Shaykh Salih al-Ja’fari and the Rain
Some students were sitting in the courtyard of the noble Azhar mosque, waiting for the lesson of their teacher, Shaykh Salih al-Ja’fari. Suddenly, it began to rain a lot and they were getting wet. Shaykh Salih came to the courtyard and said to those gathered, “Is there not a wali amongst us who can call on Allah with regards to the pouring rain?”, there was silence amongst the students; and then the Shaykh said:
اَللَّهُمَّ حَوَالَيْنَا وَ لَا عَلَيْنَا
O Allah! (Let the rain fall) around us and not on us
The rain had stopped falling on them but continued around them, in the courtyard of the Azhar. Then the Shaykh began his lesson.
Note: The words of Shaykh Salih are taken from the longer hadith of Bukhari, Muslim and Tirmidhi:
اَللَّهُمَّ حَوَالَيْنَا وَ لَا عَلَيْنَا
اَللَّهُمَّ عَلَى الْاٰكَامِ وَ الْاٰجَامِ وَ الظِّرَابِ وَ الْاَوْدِيَةِ وَ مَنَابِتِ الشَّجَرِ
“O Allah! (Let the rain fall) around us and not on us,
O Allah! (Let it rain) On pastures, hills, valleys and forests.”
