it rained.

He went on: “By Allah, we did not see the sun for an entire week.

“Then, on the following Friday, a man came through that very gate while the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was standing on the pulpit delivering the sermon. The man faced him and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, our wealth has perished and the roads are cut off; so pray to Allah to hold the rain back from us.’

“The Messenger of Allah raised his hands and said, ‘O Allah, around us and not upon us. O Allah, (let the rain fall) on the hills, the small rises, the floors of the valleys, and the places where the trees grow.’

“No sooner did he point with his hand toward any direction than the clouds dispersed, until I saw Medina in the middle of a clear patch of sky, while the valley of Qanah ran with water for a month. And everyone who arrived from outside the city reported abundant rainfall.”

Under the same heading comes Allah’s aid through the wind, about which He said:

“O you who believe, remember Allah’s favor upon you when hosts came against you and We sent against them a wind and forces you did not see; and Allah is ever Watchful of what you do.” (Al-Ahzab 33:9)