The Wind

[ابوالوليد المسلم]

The Wind
حسام بن عبدالعزيز الجبرين

The Wind


After that, servants of Allah:
Allah has in his creation brilliant signs and the conqueror miracles. sometimes, He sends some of them with goodness and mercy, and, sometimes, He sends some of them with torment and resentment, some people are tested with them while some other get benefited with them.


Brothers of Faith:
Recently few days ago, strong winds have struck some parts of our country, in which the sky turned red, dust filled the space, and voices became louder among those who suffered from respiratory diseases and asthma.


O worshipers:
We have three lessons in the Prophet’s guidance regarding the winds:
The first lesson: The state of prophet PBUH in a windy and cloudy day.


Muslim narrated in the Sahih on the authority of Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, that she said: When there was on any day windstorm or dark cloud (its effects) could be read on the face of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and he moved forward and backward (in a state of anxiety) ; and when it rained, he was delighted and it (the state of restlessness) disappeared. 'A'isha said: I asked him the reason of this anxiety and he said: I was afraid that it might be a calamity that might fall upon my Ummah, and when he saw rainfall he said: It is the mercy (of Allah)”.


In a narration by Al-Bukhari, prophet said: “A’isha! What gives me safety from the fact that it might contain punishment? A people were punished by the wind. When those people saw the punishment, they said: this is a cloud which would give us rain”.


This is the condition of the best of human beings, let alone to us. So, it is prescribed for a Muslim to have fear and apprehension.


The second lesson: politeness with the decree of Allah and the prohibition of cursing the wind, because it is the Almighty who decrees and directs it. The Sheikh of Islam Muhammad bin Abd al-Wahhab has included in the Book named “Kitabut-tauheed” , the chapter on the prohibition of cursing the wind.


It was narrated from Ubayy bin Ka'b that the Messenger of Allah(s.a.w) said:"Do not curse the wind. When you see what you dislike, then say: 'Allahumma inna nas-aluka min khairi hadhihir-rih, wa khairi ma fiha wa khairi ma umirat bihi wa na'udhu bika min sharri hadhihir-rih wa sharri ma fiha wa sharri ma umirat bihi' ('O Allah! Indeed we ask you of the good of this wind, and the good of what is in it, and the good of what it has been commanded. And we seek refuge in You from the evil of this wind, and the evil of what is in it, and the evil of what it has been commanded.)" Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi, who said it is good and authentic and authenticated by Al-Albani.


It is recorded in Bukhari and Muslim that Abu Huraira narrated: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah said: "The son of Adam hurts Me by abusing Time, for I am Time; in My Hands are all things and I cause the revolution of night and day”.


As for describing the wind as cold, hot, or strong, this is permissible. Allah The Almighty said:
﴿ وَأَمَّا عَادٌ فَأُهْلِكُوا بِرِيحٍ صَرْصَرٍ عَاتِيَةٍ ﴾ [الحاقة: 6]
“And as for ‘Ad, they were destroyed by a violent windstorm”.


He said about the people of Lut:
﴿ وَقَالَ هَـذَا يَوْمٌ عَصِيبٌ ﴾ [هود: 77]
“And He said, “This is a very hard day”.

The third lesson: What is said when the wind is blowing.


It was recorded in Muslim on the authority of Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, that she said: The Prophet PBUH would say when bellowing the wind: 'Allahumma inna nas-aluka min khairi hadhihir-rih, wa khairi ma fiha wa khairi ma umirat bihi wa na'udhu bika min sharri hadhihir-rih wa sharri ma fiha wa sharri ma umirat bihi' ('O Allah! Indeed we ask you of the good of this wind, and the good of what is in it, and the good of what it has been commanded. And we seek refuge in You from the evil of this wind, and the evil of what is in it, and the evil of what it has been commanded.)


As for the hadith, “Oh Allah, make it a wind, and do not make it a storm,” it is weak and weakened by Al-Albani and others.


Dear, the air in which we are breathing is great blessing, and see our weakness when it becomes troubled for a while.


﴿ ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِي النَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُم بَعْضَ الَّذِي عَمِلُوا لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ ﴾ [الروم: 41]
“Calamities have appeared on land and sea because of what the hands of the people have earned, so that He (Allah) makes them taste some of what they did, in order that they may return (to the right way)”.


And He said:
﴿ وَمَا نُرْسِلُ بِالآيَاتِ إِلاَّ تَخْوِيفاً ﴾ [الإسراء: 59]
“And We do not send signs but as a warning”.


Qatada said: “Allah frightens people with what He wills of His verses, so that they may return”.


﴿ وَمَا أَصَابَكُم مِّن مُّصِيبَةٍ فَبِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَيَعْفُو عَن كَثِيرٍ ﴾ [الشورى: 30].
“Whatever hardship befalls you is because of what your own hands have committed, while He overlooks many (of your faults)”.


It is obligatory to turn to the One who sends them:
﴿ فَلَوْلا إِذْ جَاءهُمْ بَأْسُنَا تَضَرَّعُواْ ﴾ [الأنعام: 43].
“Why then, did they not supplicate in humility when a calamity from Us came upon them?”.


May Allah benefit me and you with His Book and the Sunnah, and the verses and wisdom he brought in them.

Second sermon

After the servants of Allah:
The winds are signs of Allah which indicate His oneness and lordship, and Allah the Almighty has sworn by them in several places in His Book, so He, Glory be to Him, said:
﴿ وَالذَّارِيَاتِ ذَرْوًا ﴾ [الذاريات: 1]
“By those (winds) that scatter dust”.


﴿ وَالْمُرْسَلَاتِ عُرْفاً * فالعاصفات عصفا ﴾ [المرسلات: 1،2].
"(I swear) by those (winds) that are sent one after the other,And by those that blow violently”.


And Allah has mentioned the turning of the winds with the verses indicating his lordship and divinity, as He said:
﴿ ... وَتَصْرِيفِ الرِّيَاحِ وَالسَّحَابِ الْمُسَخِّرِ بَيْنَ السَّمَاء وَالأَرْضِ لآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ ﴾ [البقرة: 164]
“And in turning of winds, and in the clouds employed to serve between heaven and earth, there are signs for those who have sense”.


﴿ وَتَصْرِيفِ الرِّيَاحِ آيَاتٌ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ ﴾ [الجاثية: 5].
“And in changing of the winds, there are signs for a people who understand”.
The creation and the matter of wind is astonishing. It is some unseen particles, but it uproots trees, raises the waves of the seas and, occasionally, it destroys homes. At times, it comes cold and, at times, it comes hot, it softens the air sometimes, and warms the cold sometimes.


The wind is one of the soldiers of Allah He subjugated it for His Prophet Solomon:
﴿ وَلِسُلَيْمَانَ الرِّيحَ غُدُوُّهَا شَهْرٌ وَرَوَاحُهَا شَهْرٌ ﴾ [سبأ: 12]
“And for Sulaiman (We subjugated) the wind; its journey in the morning was (equal to the journey of) one month, and its journey in the afternoon was (equal to the journey) of another month”.


Allah helped His prophet with the wind on the day in which all people were gathered against him.


﴿ فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ رِيحاً وَجُنُوداً لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا ﴾ [الأحزاب: 9]
“And We sent upon them a wind, and the forces (of angels) you did not see”.
Ibn 'Abbas reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: “I have been helped by the east wind and the 'Ad were destroyed by the west wind”. Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim.


Servants of Allah:
Here, it is better to point to an important note that the cosmic phenomena, although they have natural physical causes, it is not always correct to separate them with their causes of sharia as in the verse of Roman:
﴿ ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِي النَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُم بَعْضَ الَّذِي عَمِلُوا لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ ﴾
“Calamities have appeared on land and sea because of what the hands of the people have earned, so that He (Allah) makes them taste some of what they did, in order that they may return (to the right way)”.


And He also said:
﴿ وَمَا أَصَابَكُم مِّن مُّصِيبَةٍ فَبِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَيَعْفُو عَن كَثِيرٍ ﴾ [الشورى: 30].
“Whatever hardship befalls you is because of what your own hands have committed, while He overlooks many (of your faults)”.


The weakening of the earth's crust, for example, caused earthquakes, but the question is who weakened the earth's crust? He is the Almighty who is the Creator of it.