant us rain! O Allah, grant us rain!’ Anas said, ‘By Allah, we could see neither a cloud nor even a wisp of one in the sky—nothing at all. There was neither a house nor a dwelling between us and Mount Salʿ.’ He said, ‘Then from behind it there arose