Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) also narrates that whenever the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw a cloud rising from any horizon of the sky, he would leave his work, even if he was performing prayer, and would say: O Allah! I seek refuge in You from the evil that is in it. Then if Allah the Exalted cleared it away, he would praise Him, and if it began to rain, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would say: O Allah! Send down beneficial rain.
Hadith Referenceالفتح الربانی / كتاب خلق العالم / 10251
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:صحیح
Hadith Takhrij«اسناده صحيح، أخرجه ابوداود: 5099، (انظر مسند أحمد ترقيم الرسالة: 25570 ترقیم بيت الأفكار الدولية: 26087»
Brief Explanation
Benefits: … Therefore, whenever the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam saw a cloud, he would become apprehensive, fearing that perhaps it might contain punishment. When it began to rain, then the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would become reassured.
The meaning of leaving the prayer is that after the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam had completed the prayer he was performing, he would not engage in further prayer, but rather would begin to seek refuge from the evil of the cloud.