Surah Nooh (71) — Ayah 11

(Ayah 12,11) {يُرْسِلِ السَّمَآءَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِّدْرَارًا … :} Noah (peace be upon him) told his people that by believing in Allah and seeking forgiveness from Him, not only will your Hereafter be rectified, but Allah will also bestow countless blessings upon you in this world. He will send down upon you abundant rains, help you with various kinds of wealth and with sons, and grant you gardens and rivers. Besides Noah (peace be upon him), our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and other prophets (peace be upon them) also informed their respective peoples about the worldly blessings that come from faith and seeking forgiveness, in addition to the blessings of the Hereafter. For details, see Surah Hud (3, 52), Al-Ma'idah (66), and Surah Al-A'raf (96). From these verses, it is understood that whether there is a need for rain, wealth, children, or any other blessing, one should seek forgiveness from Allah. At this point, in Tafsir Tabari and Tafsir Ibn Kathir, the incident of Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) is written, that when he went out for seeking rain, he did nothing more than seeking forgiveness and then returned. People asked: "O Leader of the Believers! We did not see you supplicating for rain." He replied: "I have sought rain through those means which move the heavens, by which rain is asked for." Then he recited this verse and the verse from Surah Hud (52): «وَ يَزِدْكُمْ قُوَّةً اِلٰى قُوَّتِكُمْ ».

In Tafsir Tabari, this incident of Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) is narrated from Sha'bi, whose meeting with Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) is not established, therefore this incident does not reach the level of proof, and it is also not expected from the Leader of the Believers that he would go out to pray for rain and, without performing the prophetic prayer and supplication, return after only seeking forgiveness. In Sahih Bukhari (1010), it is mentioned that Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) prayed for rain and had Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) supplicate as well. Yes, it is correct that in the supplication for rain, one should seek forgiveness as much as possible, but at every occasion, seeking forgiveness should be done in the manner that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did.

11. 1. Some scholars, due to this very verse, consider it recommended to recite Surah Nuh in the prayer of Istisqa (prayer for rain). It is narrated that once, when Umar climbed the pulpit for the prayer of Istisqa, he recited only the verses of Istighfar (among which was this verse as well) and then descended from the pulpit. And he said that I have sought rain through those means of rain which are in the heavens, from which rain descends upon the earth (Ibn Kathir).

The tafsir of this ayah is included with the following verse(s).