Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
According to the stronger view, this report is not authentically established, and it cannot be used as evidence for the permissibility of asking the Prophet ﷺ to make du‘a after his death. It also differs from what is known of the practice of the Companions when seeking rain.
Why Is the Report Not Established?
The report was narrated through Abu Salih from Malik al-Dar. It states that a man came to the grave of the Prophet ﷺ and asked him to seek rain.
Some hadith scholars regarded this chain as weak because of questions concerning the status and reliability of Malik al-Dar. In addition, the man who came to the grave is not named in the original narration.
As for the narration identifying him as Bilal ibn al-Harith, it comes through a route that is not considered established by hadith scholars.
As for what has been reported from al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar, who said: “with an authentic chain from the narration of Abu Salih al-Samman from Malik al-Dar,” some hadith scholars understood this as referring to the authenticity of the chain up to Abu Salih, rather than as an explicit ruling that the entire story, with all its details, is authentic.
What Did the Companions Do During Drought?
It is authentically established in Sahih al-Bukhari that when the Muslims suffered drought during the caliphate of ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, ‘Umar did not go to the grave of the Prophet ﷺ to ask him to make du‘a. Instead, he asked al-‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, to supplicate to Allah for them, saying:
“O Allah, we used to seek rain from You through our Prophet, and You would grant us rain. Now we seek rain from You through the uncle of our Prophet, so grant us rain.”
[Reported by al-Bukhari]
This indicates that they sought nearness to Allah through the supplication of the Prophet ﷺ during his lifetime, and after his death they asked a living righteous man to make du‘a for them.
Does the Mere Mention of a Report by Scholars Mean That They Considered It Authentic?
No. Scholars may mention narrations in books of history and hadith without this necessarily meaning that they judge them to be authentic.
Hadith scholars may also differ over whether a chain is authentic or weak according to their knowledge of the narrators and the principles of hadith criticism. This is well known in the science of hadith and does not diminish the status of the scholars.
Allah Almighty says:
“And above every possessor of knowledge is one more knowing.”
[Yusuf 12:76]
Summary
According to the stronger view, the story of the man who came to the grave of the Prophet ﷺ and asked him to seek rain is not authentically established. Therefore, it should not be used as evidence for the permissibility of asking the Prophet ﷺ to make du‘a after his death.
What is authentically established from the Companions is that during drought they supplicated directly to Allah and sought rain from Him, and ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, asked al-‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, to make du‘a rather than asking the Prophet ﷺ at his grave.
And Allah knows best.