SEEKING RAINFALL BY VIRTUE OF THE STARS

Allah, Exalted be He, says: “And make (the thanks for) your provision that you deny (the Provider)?”

(Qur’an: Al-Waqi’ah: 82)

warning Muslims against attributing rainfall to the stars and believing in their influence, for this belief is considered major polytheism just as believing that the dead and the absent possess the power to benefit and harm. Moreover, if a Muslim believes that the stars are just the cause of rain without attributing influence to them, he commits an act of minor polytheism.

• Seeking Rainfall by Virtue of the Stars: There are twenty-eight phases for the moon. Allah, Exalted be He, says: “And the moon – We have determined fo r it phases.” (Q ur’an: Yasin: 39) In other words, the moon moves to one position each night and it becomes full on the fourteenth night, and then it begins to lessen and so on. Those phases are called stars, as the moon looks different at each phase. In the Pre-Islamic Period, Arabs used to attribute rainfall to the movements of the stars and the positions of the planets and the moon. They would say, “We have received rain due to such-and-such a star.” 

• And make [the thanks for] your provision: Instead of thanking Allah for His provision, the disbelievers deny the Noble Qur’an. 

• You deny (the Provider): This is when you attribute the blessings of Allah to anyone other than Him. For example, you may say, “We have received rain due to such-and-such star.”

Allah, Exalted and Glorified be He, disapproves of the polytheists who deny the blessings of Allah, as they attribute rainfall to stars. Besides, Allah informs us that such sayings are nothing but absolute lies. This is due to the fact that rain falls out of Allah’s favor and His Divine Decree and the creatures have nothing to do with it.

Allah, Exalted and Glorified be He, disapproves of attributing rainfall to the movements of stars and planets and He calls this belief a lie.

❖ The falseness of attributing rainfall to the movements of stars. 

❖ Attributing rainfall to stars or planets is a lie. 

❖ The obligation of thanking Allah for His blessings as well as attributing rainfall to His Favor and Benevolence.

Abu Malik Al-Ash’ari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: “Among my nation are four characteristics belonging to the PreIslamic Period which people do not abandon: boasting of the nobility of one’s ancestors, slandering other peoples’ ancestors, seeking rain from stars, and wailing for the deceased.” And he (PBUH) further added: “If a wailing woman does not repent before she dies, she will be made to stand on the Day of Resurrection wearing a garment of pitch and a chemise of mange.” 

(Related by Muslim)

• Belonging to the pre-Islamic period: It refers to the Pre-Islamic Period of Ignorance. It is called so due to the fact that there was excessive ignorance in such an era. Every tradition or practice contradicting what has been revealed to the Prophet is deemed an act of ignorance. 

• Do not abandon: Such matters will be always practiced by some of this nation, whether people are aware of their prohibition or not. 

• Garment of pitch: Liquid copper will be poured over the wailing woman until it takes the form of a garment on her body.

The Prophet (PBUH) informs us that some of the traits of the people before the coming of Islam will remain in this nation. There are four of such traits: 

1.Boasting of the nobility of ones ancestors. This is despite the fact that piety is the measure of honor and nobility. 

2.Slandering the ancestors of others 

3.Attributing rainfall to stars and planets 4.Excessive mourning and wailing over the dead.

Then the Prophet (PBUH) stresses the punishment prepared for the wailing woman who dies before repenting. On the Day of Resurrection, such a woman will be made to wear a garment made of melted copper which will stick to her body and cause her great suffering.

The hadith provides a proof of the prohibition of seeking rain from stars or planets pointing out that such a tradition prevailed in the Pre-Islamic Period of Ignorance.

❖ It is prohibited to seek rain from stars or planets. Further, it is asserted that such a tradition was amongst the deviant practices that prevailed in the Pre-Islamic Period of Ignorance.

 ❖ Not all Muslims renounce the polytheistic traditions of the Pre-Islamic Period of Ignorance. 

❖ Traditions and practices that were prevalent in the Pre-Islamic Period of Ignorance, are dispraised in Islam. 

❖ It is prohibited to imitate the traditions of the Pre-Islamic Period of ignorance.

 ❖ It is prohibited to boast about the nobility of one’s ancestors. Such a tradition is one of the Pre-Islamic customs of ignorance. 

❖ It is prohibited to defame or slander others’ ancestors.

 ❖ Wailing over the deceased is prohibited, and its punishment is grave since it is one of the major sins. ❖ Repentance expiates one’s sins, however grave they may be.

 ❖ A Muslim may be possessed of a trait of those which prevailed in the Pre-Islamic Period of Ignorance, and yet this does not render him a disbeliever.

Zayd Ibn Khilid Al-Juhani narrated: “The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) led us in the Subh (Morning) Prayer at Al-Hudaybiyah. There were some marks of the rainfall that took place during the night. After he had finished prayer, he turned toward people and said, ‘Do you know what your Lord has said?’ They replied, ‘Allah and His Messenger know best!’ Upon this, he (PBUH) said, (Allah said,) ‘In this morning some of My servants remained as true believers and some became nonbelievers’; whoever said, ‘The rain was due to the Blessings and Mercy of Allah,’ is a believer in Me and a disbeliever in that star, and whoever said, ‘The rain was due to such and such a star,’ is a disbeliever in Me and a believer in that star.’ ” (Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim).

Ibn ‘ Abbas narrated a hadith carrying the same meaning of the previous hadith. Its last part reads: “Some people said, ‘The promise of such-and-such a star has come true. For this reason, Allah, Exalted be He, revealed the verse that reads, ‘Then I swear by the setting of the stars, and indeed, it is an oath – if you could know – [most] great. Indeed, it is a noble Qur’dn in a Register well-protected; none touch it except the purified [i.e., the angels], [It is] a revelation from the Lord of the worlds. Then is it to this statement that you are indifferent and make [the thanks for] your provision that you deny [the Provider]?’ (Qur’an: Al-Waqi’ah: 75-82)” 

(Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

• Hudaybiyah: It was named after the name of a well near Mecca. It is now called Ash-Shimisi.

• Disbeliever: It refers to a person that has committed minor disbelief.

 • The rain was due to such-and-such a star: It means attributing rainfall to others besides Allah while believing that the one causing it to fall is Allah. 

• I swear by: Allah, Exalted be He, swears by whatever He wishes of His creatures.

 • Setting of the stars: This denotes the stars’ positions of rising and setting according to the majority of exegetes.

The venerable Companion Zayd Ibn Khalid reports the instructions of the Prophet (PBUH) concerning rainfall, and what a Muslim ought to say on the occasion of the rainfall. The Prophet (PBUH) relates that when His Lord tested people through sending down rain to relieve them, they divided into two groups: while some acknowledged the favor of Allah and showed their gratitude by attributing rainfall to Him Alone, others repudiated His favor and attributed rainfall to the rising or setting of a particular star. Thereupon, the reaction of the first group was considered an act of faith, while that of the second group an act of disbelief. Ibn ‘Abbas narrated that the above-mentioned verses were revealed to confute the claim of attributing rainfall to stars.

• It is prohibited to attribute the rainfall to stars. This heinous act is deemed a kind of disbelief. 

• Muslims are duty-bound to instruct people and forewarn them of what impairs the purity of faith. 

• It is obligatory to express gratitude to Allah for His blessings, and it is prohibited to attribute those blessings to anyone other than Allah.

❖ Raising questions to invoke answers is an effective method of teaching and is thus highly recommended.

 ❖ When a person is asked about a matter and fails to produce an effective answer, he has to refer it to the knowledgeable. 

❖ The Ever-Bountiful and the Ever-Merciful are two attributes of Allah. 

❖ There are kinds of disbelief that do not drive a Muslim out of the fold of Islam.

REFERENCE:

 “CONCISE COMMENTARY ON THE BOOK OF TAWHID”

 BY SHAYKH DR. SALIH AL FAWZAN Hafizullah.