as a way to petition for.

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Note added at 2003-10-19 23:42:39 (GMT)
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I am revising my answer. I don\'t see anything in the context provided that definitively points to prayer, petition, begging, or asking. It seems that that the mentioned noises were made with a magical intent. The noises seem to be intended as efficacious in themselves to cause cessation of the eclipse.

The word that induced me to suggest \"beg\" or \"petition\" at first was the word الرحمة, which is usually thought of as being bestowed by a voluntary, rathional being whose clemency is to be sought in a prayerful manner. But it is quite possible to interpret the word رحمة simply as \"relief\" from the perceived affliction, which is the eclipse.

Therefore, for the sake of faithfulness to the text, I would suggest:

as a way to seek

as a way to induce

as a way to trigger

as a way to bring

as a way to bring about

as a way to bring around

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Note added at 2003-10-20 00:25:09 (GMT)
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Typo correction: rational, not rathional

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Note added at 2003-10-21 00:36:54 (GMT)
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In other words, the translation will depend on how you interpret الرحمة. If you interpret it in the sense of mercy, compassion, or clemency, then the phrase استنزالاً للرحمة can be translated as:

as an appeal for mercy, or as a petition for mercy.

But if you interpret الرحمة in the sense of relief from the deluge, then I would translate استنزالاً للرحمة as:

as a way to bring about relief.