462 — Abū Zayd narrated to me, saying: Abd Allāh ibn Muhammad ibn Hakīm narrated to me, from Khālid ibn Sa'īd ibn Amr ibn Sa'īd, from his father, who said:

“During the rule of Bishr ibn Marwān, the people suffered a drought. They went out to pray for rain, with Bishr among them, and returned having received rain. That night, a torrent swept through, flooding the district of Bāriq and Banū Sulaym. The next morning, Bishr went out to inspect the effects of the rain. When he reached Bāriq, he found Surāqa ibn Mirdās al-Bāriqī standing in the water that had entered his house. Surāqa said, ‘May Allah set the emir aright! Yesterday you supplicated without even raising your hands, and this is what came of it. Had you raised your hands, the deluge would have come!’ Bishr laughed, whereupon Surāqa recited:

[Wāfir meter]

Bishr called upon the Most Merciful, who answered his plea
And caused the clouds to pour down rain upon us.

Bishr’s prayer brought a downpour of rain
By which we live, reviving all upon which it falls.

Radiant is he: through his countenance we receive rain and life,
And by his brow’s brightness we dispel the mist.”