What dua do I say when it rains?
Yes, when it starts raining say "Allahumma sayyiban nafi'an": "O Allah! Let it be a strong fruitful rain." After the rain, say "Mutirna bi fadlillahi wa rahmatih" (we have been given rain by the blessing and mercy of Allah). If the rain becomes too much, there's a third dua asking Allah to move it away from you.
When the rain starts
Aisha said that whenever the Prophet ﷺ saw rain, he would say, "O Allah! Let it be a strong fruitful rain" (Sahih al-Bukhari 1032). In Arabic: Allahumma sayyiban nafi'an. It's short enough to learn in a day, and in a rainy country you'll get plenty of practice.
After the rain
After a rainy night, the Prophet ﷺ told his Companions that Allah said whoever credits the rain to "the Blessings and the Mercy of Allah" is a true believer, while whoever credits it to a particular star does not believe in Him (Sahih al-Bukhari 846). That's where the phrase Mutirna bi fadlillahi wa rahmatih comes from.
This isn't about weather forecasts. Meteorology studies the causes Allah created, and checking the forecast is completely fine. The point is that the rain, and everything behind it, comes from Allah, not from stars or luck. See Can I still read my horoscope after becoming Muslim?
When there's too much rain
Once the Companions asked for rain and it rained for a whole week. The next Friday a man asked the Prophet ﷺ to pray for it to stop, and he said, "O Allah! Round about us and not on us," then asked for it to fall on the hills, valleys and places where trees grow (Sahih al-Bukhari 1013). In Arabic the first part is Allahumma hawalayna wa la 'alayna. It's a good dua during floods or storms: you're not cursing the rain, just asking that it fall where it helps and not where it harms.
Other sunnahs of rainy days
- Feel the rain: the Prophet ﷺ once uncovered part of his body so the rain fell on it, saying it had "just come from the Exalted Lord" (Sahih Muslim 898).
- Hope, not fear: dark clouds and wind worried him, but when the rain fell he was relieved and said, "It is the mercy (of Allah)" (Sahih Muslim 899).
- Make dua: one narration lists the time of rain among moments when dua is seldom rejected (Sunan Abi Dawud 2540). Scholars differ on the strength of that wording, but asking Allah during a blessing is always good. See What are the best times to make dua?
- Rain starts: "Allahumma sayyiban nafi'an".
- After rain: "Mutirna bi fadlillahi wa rahmatih".
- Too much rain: "Allahumma hawalayna wa la 'alayna".
- Rain is a mercy from Allah, not luck or stars.
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