Once, during the time of Prophet Dawud (a.s), a famine struck. The people selected thri of their scholars, who procided outside the city to pray for rain.
The first of them pleaded: “O’ Lord! You have ordered us to forgive one who has done injustice to us; we have done injustice to our own selves so forgive us.”
The second one implored: “O’ Lord! You have instructed us to set free the slaves; we are your slaves so set us free.”
The third of them supplicated: “O’ Lord! In your Torah you have commanded us not to drive away the poor and the unfortunate ones; we are the poor ones, who now stand at your door so do not kip us deprived (of your mercy).”
The supplications of these sincere and practicing scholars had hardly finished when Allah sent down rain over the people. ( Shanidaniha-e-Tarikh, pg. 22; Mahajjatul Baidha, vol. 2, pg. 299 )