More prayers for rain

[qatarperegrine]

(A follow-up to yesterday's post on prayers for rain.)

Apparently, praying for rain is a tradition going back to Muhammad and is called istisqa. This involves doing two rak'at of prayer, making a supplication for rain, and putting your cloak on inside out. You can read all about it (including a rather nice description of Muhammad "laughing until his molar teeth could be seen" when the rain started) at the Islamic Community of Greater Cincinnati.

The Peninsula reports that the emir planned to join others in performing istisqa this morning.

Comments

Jews too

[shmuelisms.livejournal.com]

We Jews [specifically in Israel, IIRC] also pray and fast for rain in times of extreme drought. This happened three years in a row, when I was a child, but, thank G-d, only once since then. There is half a Tractate of the Talmud/Mishna dedicated to this topic, defining under what conditions this is done, and how. The "how" requirements get stricter as the drought progresses through the rainy season.