because it is an acknowledgment on your part that the rain has come solely by Allah’s grace, even though it happened to fall during that particular star-phase. Many ordinary people among us will say, “We were given rain by the season,” or “We were given rain by such-and-such,” and the like. They do not intend causation by these words; rather they mean the time frame—that the rain came at that moment—and there is no harm in that. If, however, the preposition is used to express causation, that is what constitutes disbelief in Allah and faith in the stars. Should a person actually believe that the star itself brings the rain, this is major disbelief that expels one from the religion. If he believes the star is merely a cause while the Creator is Allah, then this is ingratitude for Allah’s favor, though it does not take one out of Islam. From this hadith we learn that when rain falls one should say, “We were given rain by the favor and mercy of Allah.” Allah alone grants success.