Friday Sermon: Why Rain Is Withheld
All praise is due to Allah; we praise Him, seek His help and forgiveness, and seek refuge in Him from the evil within ourselves and from our misdeeds. Whoever Allah guides cannot be led astray, and whoever He leaves astray cannot be guided. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master Muhammad, his family and all his companions. To proceed: servants of Allah, I urge you, and myself, to be mindful of Allah, for the mindful have triumphed.
Congregation of Muslims, may Allah have mercy on you,
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, for all the blessings and gifts He has bestowed upon us. He is the One who sends rainwater down from the sky, bringing life to the earth and everything in it. May blessings and peace always be upon the Prophet Muhammad, his family and companions.
Let us always strengthen our mindfulness of Allah by carrying out His commands and avoiding His prohibitions. We should understand that piety is not confined to acts of worship; it is also reflected in how we treat the earth and everything in it. Protecting the environment and using resources wisely are part of our responsibility as human beings to care for the earth.
Friday congregation, may Allah have mercy on you,
After about a year without rain, the Children of Israel were struck by a severe calamity. They faced not only drought but also various diseases. They asked the Prophet Moses to pray to Allah to send rain.
Moses then gathered all the people in an open field and invited them to pray together. “O Lord who governs the rain, send down rain.” But still no rain came. They prayed again: “O Lord who governs the rain, send down rain.” Moses then said, “O Allah, You usually grant our requests. Why has the rain still not come this time?”
Allah replied: “Moses, the rain is not falling because among you is someone who has disobeyed Me for 40 years. Because of the evil of his disobedience, I have withheld rain from the sky for all of you.”
Allah then instructed that the person be expelled from the area. Moses said to his people, “My brothers, Children of Israel, I swear that among us is someone who has disobeyed Allah for 40 years. Because of this person’s actions, Allah has not sent rain for us. The rain will not come until that person leaves. So drive that person away from here.”