fa-istisqi lanā rabbaka: that is, ask Him to give us rain by causing it to fall.
nastashfiʿ bi-llāhi ʿalayk: we make Allah an intermediary to reach you.
subḥāna llāh: an exclamation declaring Allah’s transcendence above everything unbefitting Him.
ʿurifa dhālika fī wujūhi aṣḥābihi: the anger was evident on the faces of his Companions because of the Prophet’s ﷺ anger.
wayḥak: a word used to rebuke.
atadrī mā llāh?: a question that points to the man’s scant knowledge of Allah’s greatness and majesty.
General meaning of the ḥadīth: The narrator relates that a Bedouin came to the Prophet ﷺ complaining of the people’s desperate need for rain and asking him to beseech his Lord to send it down. In doing so, however, the Bedouin behaved improperly toward Allah by seeking Allah’s intercession with the Prophet ﷺ—a misunderstanding, for intercession can only move from the lower to the higher. The Prophet ﷺ therefore reproached him and declared his Lord far above being treated in such a manner, yet he did not object to the man seeking the Prophet’s own intercession with Allah through his supplication.
Relevance of the ḥadīth to this chapter: It demonstrates the prohibition of seeking Allah’s intercession with any of His creatures, for such a request belittles the Lord, who is exalted above that.
Benefits derived from the ḥadīth:
- It is forbidden to seek Allah’s intercession with anyone from His creation, for that diminishes His greatness.
- Allah must be declared transcendent of all that does not befit Him.
- Wrongdoing is to be condemned and the ignorant are to be taught.
- It is permissible to seek the Prophet’s ﷺ intercession during his lifetime by asking him to supplicate Allah.