Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.
Al-Istisqa’(Prayer for rain) means seeking water (rain) from Allah (the Most High) during drought and times of low rainfall, and it is a confirmed Sunnah.
It is recommended to remind people to make repentance, seek forgiveness, repay the injustices, reconcile disputants, and observe fast for three consecutive days. On the fourth day, they leave homes while observing fast because supplication is more likely to be answered while in that state. They should also be dressed in modest clothes. The person observing this prayer says the takbeer seven times in the first rak’ah after the initiating takbeer. In the second rak’ah, he says five takbeers apart from the one he says while standing up from the prostration. After the prayer, the imam delivers two sermons, like those of Eid. In the first, he seeks forgiveness for nine times and for seven times in the second. Thereafter, he supplicates, saying " Istaghfiro Allaha Allathi La Ilaha Illa Howa Wa atobo Elaih. He also, in both sermons, seeks a great deal of forgiveness and sends a great deal of blessings upon the Prophet (PBUH). Then, he invokes Allah the Almighty to bless the people with rain. Istisqaa` is made up of two sermons and two rakahs
Moreover, there is no blame for offering this prayer after the Friday prayer (Jumu`ah) since, according to jurists, it is permissible to offer it at any time. It is stated in Moghni Al-Mohtaj that "It is not conditioned that Istisqaa` prayer is offered at the time of Eid prayer, according to the more correct opinion of the Shafi scholars…..It is permissible to offer it at any time, even at disliked times, because it is performed for a reason-similar to the prayer of lunar eclipse."
And since it is permissible, according to the majority of the scholars, to offer this prayer at any time, then it is permissible to offer it after the Friday prayer where the Imam offers two rakahs, then two sermons.
We, Iftaa` Department, remind people to seek a great deal of forgiveness, quit sins, and make supplications with insistence. We pray that Almighty Allah blesses us with rainfall and make our country safe and secure. And Allah the Almighty knows best.
