Prayer for gentle rain through submissive clouds

Nahj al-Balāgha|Volume 1|Book 3|Chapter 472

Nahj al-Balāgha

Book 3, Chapter 472

Prayer for gentle rain through submissive clouds
3 Aḥadīth
Ḥadīth 599

٤٧٢. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام) فِي دُعَاءٍ اسْتَسْقَى بِهِ:

472. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said in his prayer for seeking rain:

Ḥadīth 600

اللَّهُمَّ اسْقِنَا ذُلُلَ السَّحَابِ دُونَ صِعَابِهَا.

O’ my Allāh, send us rain by submissive clouds not by unruly ones.

Ḥadīth 601

قال السيد الرضي : وهذا من الكلام العجيب الفصاحة، وذلك أنه (عليه السلام) شبّه السحاب ذوات الرُّعود والبوارق والرياح والصواعق بالإبل الصّعاب التي تَقْمُصُ برحالها وتقِصُّ بركبانها، وشبّه السحاب خاليةً من تلك الروائع بالإبل الذُّلُلِ التي تُحْتَلَبُ طَيِّعَةً‌ وتُقْتَعَدُ مُسْمِحَةً.

as-Sayyid ar-Raḍī says: This is an expression of wonderful eloquence, because Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, has likened the cloud which is accompanied by thunder, lighting, wind and flashes with unruly camels who throw away their saddles and throw down their riders, and likened the clouds free from these terrible things to the submissive camels which are easy to milk and obedient to ride.