punishment; and that there is no difference between the two except in whether they bring mercy or punishment; and that it is one wind, not multiple winds. Thus, the report recorded by al-Tabarani from Ibn Abbas as a prophetic narration, worded, “O Allah, make it winds and do not make it a wind,” is false. Al-Tahawi said, “It has no basis.” The contrary, however, is authentically reported from Ibn Abbas, as I have explained under al-Tabarani’s hadith cited in the other work, al-Da'ifah (5600).

2757 — “When a fierce wind arose, he would say: ‘O Allah, I ask You for the good for which You sent it, and I seek refuge in You from the evil for which You sent it.’”

Recorded by al-Bukhari in al-Adab al-Mufrad (717), al-Tahawi in Mushkil al-Athar (1/400), and Abu Ya'la in his Musnad (2/763), through several routes from Abd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi, from al-Muthanna ibn Sa'id, from Qatadah, from Anas, who related it from the Prophet. I say: its chain of transmission is authentic according to the criteria of al-Bukhari and Muslim.

It is corroborated by a prophetic hadith from Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her): “Whenever he saw a cloud approaching from one of the horizons, he would leave whatever he was doing—even if he were praying—until he faced it and said: ‘O Allah, we seek refuge in You from the evil for which it was sent.’ If it rained, he would say, ‘O Allah, a beneficial downpour,’ two or three times. If Allah cleared it away without its raining, he would praise Allah for that.” Ibn Abi Shaybah recorded it in al-Musannaf (10/218), and Ibn Majah narrated it from him.