Arabic (Original)
أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ الْحَافِظُ وَأَبُو سَعِيدِ بْنُ أَبِي عَمْرٍو قَالَا ثنا أَبُو الْعَبَّاسِ أنبأ الرَّبِيعُ أنبأ الشَّافِعِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللهُ فِي حَدِيثِ زَيْدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ الْجُهَنِيِّ أَرَى مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ ﷺ وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ مَنْ قَالَ مُطِرْنَا بِفَضْلِ اللهِ وَرَحْمَتِهِ فَذَلِكَ إِيمَانٌ بِاللهِ؛ لِأَنَّهُ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ لَا يُمْطِرُ وَلَا يُعْطِي إِلَّا اللهُ ﷻ وَأَمَّا مَنْ قَالَ مُطِرْنَا بِنَوْءِ كَذَا عَلَى مَا كَانَ بَعْضُ أَهْلِ الشِّرْكِ يَعْنُونَ مِنْ إِضَافَةِ الْمَطَرِ إِلَى أَنَّهُ أَمْطَرَهُ نَوْءُ كَذَا فَذَلِكَ كُفْرٌ كَمَا قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لِأَنَّ النَّوْءَ وَقْتٌ وَالْوَقْتُ مَخْلُوقٌ لَا يَمْلِكُ لِنَفْسِهِ وَلَا لِغَيْرِهِ شَيْئًا وَلَا يُمْطِرُ وَلَا يَصْنَعُ شَيْئًا؛ فَأَمَّا مَنْ قَالَ مُطِرْنَا بِنَوْءِ كَذَا عَلَى مَعْنَى مُطِرْنَا فِي وَقْتِ نَوْءِ كَذَا فَإِنَّمَا ذَلِكَ كَقَوْلِهِ مُطِرْنَا فِي شَهْرِ كَذَا فَلَا يَكُونُ هَذَا كُفْرٌ وَغَيْرُهُ مِنَ الْكَلَامِ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْهُ أُحِبُّ أَنْ يَقُولَ مُطِرْنَا فِي وَقْتِ كَذَا قَالَ وَبَلَغَنِي أَنَّ بَعْضَ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ كَانَ إِذَا أَصْبَحَ وَقَدْ مُطِرَ النَّاسُ قَالَ مُطِرْنَا بِنَوْءِ الْفَتْحِ ثُمَّ يَقْرَأُ {مَا يفْتَحُ اللهُ لِلنَّاسِ مِنْ رَحْمَةٍ فَلَا مُمْسِكَ لَهَا} [فاطر 2] 6453 قَالَ الشَّافِعِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللهُ وَرُوِّينَا عَنْ عُمَرَ ؓ أَنَّهُ قَالَ يَوْمَ جُمُعَةٍ وَهُوَ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ كَمْ بَقِيَ مِنْ نَوْءِ الثُّرَيَّا؟ فَقَالَ الْعَبَّاسُ لَمْ يَبْقَ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ إِلَّا الْعَوَاءُ فَدَعَا وَدَعَا النَّاسُ حَتَّى نَزَلَ عَنِ الْمِنْبَرِ فَمُطِرَ مَطَرًا أُحْيِيَ النَّاسُ مِنْهُ قَالَ الشَّافِعِيُّ وَقَوْلُ عُمَرَ ؓ هَذَا يُبَيِّنُ مَا وَصَفْتُ؛ لِأَنَّهُ إِنَّمَا أَرَادَ كَمْ بَقِيَ مِنْ وَقْتِ الثُّرَيَّا لِمَعْرِفَتِهِمْ بِأَنَّ اللهَ تَعَالَى قَدَّرَ الْأَمْطَارَ فِي أَوْقَاتٍ فِيمَا قَدْ جَرَّبُوا كَمَا عَلِمُوا أَنَّهُ قَدَّرَ الْحَرَّ وَالْبَرْدَ فِيمَا جَرَّبُوا فِي أَوْقَاتٍ
English Translation
Abu Abdullah al-Hafiz and Abu Sa'id ibn Abi Amr narrated to us... from al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him), commenting on the hadith of Zayd ibn Khalid al-Juhani: I believe the meaning of the Prophet's (peace be upon him) words - and Allah knows best - is that whoever says 'We were given rain by the grace and mercy of Allah,' that is faith in Allah, because he knows that none sends rain or gives except Allah, Glorified and Exalted. As for whoever says 'We were given rain by the star of so-and-so' in the manner that some polytheists meant by attributing rain to the star as if the star itself caused it, that is disbelief as the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, because the star-phase (naw') is merely a time, and time is created - it possesses nothing for itself nor for others, it does not send rain nor does anything. However, whoever says 'We were given rain by the star of so-and-so' meaning 'We were given rain at the time of such star-phase,' that is merely like saying 'We were given rain in such month,' and this is not disbelief, though other expressions are more preferable to me - I prefer one to say 'We were given rain at such time.' He said: It has reached me that one of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to say when morning came and people had been rained upon: 'We were given rain by the naw' of al-Fath (the Opening),' then he would recite: {Whatever mercy Allah opens for people, none can withhold it} [35:2]. Al-Shafi'i said: It was also narrated from Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said one Friday while on the pulpit: 'How much remains of the star-phase of al-Thurayya (the Pleiades)?' Al-Abbas said: 'Nothing remains of it except al-Awa'.' So he supplicated and the people supplicated until he descended from the pulpit, and then it rained a rain that revived the people. Al-Shafi'i said: Umar's statement clarifies what I described, because he only meant 'How much remains of the time of al-Thurayya,' due to their knowledge that Allah the Most High has ordained rains at certain times based on their experience, just as they knew He ordained heat and cold at certain times based on their experience.