422 – Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) said: “Solomon (peace be upon him) once went out to pray for rain. He noticed an ant lying on its back, its legs raised toward the sky, saying, ‘O Allah, we are a creature among Your creatures; we have no independence from the water You send down.’ He thereupon said, ‘Go back; you have been granted rain through the supplication of someone other than yourselves.’” Recorded by Ahmad, and al-Hakim judged it sound. (1)

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Degree of the ḥadīth
The report is weak. It was transmitted by al-Daraqutni and al-Hakim, who stated, “Its chain is sound,” and al-Dhahabi concurred. Nonetheless, the chain contains Muhammad ibn ‘Awn and his father, and narrators of their standing are usually classed as unknown.

Glossary of the ḥadīth
• Ant (namlah, with an open nūn and quiescent mīm): a tiny, delicate insect of the order Hymenoptera that lives in underground colonies; plural: naml, namāl.
• Lying on its back (mustalqiyah ‘alā ẓahrihā): turned over on its back.
• Legs (qawā’imuhā): plural of qā’imah; for an animal or insect, its fore- and hind-legs, so called because the creature stands on them.
• Through the supplication of another (bi-da‘wati ghayrikum): the preposition bā’ indicates causation.

Lessons drawn from the ḥadīth
1 – All creatures are innately disposed to know Allah, and they are inspired that no