Source: Extracted from Hudiyyat al-Muslimīn – Namāz ke Aham Masāʾil maʿ Maqmal Namāz al-Nabawiyyah ﷺ by Shaykh Zubair ʿAlī Zai رحمه الله
From ʿAbdullāh bin Zayd (رضي الله عنه):
"The Prophet ﷺ went out to perform istisqāʾ (to seek rain). He turned to face the Qiblah while supplicating, turned his cloak inside out, and then prayed two rakʿahs in which he recited aloud."
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1/139, Ḥadīth 1024 – wording his; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1/293, Ḥadīth 894]
① In another narration in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī it is stated:
"Then he prayed two rakʿahs for us."
② This ḥadīth clearly shows that praying Ṣalāt al-Istisqāʾ in congregation is Sunnah.
③ Contrary to this, it is written in al-Hidāyah:
"There is no Sunnah prayer in congregation for istisqāʾ."
Ḥadīth Evidence
From ʿAbdullāh bin Zayd (رضي الله عنه):
"The Prophet ﷺ went out to perform istisqāʾ (to seek rain). He turned to face the Qiblah while supplicating, turned his cloak inside out, and then prayed two rakʿahs in which he recited aloud."
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1/139, Ḥadīth 1024 – wording his; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1/293, Ḥadīth 894]
Benefits and Rulings
① In another narration in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī it is stated:
"Then he prayed two rakʿahs for us."
- This proves that the prayer was led in congregation.
② This ḥadīth clearly shows that praying Ṣalāt al-Istisqāʾ in congregation is Sunnah.
③ Contrary to this, it is written in al-Hidāyah:
"There is no Sunnah prayer in congregation for istisqāʾ."
- This is attributed to Imām Abū Ḥanīfah. [al-Hidāyah: 1/176, Bāb al-Istisqāʾ]
- However, this statement opposes the authentic and explicit narrations from the Prophet ﷺ.
