Dua 1: When it rains
اللَّهُمَّ صَيِّبًا نَافِعًا
Allāhumma ṣayyiban nāfiʿā
O Allah, a beneficial rain.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1032
Dua for rain, and when it thunders
When it rains, say Allahumma sayyiban nafi'a: O Allah, make it a beneficial rain. That is what the Prophet ﷺ said when he saw rain.1 After it, say Mutirna bi fadlillahi wa rahmatih. There are also duas for asking for rain, for too much rain, for strong wind and for thunder.
Dua 2: After the rain
مُطِرْنَا بِفَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَرَحْمَتِهِ
Muṭirnā bi-faḍlillāhi wa raḥmatih
We have been given rain by the grace and mercy of Allah.
Sahih al-Bukhari 846
Dua 3: Asking Allah for rain
اللَّهُمَّ اسْقِنَا غَيْثًا مُغِيثًا مَرِيئًا مَرِيعًا، نَافِعًا غَيْرَ ضَارٍّ، عَاجِلًا غَيْرَ آجِلٍ
Allāhummasqinā ghaythan mughīthan marīʾan marīʿā, nāfiʿan ghayra ḍārr, ʿājilan ghayra ājil
O Allah, give us rain that brings relief, wholesome and plentiful, beneficial and not harmful, soon and not delayed.
Sunan Abi Dawud 1169, graded sahih
Dua 4: When there is too much rain
اللَّهُمَّ حَوَالَيْنَا وَلَا عَلَيْنَا، اللَّهُمَّ عَلَى الْآكَامِ وَالظِّرَابِ، وَبُطُونِ الْأَوْدِيَةِ، وَمَنَابِتِ الشَّجَرِ
Allāhumma ḥawālaynā wa lā ʿalaynā, Allāhumma ʿalal-ākāmi waẓ-ẓirāb, wa buṭūnil-awdiyah, wa manābitish-shajar
O Allah, around us and not upon us. O Allah, on the hills and high ground, the valleys and the places where trees grow.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1014
Dua 5: When you hear thunder
سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي يُسَبِّحُ الرَّعْدُ بِحَمْدِهِ، وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ مِنْ خِيفَتِهِ
Subḥānal-ladhī yusabbiḥur-raʿdu bi-ḥamdihī wal-malāʾikatu min khīfatih
Glory be to the One whom the thunder glorifies with His praise, and the angels too, in awe of Him.
Muwatta Malik, Kitab al-Kalam, the practice of Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr; its chain is sahih. It is a Companion's practice, taken from Quran 13:13, not a saying of the Prophet ﷺ
Dua 6: When the wind is strong
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ خَيْرَهَا، وَخَيْرَ مَا فِيهَا، وَخَيْرَ مَا أُرْسِلَتْ بِهِ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّهَا، وَشَرِّ مَا فِيهَا، وَشَرِّ مَا أُرْسِلَتْ بِهِ
Allāhumma innī asʾaluka khayrahā wa khayra mā fīhā wa khayra mā ursilat bih, wa aʿūdhu bika min sharrihā wa sharri mā fīhā wa sharri mā ursilat bih
O Allah, I ask You for its good, the good within it and the good it was sent with, and I seek refuge in You from its evil, the evil within it and the evil it was sent with.
Sahih Muslim 899
Our teachers will check the Arabic and transliteration on this page before launch.
Guide
When and how to say it
When it rains, say Allahumma sayyiban nafi'a: O Allah, make it a beneficial rain. That is what the Prophet ﷺ said when he saw rain.1 After it, say Mutirna bi fadlillahi wa rahmatih. There are also duas for asking for rain, for too much rain, for strong wind and for thunder.
Rain is a mercy
Anas said that when rain fell on them, the Prophet ﷺ uncovered part of his garment so the rain touched him, and said it had just come from its Lord.2 Some narrations, of varying strength, count the falling of rain among the times when dua is answered, so many scholars encourage making dua while it rains.
When it thunders
Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr would stop talking when he heard thunder and say Dua 5, drawn from the Quran: "And the thunder exalts [Allah] with praise of Him, and the angels [as well] from fear of Him" (13:13). Another dua often shared for thunder, Allahumma la taqtulna bi ghadabik, is in Tirmidhi but its chain is weak.3
The rain prayer (salat al-istisqa)
Hanafi position
Abu Hanifa held that istisqa is dua and seeking forgiveness, and that a congregational prayer is not required for it. His students Abu Yusuf and Muhammad held that two rakahs are prayed in congregation with a khutbah, and many later Hanafis follow their view.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanbali
- The rain prayer is an emphasised sunnah: two rakahs in congregation, a khutbah, and much seeking of forgiveness.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1032.
- Sahih Muslim 898.
- Jami at-Tirmidhi 3450, graded weak.
- Al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah, Bab al-Istisqa. The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard manuals.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1032
- Sahih al-Bukhari 846
- Sunan Abi Dawud 1169, graded sahih
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1014
- Muwatta Malik, Kitab al-Kalam, the practice of Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr; its chain is sahih. It is a Companion's practice, taken from Quran 13:13, not a saying of the Prophet ﷺ
- Sahih Muslim 899
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
Questions
Good to know
What is the dua when it rains?
Allahumma sayyiban nafi'a, "O Allah, a beneficial rain" (Bukhari 1032), and after it, Mutirna bi fadlillahi wa rahmatih (Bukhari 846).
What do you say when you hear thunder?
Subhanal-ladhi yusabbihur-ra'du bi hamdihi wal-mala'ikatu min khifatih, as Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr used to say (Muwatta Malik).
Is dua accepted when it rains?
Some narrations count rainfall among the times dua is answered. They vary in strength, but scholars encourage dua in the rain.
What is the dua for rain to stop?
Allahumma hawalayna wa la alayna, "O Allah, around us and not upon us" (Bukhari 1014).