Majma al-Zawaid — Hadith 13837

Sayyidah Ruqayqah bint Abi Sayfi bin Hashim (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates (she was of the same age as Abd al-Muttalib). She narrates: Successive years came upon Quraysh that dried up the udders and weakened the bones. Once, while I was lying down in a state of distress, a caller suddenly called out, saying: "O company of Quraysh, the time of this Prophet who is to be sent has begun to come upon you, and this is the time of his appearance. So be ready for rain and plenty! Beware! Look for a man from among you who has a full body, whose colour is white and whose skin is beautiful, who has such forbearance that he restrains his anger, and such a way that people are guided to it. Let him and his children come forward, and let one man from every branch of Quraysh be with him. Let them bathe, apply perfume and touch the Rukn, and then let them climb Mount Abu Qubays; then let that man supplicate and the rest of the people say Amin, and you will be given as much rain as you wish." She narrates: Allah knows that when I woke up the next morning I was alarmed, my skin was trembling and my mind was dazed. I related my dream, and it soon spread through the streets of Makkah. By the sanctity and the Sanctuary, every person of al-Abtah said the same thing: "The one meant by this must be Shaybat al-Hamd (that is, Abd al-Muttalib)." The men of Quraysh came to him, one person from each clan came to him; they bathed, applied perfume and touched the Black Stone, and then they climbed Mount Abu Qubays, and the people formed rows around him. When they reached the summit of the mountain, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was with Abd al-Muttalib, a young boy at the time. Abd al-Muttalib raised his hands and said: "O Allah, the One who fills the need and removes distress, You are the Knower who needs no one to inform Him, You are the One who is asked and You are not stingy. These are Your male servants and Your female servants who live in the vicinity of Your Sanctuary. They are telling You of their distress because of this drought that has befallen them, as a result of which the animals keep dying. O Allah, send down upon us rain that quenches." The narrator said: By the Lord of the Ka'bah, they had not yet gone back when rain began to fall from the sky and water began to flow in the low-lying valley. I heard some people of Quraysh, among them Abdullah bin Jud'an, Harb bin Umayyah and Hisham bin al-Mughirah, saying to Abd al-Muttalib: "Congratulations to you, O Abu al-Batha'!" meaning that because of you the people of al-Batha' have been granted life. Concerning this, Sayyidah Ruqayqah bint Abi Sayfi (may Allah be pleased with her) composed these verses: "Through Shaybat al-Hamd, Allah Almighty gave our town rain to drink. Before, we found life absent, but then abundant rain began; the water came and made channels in the low-lying land, which gave life to the animals and the trees. This is a favour from Allah Almighty, whose coming is blessed, and the best glad tidings ever given (to the people of the tribe of) Mudar. He is blessed in his affair; rain was sought through him. Among all creation there is none equal to him, nor can (such a thing) be imagined (of anyone)."
At-Tabarani recorded it; its chain contains narrators whom I do not know.