Source: Fatāwā Amanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri
Is it Sunnah to turn the cloak inside out during Ṣalāt al-Istisqāʾ (the prayer for rain)?
Yes, it is Sunnah to turn the cloak (chādar) inside out during Ṣalāt al-Istisqāʾ.
1. Ḥadīth of ʿAbdullāh ibn Zayd رضي الله عنه
((إنه لما دعا أو أراد أن يدعو استقبل القبلة وحول رداءه))
“When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ made duʿāʾ or intended to do so, he faced the qiblah and turned his cloak inside out.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1028, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 894)
2. Another report from him:
The Prophet ﷺ wore a black cloak, and when he tried to lift it from below to make the upper side downwards, it felt heavy on him, so he switched it from right to left and left to right.
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd 1164, al-Mustadrak 1/327 – chain ḥasan, authenticated by al-Ḥākim and al-Dhahabī)
3. ʿAbdullāh ibn Zayd رضي الله عنه also said:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ supplicated lengthily for rain. Then he faced the qiblah and turned his cloak so that its inner part was outward. He placed its right edge on his left shoulder and its left edge on his right shoulder, then he supplicated to Allah.”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd 1163 – chain ṣaḥīḥ; Musnad Aḥmad 4/41 – chain ḥasan)
❖ Question
Is it Sunnah to turn the cloak inside out during Ṣalāt al-Istisqāʾ (the prayer for rain)?
❖ Answer
Yes, it is Sunnah to turn the cloak (chādar) inside out during Ṣalāt al-Istisqāʾ.
◈ Evidences from Aḥādīth
1. Ḥadīth of ʿAbdullāh ibn Zayd رضي الله عنه
((إنه لما دعا أو أراد أن يدعو استقبل القبلة وحول رداءه))
“When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ made duʿāʾ or intended to do so, he faced the qiblah and turned his cloak inside out.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1028, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 894)
2. Another report from him:
The Prophet ﷺ wore a black cloak, and when he tried to lift it from below to make the upper side downwards, it felt heavy on him, so he switched it from right to left and left to right.
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd 1164, al-Mustadrak 1/327 – chain ḥasan, authenticated by al-Ḥākim and al-Dhahabī)
3. ʿAbdullāh ibn Zayd رضي الله عنه also said:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ supplicated lengthily for rain. Then he faced the qiblah and turned his cloak so that its inner part was outward. He placed its right edge on his left shoulder and its left edge on his right shoulder, then he supplicated to Allah.”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd 1163 – chain ṣaḥīḥ; Musnad Aḥmad 4/41 – chain ḥasan)
◈ Scholarly Opinions
- Imām Abū Ḥanīfah رحمه الله said: There is no special prayer for Istisqāʾ, nor do I instruct people to turn their cloaks; rather, they should simply make duʿāʾ and return.
- Imām al-Tirmidhī رحمه الله (d. 279H) commented: By saying this, Abū Ḥanīfah opposed the Sunnah.
(Sunan al-Tirmidhī, ḥadīth 559)
Conclusion
- It is Sunnah for the Imām and the congregation (men and women) to turn their cloaks inside out after the khutbah and before duʿāʾ during Ṣalāt al-Istisqāʾ.
- This practice is authentically proven from the Prophet ﷺ.
- Abandoning it is an opposition to the Sunnah, as noted by Imām al-Tirmidhī رحمه الله.
