 Allah SWT has held back the rains and in our area what now should be full of rain we're still feeling like it's the middle of summer and our clouds are covered with smoke because of the fires that have come so we have come to follow the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah SAW, the Sunnah of Muhammad SAW and to pray the Salatan Istisqa and to do the dua that we should be doing to ask Allah SWT for the rains and to think about what it is that is causing Allah SWT to hold back the rains. Astaghfirullah, astaghfirullah, astaghfirullah. Throughout the Khutbah of the Messenger of Allah SAW for the Sunnah of Istisqa he would be repeating astaghfirullah, astaghfirullah, astaghfirullah, why? In the Eid we repeat the takbirat because for the Eid it's a day of grandifying and glorifying Allah SWT and we're reminding ourselves of the glory and the grandeur of Allah SWT by repeating the takbirs and in the khutbah of the Jumu'ah it's a day of reminder of taqwa and a reminder of zikr and so you hear the mentions of taqwa and you hear zikr in the khutbah of the Jumu'ah but in the khutbah of the istisqa this is a time where we're reminding ourselves not about the future and how we should be and how we should have taqwa we're reminding ourselves about the past what we have done and ask Allah SWT for forgiveness for what we have done because it's because of our sins that he holds back the rains. The Messenger of Allah SAW said If it were for the old men and the old women who are making ruku'a to Allah SWT and the children who are nursing and the animals who are just eating just to survive then Allah SWT would have poured upon us punishment because those figures the old and the young and the animals they're not in a state of sin and for the children they're not even sinning and it's because of their sinlessness that we are being protected but when the adab does come down when punishment do come down it's a reminder to us that we're causing it because we do believe in a spiritual connection between our actions and the effects on earth and we're reminding ourselves that to ask Allah for the rain we're not going to come out here and we're in promise to do so much good in the future we're going to remind ourselves and ask Allah to forgive us for the past. Astaghfirullah astaghfirullah astaghfirullah there's even pictures in the paper of animals that have been burned by the fire there was a picture of a raccoon completely burned and completely blinded by the fire didn't do anything it didn't do anything so it might be our sins our sins as individuals as communities as nations that are causing the adab to come down now we can't say for sure why anything happens it's when something happens when the rains are held and a drought is caused and all of the the the grass is dried to a point and the dirt is dried to a point that it's a tinderbox and one spark can ignite a huge flame that might be as a punishment it might be as a trial it might be as a tribulation so it can be a punishment and that's what we're trying to affect if Allah SWT wants to do something just because he chose he can do that we are in his mulk and we submit to that but if any of the adab that is coming down is because of something that we have done as individuals as communities as the ummah as the whole nation we're coming out to make amins and this is why the Prophet SAW before coming out to the Mursalla of the Eid would tell people to give Sadaqah and that Sadaqah is a kafara to expiate things that we may have done he would also remind people to make amins with people that they have heard to make amins to connect with the people that they have heard and turn back of things and if we were to follow the Sunnah completely the Imam would be doing this for three days before this prayer to remind the Jama'ah before we come out and raise our hands to Allah SWT and ask for the rains before we do that we should be giving Sadaqah and we should be fasting and for those of you who have fasted thank you thank you for preparing us as a Jama'ah preparing us spiritually to make this dua to ask Allah SWT to open the heavens for us and to bring down the rains and to make amins the Imam would remind people to make amins with the people that you have heard we have to remember that our Dean is not just about Ibadah it's not just about worshipping and performing and presenting good actions of worship it's also about treating other people in a fair way and every time we mistreat people and we hurt somebody else or we take somebody else's right then that's one more thing that's counted against us that might be affecting what's happening in the environment could there be global climate change yes there could be could it also be beyond just the physical answers that they're saying the pollution from the cars and there could it be a spiritual connection that's called out causing the global climate change that's what we're saying and we're saying we're here to make amins to try to ask for a change in that by saying Astaghfirullah and asking for Allah SWT to forgive us so to make Toba and to make right what we have wrong people so let's take a moment and think about anybody in our lives that we may have hurt and to make an intention now to make it right with that person we're preparing ourselves to ask Allah for the rain but we are asked to remind to remember about why it is that the rains are being held think about that we have to make an amins and make an inventory and think if we have hurt somebody to work towards changing that according to some of the alama hurting another person wronging another person is worse than leaving the Salah as Muslims we should be praying and if we're not praying we could be adding to the sin that's causing the adab to be coming down but at the same time in terms of our muamada with other people are we treating people right are we making an inventory of people that we have hurt and see if we're making amins are we taking into account the companies and the communities in the nations that also might be adding to this we know that Allah SWT says in the Quran that corruption has spread in the lands and in the oceans because of the hands of what people have done because of what we have done what we do as human beings is changing the earth so even before pollution there's something beyond that that's the greed of the human being at the individual level at the corporate level at the state level at the national level the greed that's fueling the production or whatever else that might be causing the global climate change that's affecting our weather in this way and if it's not if we're not even going to subscribe to that theory then we know as Muslims whether or not we subscribe to that we do know that our spiritual state can affect the environment astaghfirullah astaghfirullah astaghfirullah and so because we know that things that we're doing can be affecting we have to be voices for change we have to change things about ourselves and make amins but also take our governments to account for what they may be doing to cause this because they may be doing something in another part of the world that causes innocent people to be affected Allah tells us in the Quran to fear a tribulation what fear a tribulation a test something that could happen to you that affects the people who didn't directly do the things so we're talking about us possibly doing something that affects something that affects the environment and that affects us but what if we do something or another person on another part of the world does something that's affecting people here that's what Allah is reminding us about that people could be doing things they could be sinning we could be falling short in our abad short in our muamana that affects other people in other areas and so what part are we playing in possibly causing that astaghfirullah astaghfirullah astaghfirullah are we taking our communities to account are we taking the corporations to account are we taking the states to account are we taking the governments to account are we taking them to account of where they're spending our taxes brothers and sisters I remind myself and I remind all of you and I'm not here standing as the most God fearing amongst you I'm not the most I don't have the most tough one amongst you we know that the Egypt and the reward of this salat is going to be raised amongst the person who has the most tough one here we don't know who that is but I could say I'm not that person so I'm not speaking to you as the person of most of what I'm speaking to you as a person who's coming to make amends and to right the wrongs that I have done that we have done but we have to be voices to speak on physical against ourselves but also against our governments and be voices of truth if they're spending our tax dollars for war and for killing the innocence then we have to be voices we can't just sit back and benefit from the amount of wealth that America and the Bay Area has without calling our governments to account for how they're spending our tax dollars because maybe it's the fire that they're dropping from the heavens in other parts of the world that's causing a fire to be dropped in our parts of the world so we have to take account we can't just sit here we can't just be Muslims in the United States of America and not speak be voices for the truth and ask people to take account that while our infrastructure of the cities is failing and the bridges are failing and the schools are being closed down and the opioid epidemic but there's always money for war we have to be voices to remind our community at the national level we don't want our money for war and it could be that that's causing this it could be the do I have somebody on the other side of the world that's causing this we don't know that but we want to be voices for change and to stop that but starting with ourselves yes we ask ask where our tax money is going we ask where our own money is going we ask ourselves where we're spending our time and are we using the blessings that Allah has given us in the proper way a stuff here Allah a stuff here Allah a stuff here Allah are we using our hands in a way that would please Allah are we using our eyes in a way that would please Allah are we using our ears in a way that would please Allah are we using our tongue in a way that would please Allah are we using our feet in a way that would please Allah are we with using our clothes in a way that would please Allah the messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam set for example of sunnah of istisqa that unlike eid where we wear the best clothing to remind ourselves of the blessings of Allah in the sunnah of istisqa we should wear our most worn-out clothing and our tattered clothing to humble us and to come to the place of istisqa with our heads lowered in shame and when we wear our old and tattered clothing we remember remind ourselves what our spiritual clothing really looks like because as long as we have the nice the fancy cars and the fancy housing and the fancy clothes we could dilute ourselves that our spiritual state is also fancy but on istisqa when we're wearing our old and tattered clothing we remember remind ourselves that our spiritual foe might be worn and tattered and we need to patch it up with istilfar astaghfirullah astaghfirullah astaghfirullah we know that is the solution Noah alayhi salam when he came to his people and when they were in the state of worst of sin and associating partners with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and worshipping on idols what did he tell them astaghfirullah rabbakumu innahu kana affara yusin as-sama'a alaykum idrara wium didkum bi anwali wa baniina make it still any rains because we know that if Allah wants to wipe out a people or wipe out an area he can make the rain so heavy that it causes floods last year we saw that in Santa Barbara after the fires rains came down so heavy that the earth wasn't able to soak it up and the earth had already been scorched and the plants that have the roots of the plants that were holding back the earth weren't there and so it causes flooding it caused flooding and the people of Noah were wiped out by too much rain and so he was asking them or reminding them to make it istilfar that Allah would send upon them beneficial rain and that's what we're asking for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and in the dua of the messenger of Allah salallahu alayhi wa sallam it's khayithan mureithan it's a rain that's beneficial because we don't want a rain that's going to cause havoc and Noah alayhi salam reminded his people make istilfar and Allah will give you the rains and in addition to giving you the rains will give you wealth and will give you will give you children will give you everything you want just turn in istilfar to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala turn in istilfar to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and Allah will change us and that's what we're asking for in the dua that the scholars have narrated we're asking for aghaithan ajalan la ajalan aghaith that happens now not in the future the weather forecast has it for Thursday or for Wednesday we're asking for the rains now because this is what we need we need to bring down the smoke with the droplets of rain that's coming down from the heavens of the coming down from the heavens and out of the mercy of Allah one of the names of rain is mercy is rahma and the messenger of Allah salallahu alayhi wa sallam at the first rain would go out and show a part of his arm or body and allow that rain to touch his body because it's a part of rahma and it's so close to the amr of Allah it's so close to the matter of Allah Allah is the one who sends the rains and that's what we're asking for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and in the sunnah of the messenger of Allah salallahu alayhi wa sallam for any person who was having a shoulder clock the messenger of Allah salallahu alayhi wa sallam would turn it by holding this this shoulder and this shoulder and i will turn around and you will see it but you turn it around and it'll turn the shoulder clock from the inside out to ask Allah to change our condition to go from one state to another state just like the inside of the the reda is facing the body now it's facing the outside of the body and we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to begin the dua so you can be stay seated while we turn and when face the qibda and make the dua to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala we're astaghfirullah astaghfirullah astaghfirullah we all should be doing istilfar deep istilfar and not just on our tongues but in our hearts and with firm resolution that we are asking whether we are telling ourselves that we will change those things in our lives we will make true istilfar we will make true toba we'll make toba nasuha a true toba that we will never return to those things and that we will return the rights of the people that we have taken and through this istilfar we're asking Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to change our condition O Allah bless us with abundant and pleasant pleasant rainwater that will deliver us from this calamity immediately rather than delayed Ya Allah one that fills the entire horizon and pounds hard on the earth Ya Allah completely covering our lands Ya Allah lasting as long as it is needed Ya Allah Allahumma aghithna Allahumma aghithna Allahumma aghithna O Allah save us O Allah save us O Allah save us Allahumma sqina Allahumma sqina Allahumma sqina O Allah give us water give us rains from the heaven send us down your mercy Ya Allah aajilana aajilana now and not in the future Allahumma sqina ghaithan mughitha mreean mreea nafi'an ghaira darin Ya Allah aajilan ghaira aajilan Ya Allah Allahumma sqina ghaithan mughitha heneaan mreean mreean ghaadaqan mujilla n'aaman tabaqan sahan da'iman Ya Allah Allahumma sqina ghaitha O Allah send us down the ghaith send us down this ghaith this rain that is a help the source of help Ya Allah that is a source of rahma Ya Allah that is close to your matter Ya Allah wala taj'alina min al-qaritin O Allah don't make us from those who are left with no answer Ya Allah Allahumma inna bil'ibadi wal biladi wal baha'imi wal khalqi min al-lawa'i wal jahdi min al-lawa'i wal jahdi wal zanki maala nashku illa ilayk O Allah in amongst your servants and amongst your land and amongst your animals and amongst all of the creation are tribulations and struggles and pressure that we don't have any source from delivery except from you Ya Allah Allahumma ambit lana zara'a O Allah make the plants grow wa'adirra lana dara'a and make the others be filled with milk wa'asqina min barakatis samaa and give us drink from the barakah of the heavens Ya Allah wa'ambit lana min barakatil ard and give us plants from the barakah of the earth Allahumma rfa'il anna al-jahda wal ju'a wal-ura O Allah remove from us struggles and hunger and not having things to cover us waqshif anna min al-bala'i maala yaqshifuhu ga'irak and remove from us the tribulation that only you can remove from us Ya Allah Allahumma inna nastaghfiruka O Allah we ask we are turning in repentance to you Allah Ya Allah innaka kunta ghaffara you are the ghaffara you are the source of forgiveness and you are the only one who can forgive us wa'asilis samaa'a alayna midaraan O Allah send upon us the heavens with rain aajilan laajilan fa'asilis samaa'a alayna midaraan Ya Allah Ya Allah Ya Allah send down the rains Ya Allah wa'atumu ilayka Ya Allah tahawwad ya ilayka Ya Allah we turn in repentance to you Ya Allah and turn in repentance to you Ya Allah we will not go back to what we were doing Ya Allah we will respect your blessings Ya Allah we will respect your imad Ya Allah we will respect the haqq Ya Allah we will respect the rites we turn ahithna Allah raheem malikiya unibdeen iyaka na'budu wa iyaka nasta'een ihdeena siraat al-musta'een siraat al-ladina an'amta areehim ghaydi ma'gdubi areehim wa-radda sabbihis marabbika la'al ali khalaqa fa-suwea wal-ladi qaddaf ahadee wal-ladi ahraja al-mua'i faja'alahu ghutaa an'a ahwee san'uqri'u kafara tanse illa man shaa maa shaa Allah inna huya'lamu al-jahra wa maa yaghfee wanu yasiru kalin yusre fadakir inna faat al-dakre siyaddakka wa man yaghshee wa yatajannabu hala shqal ladi yaslanna wa al-kubre thumma la'yamutu feeha wa la'yahya qaddaf la'haman tazakka wa dakar asma rabbihi fa-sallah daltu thirun al-hayat al-dunya wa la'akiratu khairu wa azatih inna ha la'alafi al-suha filulah Suha fi ibraheem wa-muse Allah r-Rahman r-Raheem Maliki yawm ad-din khan'abud wa iyaka nasta'een ihdina siraqa al-mustaqeen siraqa al-ladina an'amta aleyhim ghaydil mewdub aleyhim wa rabbihi wa shamsi wa dhuhaa haa wa al-qamari idha tala haa wa n'ahari idha jalla haa wa al-layri idha yaghshea haa wa as-samaa iwa maa banaa haa wa al-ad'i wa maa tuhaa haa fa al-hamaa fujooraha wa taqwaa haa qaddaf la'haman zakka haa wa qaddaf khawba man dassa haa qaddaf famudu bi taqwaa haa idin maaata ashqa haa fa qaalahum rasulullahi naaqatallahi wa suqya haa fa qaddafuhu fa aqaruhaa fadamdama aleyhim rabbuhum bi dambihm fa sawwaa haa fa la'ya khaafu uqbaa haa As-salamu aleykum wa rahmatullahi