Standing under the first drop of Rain
Al-Kāfi|Volume 8|Book 1|Chapter 326
عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ هَارُونَ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ مَسْعَدَةَ بْنِ صَدَقَةَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ (عليه السلام) قَالَ كَانَ عَلِيٌّ (عليه السلام) يَقُومُ فِي الْمَطَرِ أَوَّلَ مَا يَمْطُرُ حَتَّى يَبْتَلَّ رَأْسُهُ وَ لِحْيَتُهُ وَ ثِيَابُهُ فَقِيلَ لَهُ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الْكِنَّ الْكِنَّ فَقَالَ إِنَّ هَذَا مَاءٌ قَرِيبُ عَهْدٍ بِالْعَرْشِ ثُمَّ أَنْشَأَ يُحَدِّثُ فَقَالَ إِنَّ تَحْتَ الْعَرْشِ بَحْراً فِيهِ مَاءٌ يُنْبِتُ أَرْزَاقَ الْحَيَوَانَاتِ فَإِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ ذِكْرُهُ أَنْ يُنْبِتَ بِهِ مَا يَشَاءُ لَهُمْ رَحْمَةً مِنْهُ لَهُمْ أَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ فَمَطَرَ مَا شَاءَ مِنْ سَمَاءٍ إِلَى سَمَاءٍ حَتَّى يَصِيرَ إِلَى سَمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا فِيمَا أَظُنُّ فَيُلْقِيَهُ إِلَى السَّحَابِ وَ السَّحَابُ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الْغِرْبَالِ ثُمَّ يُوحِي اللَّهُ إِلَى الرِّيحِ أَنِ اطْحَنِيهِ وَ أَذِيبِيهِ ذَوَبَانَ الْمَاءِ ثُمَّ انْطَلِقِي بِهِ إِلَى مَوْضِعِ كَذَا وَ كَذَا فَامْطُرِي عَلَيْهِمْ فَيَكُونَ كَذَا وَ كَذَا عُبَاباً وَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ فَتَقْطُرُ عَلَيْهِمْ عَلَى النَّحْوِ الَّذِي يَأْمُرُهَا بِهِ فَلَيْسَ مِنْ قَطْرَةٍ تَقْطُرُ إِلَّا وَ مَعَهَا مَلَكٌ حَتَّى يَضَعَهَا مَوْضِعَهَا وَ لَمْ يَنْزِلْ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ قَطْرَةٌ مِنْ مَطَرٍ إِلَّا بِعَدَدٍ مَعْدُودٍ وَ وَزْنٍ مَعْلُومٍ إِلَّا مَا كَانَ مِنْ يَوْمِ الطُّوفَانِ عَلَى عَهْدِ نُوحٍ (عليه السلام) فَإِنَّهُ نَزَلَ مَاءٌ مُنْهَمِرٌ بِلَا وَزْنٍ وَ لَا عَدَدٍ قَالَ وَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ (عليه السلام) قَالَ قَالَ لِيَ أَبِي (عليه السلام) قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (عليه السلام) قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله) إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ جَعَلَ السَّحَابَ غَرَابِيلَ لِلْمَطَرِ هِيَ تُذِيبُ الْبَرَدَ حَتَّى يَصِيرَ مَاءً لِكَيْ لَا يُضِرَّ بِهِ شَيْئاً يُصِيبُهُ الَّذِي تَرَوْنَ فِيهِ مِنَ الْبَرَدِ وَ الصَّوَاعِقِ نَقِمَةٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ يُصِيبُ بِهَا مَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله) لَا تُشِيرُوا إِلَى الْمَطَرِ وَ لَا إِلَى الْهِلَالِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَكْرَهُ ذَلِكَ.
326. Ali Bin Ibrahim, from Haroun Bin Muslim, from Mas’ada Bin Sadaqa, who has said: Abu Abdullah عليه الصلاة والسلام having said: ‘Ali عليه الصلاة والسلام used to stand in the first downpour when it rained, to the extent that his عليه الصلاة والسلام head, and his عليه الصلاة والسلام beard, and his عليه الصلاة والسلام clothes would get wet. So it was said to him عليه الصلاة والسلام, ‘O Amir-ul-Momineen عليه الصلاة والسلام! Take shelter, take shelter!’ So he عليه الصلاة والسلام would say that: ‘This is water from near the Throne’. Then he عليه الصلاة والسلام went on to narrate: ‘Underneath the Throne there is an ocean in which there is water which makes the sustenance of the animals to grow. So if Allah عز وجل Intends that He عز وجل should Make to grow whatever that He عز وجل so Desires to for them as a Mercy for them, Allah عز وجل Reveals to it. So it rains from sky to sky until it comes to the sky of the world to the clouds. And the clouds are at the status of the sieve. Then Allah عز وجل Reveals to the wind to grind it and melt it, dissolving the water. Then it takes it to such and such a place and pours upon it. So that becomes such and such a torrent and other than that. Thus, it rains upon the area which it had been Ordered to. There is no drop from the drops except that there is an Angel with it until he places it in a particular place. There does not descend a drop from the sky except that it is numbered precisely and is of a known weight, except when it was the day of the storm in the era of Noah عليه السلام, on that day it poured without measurement or number’. And Abu Abdullah عليه الصلاة والسلام narrated to me saying: ‘My عليه الصلاة والسلام father said to me عليه الصلاة والسلام, that Amir-ul-Momineen عليه الصلاة والسلام said, that the Rasool Allah صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم said: ‘Allah عز وجل Made the cloud to be as a sieve for the rain, and the sleet melts until it becomes water, not harming anything by it. The harm is what you see from the sleet and the lightning as a Wrath from Allah عز وجل Harming whosoever He عز وجل so desires from His عز وجل servants’. Then he عليه الصلاة والسلام said: ‘Then the Rasool Allah صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم said: ‘Do not point (accuse) the rain or the crescent, for Allah عز وجل Abhors that’.
- Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (16/195)
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Kāfī