In response to a call from UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, residents across the country are gathering for Salaat Al Istisqaa, a special congregational prayer seeking divine mercy and rainfall. While this practice is a voluntary Sunnah rather than a mandatory obligation, it holds deep cultural and spiritual significance in the arid landscape of the Arabian Gulf. Mosques have scheduled these prayers ahead of the standard Friday Jumuah services, inviting the community to unite in humble supplication for the vital blessing of rain.

The ritual itself is distinct from daily prayers; it requires two rak'ahs performed without the traditional adhan or iqamah. The imam leads the congregation with recitations, followed by two sermons delivered from the ground rather than the pulpit to signify profound humility. A unique aspect of this tradition occurs toward the end of the second sermon, when the imam turns his cloak inside out while facing the qiblah. This symbolic gesture represents a hopeful transition from drought to abundance, accompanied by fervent prayers for the land and its people to be blessed with water.