Speaking after a communal forenoon prayer for rain at the Tallinding Islamic Institute Wednesday morning, he said: “Water is a blessing from God which He gave to mankind and all creation. It is part of one of God’s greatest blessings. The rain carries great importance for all living things including human beings. So if there is shortage of rain we have to ask what vices are behind such a natural shortage including scarcity of other blessings from Allah. We could only say this is attributable to our sins and bad behaviours particularly disobedience of Allah like the association of partners with Him, immodesty, indecent dressing, subsistence on ill-gotten gains, inappropriate thinking and ideologies and so forth. It is things like that which are responsible for such hardships on us like poor rains.
“Going back to history, one would find out that the people before us were blessed. So today if we experience inadequate rainfall this is due to the gravity of our wrongdoings. But when this happens, there is nothing to do except return to the sunnah of Allah’s Messenger. During the time of the prophet there was a year of severe drought leading to immense suffering for people. A person entered the mosque while the Messenger of Allah was at the pulpit delivering a sermon saying ‘O Allah’s messenger, there are no rains, animals are dying, crops are drying and people have suffered, could you invoke Allah’s blessing’. The prophet appointed a day for the people to gather. He came out on that day when the sun had just appeared, prayed to God for rain and sustenance. After the salaam he stood on the pulpit and delivered sermons admonishing people to obey and be fearful of Allah. He enjoined people to avoid committing sins, to repent and maintain steadfastness in doing good to attain piety. At that time Allah produced a cloud, thunder, and lightning. And, by Allah’s permission, it rained, so that is why when we got the directive, we decided to come here to do the prayer.”
Similar prayers were held in other parts of the country in the past few days.
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