interpreted as applying to the prayer, by evidence of the beginning of the hadith. It is recommended to commence the sermon with the takbir, like the sermon of the 'Id, and to multiply seeking forgiveness [istighfar] and sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). He should recite frequently: "Ask forgiveness of your Lord, for He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver. He will send [rain from] the sky upon you in [continuing] showers" (3), as well as the rest of the verses containing a command for it, for Allah the Almighty has promised them the sending of rain if they seek His forgiveness. It was narrated from 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that he went out seeking rain and did not do more than seek forgiveness, saying: "I have sought rain with the [prayer for] the rain-bringing stars of the sky" (4). From 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz, that he wrote to Maymun ibn Mihran, saying: "I have written to the lands that they should go out for the prayer for rain to such and such a place, and I have commanded them to give charity and pray. Allah the Almighty says: 'But has certainly succeeded he who purifies himself, and remembers the name of his Lord and prays' (5). I have ordered them to say as their father Adam said: 'Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers' (6). And to say as Noah said: 'And unless You forgive me and have mercy upon me, I will be among the losers' (7). And to say as Jonah said: 'And he called out within the darkness, "There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers"' (8). And to say as Moses said: 'My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself, so forgive me, and He forgave him. Indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful' (9). This is because sins are the cause for the cessation of rain, and seeking forgiveness and repentance erase the sins that prevent rain, so Allah will bring [it]."