To what extent is the hadith of Malik Al-Dar sound, which mentions that a man came to the grave of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, during the time of Umar ibn Al-Khattab, seeking rain, and the Prophet came to him in a dream and informed him that they would be watered, and commanded him to convey this to Umar? And if it is not sound, then why did the early scholars include it in their books as sound, and why can we not follow them in this classification of the hadith, and does this mean that they were not sufficiently knowledgeable?

This narration was reported by Ibn Abi Shaybah, Al-Bukhari, Al-Bayhaqi, and others. Its summary is that people were afflicted by a drought during the time of Umar. A man came to the grave of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and said: "O Messenger of Allah, ask Allah for rain for your Ummah, for they have perished." Then the man was visited in a dream, and it was said to him: "Go to Umar, convey greetings to him, inform him that you will be given rain, and tell him: 'Be prudent, be prudent!'" The man informed Umar of this, and Umar wept.

This chain of narration is weak and cannot be used as proof for several reasons: 1. Malik Al-Dar is unknown in terms of his uprightness and precision, and no one narrated from him except Abu Salih. 2. The statement of Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar: "with a sound chain of narration from the report of Abu Salih Al-Samman from Malik Al-Dar" means its soundness extends only to Abu Salih, not to the entire chain of narration. 3. The story contradicts what is established in the Sharia regarding the desirability of performing the Istisqa prayer (prayer for rain). The righteous predecessors did not resort to the grave of the Prophet, peace be upon him, to seek rain. 4. The man who came to the grave is unknown. Naming him Bilal in Sayf's narration is unacceptable because Sayf is weak and his weakness is agreed upon. 5. This narration does not involve seeking intercession through the Prophet, peace be upon him; rather, it is a request for him to supplicate, and no scholar among the righteous predecessors permitted this after his death, peace be upon him.

Therefore, this narration is not established, and it is not permissible to use it as proof. It also contradicts the practice of the righteous predecessors.