al-Matar wa al-Rad wa al-Barq li Ibn Abi al-Dunya
- Author died
- 281 AH
- Editions
- Dār Ibn al-Jawzī
al-Matar wa al-Rad wa al-Barq (Rain, Thunder, and Lightning) is a thematic compilation of hadiths and early traditions by the Baghdadi traditionist and educator Ibn Abi al-Dunya (d. 281 AH / 894 CE) . The work gathers prophetic narrations, companions' statements, and early scholarly reports on weather and meteorological phenomena, including rain, thunder, lightning, clouds, and wind .
Subject and Content
The treatise is part of Ibn Abi al-Dunya's extensive corpus of topical hadith compilations dedicated to specific subjects and devotional themes . It documents traditional Islamic reports concerning the creation, nature, and spiritual significance of atmospheric phenomena:
- Thunder and Lightning: The book compiles narrations describing thunder as an angel appointed over the clouds who drives them and glorifies God, and lightning as an instrument or sign associated with the angelic management of the sky .
- Rain and Clouds: It includes reports on the divine distribution of rainfall across the earth and the nature of clouds .
- Quranic Exegesis and Supplications: The work records exegetical reports explaining Quranic verses related to winds and weather, such as the winds subjected to Prophet Solomon, as well as narrations transmitting supplications and remembrances prescribed upon witnessing atmospheric changes .
Method and Sources
Following the standard methodology of third-century AH hadith scholars, Ibn Abi al-Dunya structures the material through narrated chains of transmission (asānīd) leading back to early authorities, including Ali ibn Abi Talib, Abd Allah ibn Abbas, and successor figures such as al-Suddi and Ikrima .
Reception and Transmission
The book is cited under various descriptive titles in scholarly literature, including al-Matar wa al-Rad wa al-Barq, al-Matar wa al-Rad wa al-Barq wa al-Rih, and concisely as Kitab al-Matar . Later scholars frequently drew upon it when collecting traditions on cosmology and angels; Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti regularly cited Ibn Abi al-Dunya's Kitab al-Matar in works such as al-Haba'ik fi Akhbar al-Mala'ik and Asrar al-Kawn . Ibn Kathir also utilized and referenced the work in Musnad al-Faruq .
A manuscript of the work is preserved in the Köprülü Library in Istanbul (MS 388) under the title al-Matar wa al-Barq wa al-Rad wa al-Rih . It has been edited by Tariq ibn Muhammad Saklu' al-Amudi and published by Dar Ibn al-Jawzi (1418 AH / 1997 CE) .
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