Arabic (Original)
وَأَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ الْحَافِظُ ثنا أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الْحَافِظُ أنبأ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ الصَّفَّارُ بِبَغْدَادَ ثنا هَارُونُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ الْهَمْدَانِيُّ ثنا وَكِيعٌ ثنا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ كِنَانَةَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ أَرْسَلَنِي أَمِيرٌ مِنَ الْأُمَرَاءِ إِلَى ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ أَسْأَلُهُ عَنِ الصَّلَاةِ فِي الِاسْتِسْقَاءِ فَقَالَ لَهُ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ مَا مَنَعَهُ أَنْ يَسْأَلَنِي؟ خَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ مُتَوَاضِعًا مُتَخَشِّعًا مُتَبَذِّلًا مُتَضَرِّعًا مُتَرَسِّلًا فَصَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ كَمَا يُصَلِّي فِي الْعِيدِ وَلَمْ يَخْطُبْ كَخُطْبَتِكُمْ
English Translation
Abu Abdullah al-Hafiz narrated to us... from his father who said: 'A governor from the governors sent me to Ibn Abbas to ask him about the prayer for rain.' Ibn Abbas said to him: 'What prevented him from asking me himself?' The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) went out humbly, devotedly, modestly, imploringly, and deliberately. He prayed two units of prayer as he used to pray on the Eid, and he did not deliver a sermon like your sermons.'