What is Sunan an-Nasa'i 1531 about?

This hadith from Sunan an-Nasa'i (Book of The Book of Praying for Rain (Al-Istisqa')), narrated by It was narrated that Abu Sa'eed Al-Khudri said:, states: ""The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'If Allah (SWT) were to withhold rain from His slaves for five years and then send it, some of the people would become disbelievers, saying: "We have been given rain…"

Is this hadith authentic?

This hadith is graded Sahih. Sahih hadiths are considered the most authentic grade in hadith classification.

Which collection is this hadith from?

This hadith is from Sunan an-Nasa'i, which contains 5,768 hadiths across 52 books. It is hadith number 1531 in the Book of The Book of Praying for Rain (Al-Istisqa').

I searched for a different number — is this the right hadith?

Hadith numbering varies across editions and translations (USC-MSA, Dar as-Salam, Fath al-Bari, and others). If you followed a link citing a different number but landed here, you may have been redirected to the canonical version in our library. If you were looking for a different hadith entirely, use the search bar to find it by text.

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Sunan an-Nasa'i

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Sunan an-Nasa'i #1531

The Book of Praying for Rain (Al-Istisqa')

Sahih

The Arabic includes the chain of narration (sanad) and the collector's commentary; the English translation shows the Prophet's words only.

أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الْجَبَّارِ بْنُ الْعَلاَءِ، عَنْ سُفْيَانَ، عَنْ عَمْرٍو، عَنْ عَتَّابِ بْنِ حُنَيْنٍ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ لَوْ أَمْسَكَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الْمَطَرَ عَنْ عِبَادِهِ خَمْسَ سِنِينَ ثُمَّ أَرْسَلَهُ لأَصْبَحَتْ طَائِفَةٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ كَافِرِينَ يَقُولُونَ سُقِينَا بِنَوْءِ الْمِجْدَحِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'If Allah (SWT) were to withhold rain from His slaves for five years and then send it, some of the people would become disbelievers, saying: "We have been given rain by the star of Al-Mijdah."

Narrated by It was narrated that Abu Sa'eed Al-Khudri said:

Context

In this narration, the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) warns that if Allah were to withhold rain for an extended period, some people would attribute the eventual rain to natural causes rather than divine mercy. This highlights human tendencies to forget God's role in their lives during times of ease.

Modern Application

This hadith serves as a reminder for individuals to acknowledge and appreciate divine blessings in their lives. In times of abundance, it is essential to remain grateful and aware of the source of our provisions.

Topics

This hadith is tagged with Disbelief and Divine Mercy because it illustrates the potential for disbelief in God's mercy during times of ease.

Disbelief Divine Mercy