How is the prayer for rain (salat al-istisqa) performed?

When it is performed

The prayer is prescribed when the land dries up and the rain is withheld — when the earth becomes barren, springs and wells run dry, rivers cease or dwindle, or the people are afflicted by scarcity of water. It is not tied to a season: Shaykh Ibn Baz notes that if one region is fertile and another is barren, the barren region prays for rain on its own, and the prayer may be repeated as long as the drought persists — even several times in a month.

It is a confirmed sunnah, not an obligation. Shaykh Abd al-Muhsin al-Abbad states plainly that it is a sunnah and never becomes obligatory, even when the ruler orders it; the people simply go out at his instruction, as they did at the Prophet's ﷺ.

The three ways to seek rain

The scholars describe three forms, and the congregational prayer is the most complete:

A person may also supplicate privately — in his home, his market, or beside his crops — raising his hands and asking Allah. This is legislated and carries no blame. What he does not do, when alone, is pray the istisqa prayer in its prescribed congregational form; he may pray a general voluntary prayer and ask Allah within it.

How the prayer is performed

The prayer follows the Eid prayer in its structure. The imam leads the people in two rak'ahs without adhan or iqamah, reciting aloud.

1. The first rak'ah: the opening takbir and the opening supplication, then six more takbirs — seven in total — then al-Fatihah and a surah recited aloud.
2. The bowing and prostration: he bows, rises, and prostrates twice, as in any prayer.
3. The second rak'ah: he stands and pronounces five takbirs, then recites al-Fatihah and a surah aloud.
4. The conclusion: he recites the tashahhud, sends blessings on the Prophet ﷺ, supplicates, and gives the salutation.

Shaykh Ibn Baz mentions that the Prophet ﷺ recited Sabbih and al-Ghashiyah, or al-Jumu'ah and al-Munafiqun, after al-Fatihah, and that reciting something else is also fine.

The sermon and the supplication

The sermon is a single khutbah. The scholars differ on its timing: Shaykh Ibn Baz notes that the Prophet ﷺ both preached before the prayer and after it, and that praying first and then preaching — as is done today — is preferable so that everyone follows one pattern. Al-Tuwayjiri records the view that the sunnah is to preach before the prayer.

In the sermon the imam:

• Warns against sin: he reminds the people that disobedience is among the causes of drought and punishment, and cautions against oppression and consuming wealth unjustly.
• Calls to repentance: he urges tawbah, seeking forgiveness, charity, paying zakat, fasting, and abandoning mutual hatred.
• Supplicates with raised hands: the people raise their hands with him and say amin.

Among the supplications reported are:

"O Allah, send us rain, a relieving rain, wholesome and fruitful, abundant and covering, widespread and beneficial, not harmful."— Reported by Abu Dawud 1169

"O Allah, send down rain upon us and do not make us among those who despair."— Shaykh Ibn Baz, describing the Prophet's ﷺ supplication

Turning the cloak

During the sermon, when he faces the qiblah, the imam turns his cloak — placing what was on his right shoulder on his left, and vice versa. If he wears a shawl or a head covering, he turns that instead. The scholars explain this as an expression of optimism: that Allah will transform drought into fertility and hardship into ease. The people do not turn their own cloaks; they leave them until they remove them with their clothes.

Where it is held

The sunnah is to pray in the open desert outside the town, as with the Eid prayer — unless there is an excuse such as rain, wind, cold, or fear, in which case it is prayed in the mosque. The people go out without adornment or perfume, in humility, stillness, and neediness before Allah. Al-Tuwayjiri notes that women and children may go out, though the Maliki school holds that young women should not, and that going out to the prayer ground requires the permission of the ruler, who sets a day for the people to gather.

Key takeaways

• Salat al-istisqa is a confirmed sunnah: two rak'ahs like the Eid prayer, with seven takbirs in the first and five in the second, recited aloud.
• It is performed when the land dries up and rain is withheld, and may be repeated as long as the drought lasts.
• The imam delivers a single sermon urging repentance, charity, and obedience, then supplicates with raised hands while the people say amin.
• Turning the cloak during the supplication is a sunnah expressing hope that Allah will change hardship into ease.
• Rain may also be sought in the Friday sermon or by private supplication, without the congregational prayer.

Further reading

• al-Mukhtasar fi Fiqh al-'Ibadat, Khalid al-Mushayqih
• Sharh Zad al-Mustaqni', al-Shanqiti
• Adab al-Mashy ila al-Salah, Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab

And Allah knows best.