Solar Eclipse

Muslims acknowledge this magnificent phenomenon as one of the wonders created by the Almighty Allah the Great Creator. As written in the Quran, Allah encourages mankind to observe the heaven and the earth and reflect on the beauty of the natural world, finely tuned without any flaw or error.


"Allah is He, who created the sun, the moon, and the stars -- (all) governed by laws under His commandment." Qur'an 7:54

"It is He who created the night and the day and the sun and the moon. All (the celestial bodies) swim along, each in its orbit." Qur'an 21:33

"The sun and the moon follow courses exactly computed." Qur'an 55:05


Allah had created the Sun and the Moon to make life possible and to sustain the equilibrium of life on earth. Perhaps because they are common to our daily life, we tend to ignore their existence. Whenever an eclipse happens we might be encouraged to look upon the sky and reminded to be grateful. Hence, we should bow down in remembrance of His favours.

During Muhammad's (pbuh) lifetime.

On 27th of January 632/ 29th Syawwal 10H in Medina[1], there was a solar eclipse on the day that his son Ibrahim died. Some superstitious people said that the sun eclipsed because of the young child's death and the Prophet's sadness on that day. The Prophet corrected their understanding and led the community back then for an eclipse prayer[2]:

Narrated Al-Mughira bin Shu'ba: On the day of Ibrahim's death, the sun eclipsed and the people said that the eclipse was due to the death of Ibrahim (the son of the Prophet). Allah's Apostle said, "The sun and the moon are two signs amongst the signs of Allah. They do not eclipse because of someone's death or life. So when you see them, invoke Allah and pray till the eclipse is clear."[2]

There are few others solar eclipses occurred during the lifetime of the Prophet in Arab Peninsular, listed below by Moonsighting.com are the events believed to take place (Click on the date to see the details):

Sun-Eclipse visible while Prophet was in Makkah[3]:
(Islamic date unknown because of undocumented practice of Nasi')

July 23, 613 CE (Monday) - Around 10 am Local Time
May 21, 616 CE (Friday) - Around 10 am Local Time
November 4, 617 CE (Friday) - Around 11 am Local Time
September 2, 620 CE (Tuesday) - Around 10 am Local Time
Sun-Eclipse visible while Prophet was in Medinah[3]:

April 21, 627 CE (Tuesday) - Dhul-Qi'dah 29, 5 AH - Around 11 am Local Time
January 27, 632 CE (Monday) - Shawwal 29, 10 AH - Around 10 am Local Time

Salat-al-Kusuf (Eclipse Prayer)

To tackle such issues in depth I'd like to cite the following from "Islam and the Solar Eclipse" issued by Muslim Council of Britain & the International Council for Islamic Information[1]:

Ruling: Most of the people of knowledge (‘ulama') regard it as an important sunnah (mu'akkadah); Imam Abu Hanifah said it was obligatory (wajib), whilst Imam Malik regarded it as equal to Salat al-Jumu'ah (Friday Prayer) in importance.

Form: The eclipse prayer consists of two rak'at. Various forms of the rak'at have been narrated, but the most authentic ahadith indicate that each rak'at has two standings (qiyam), two instances of recitation from the Qur'an (qira'ah), two bowings (ruku') and two prostrations (sujud). This is the view of the majority of the people of knowledge, including Imams Malik, Shafi'i and Ahmad. The number of ruku' in each rak'at has also been narrated as three, four or more; the Hanafi ‘ulama' prefer only one ruku', just as for the daily prayers. However, the most authentic ahadith support the majority view, given above.

Congregation: The Sunnah is for the prayer to be held in congregation in the masjid, although individuals who cannot reach the congregation may pray alone. Women may pray at home or attend the congregation.

Khutbah (Sermon): The Imam gives this after the congregational prayer, based on the admonition of the Messenger of Allah s.a.w.s. part of which is quoted at the beginning of this article. The khutbah is recommended (mustahabb) according to Imam al-Shafi'i and the majority of the other Imams of Hadith, whilst the Hanafi ‘ulama' say that the khutbah is not part of the eclipse prayer - they regard the Messenger's admonition as a general reminder and not a formal sermon. If delivered, the khutbah should contain praise of Allah, the two testimonies of faith (shahadatayn) and reminders about Paradise and the Fire. The Prophet's admonition also included warnings about unlawful sexual relations and general frivolity about life (both widespread in contemporary British society), and special advice to women regarding ingratitude to their husbands.

Timing: The time for the eclipse prayer lasts throughout the eclipse. The prayer must be started during the eclipse, although it can end after the eclipse is over. The khutbah is delivered after the prayer, whether or not the eclipse is still in progress. After the eclipse, the requirement and time for the prayer no longer exists and therefore it is invalid to pray Salat al-Kusuf outside the time of the eclipse. Imams Abu Hanifah and Ahmad have stipulated that the eclipse prayer cannot be held during times when prayer is normally discouraged (makruh), i.e. when the sun is rising or setting over the horizon, or when it reaches its zenith. Other Imams say that the recommendation of the eclipse prayer takes precedence over these discouraged times. [The solar eclipse at the end of Rabi' al-Thani 1420 / 11th August 1999 lasts from around 10.00am to 12.40pm in the UK, local time insha' Allah, and is outside the discouraged times for prayer.]

Length: The eclipse prayer should be longer than normal daily, weekly or annual prayers. The eclipse prayer performed by the Messenger of Allah s.a.w.s. was extremely long: it started soon after the beginning of the eclipse and ended after the eclipse was over. His prayer included four instances of recitation from the Qur'an, with the first and longest of them being reckoned as "about as lengthy as Surat al-Baqarah." Further, the qiyam, ruku' and sujud were described as longer than any others seen performed by him s.a.w.s. However, the Imam should as always bear in mind the capabilities of his congregation, and the prayer should not be prolonged excessively for the old and weak amongst them. There is no requirement to prolong the prayer throughout the eclipse, nor to pray extra rak'at. The two-rak'at prayer is made as long as is reasonable, and the remainder of the eclipse is spent in supplication (du'a), general mention and remembrance of Allah (dhikr, including recitation of the Qur'an) and giving charity.

Detailed description of the prayer

There is no adhan or iqamah for the prayer, although the prayer can be announced by calling, "As-salat jami'ah" ("The congregation is gathering for prayer").
The Imam begins the prayer with takbir, as usual, followed by recitation of Surat al-Fatihah and one or more further surahs. The recitation can be loud (majority view) or silent.
The Imam does ruku' with takbir, as usual.
The Imam rises from ruku' saying "Sami' Allahu li man hamidahu", followed by the usual dhikr.
Remaining in the standing posture, the Imam begins to recite again: Surat al-Fatihah and one or more further surahs.
The imam goes into ruku' with takbir.
The Imam rises from ruku' saying "Sami' Allahu li man hamidahu", followed by the usual dhikr.
The Imam performs the two sujud as usual, except that the prostrations should be lengthy, as should be the sitting in between them.
The Imam rises for the second rak'at, which is performed in the same manner as the first.
Hence there are a total of four of each of the following: qiyam (with recitation), ruku' and sujud. The Sunnah is for each qiyam, ruku' and sajdah to be shorter than the previous one.


Solar Eclipse in Other Customs

In ancient Chinese customs a solar and lunar eclipse was highly important to dictate the future of a ruling Emperor, they were believed to be sign from the heaven foretold unto them. Once, there were two Chinese astrologers put to death as they failed to predict an eclipse[4].

Ancient Chinese thought that a Dragon or in other account a giant snake is about to devour the sun during a solar eclipse, believed to be so as well during a lunar eclipse. It was a tradition for the Chinese to bang the drums and pots to make a loud noise to frighten away the dragon. Later in those years the Chinese navy fired its cannons to add to the ceremony [4].

Nowadays, some Chinese still do such ceremony by burning up fire-crackers and banging up the drums merely just for the sake of a celebration, the Chinese had already discovered the true nature of an eclipse during 20 B.C[4].

The Mayan civilization believed to have created a calendar that could predict the celestials' phenomenon including the eclipse. Some sceptics even believed that the calendar could predict the end of the world which actually merely the end of the Mayan calendar, also known as the 2012 prophecy.

In Hinduism, the Solar and Lunar eclipse or known as Surya Grahan and Chandra Grahan was believed to be a result of periodically wars between Rahu a demon against Surya (Sun God) and Chandra (Moon God). Rahu whose head had been cut off by the doings of Surya and Chandra, take his revenge by taking up the form of a snake's head and tried to eat the moon and the sun occasionally[5].

In modern days, superstitions and fear surrounding solar and lunar eclipses have diminished. However, Muslims continue the tradition of praying during an eclipse, as a reminder that Allah Alone has power over all things, in the heavens and on earth.



References:

[1]-Muslim Council of Britain and the International Council for Islamic Information, Islam and the Solar Eclipse, URL < http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Articles/science/islam_and_the_solar_eclipse.htm>, viewed on 31st Jan 2009.

[2]-Huda, Solar/Lunar Eclipses in Islam-Muslims offer special prayers during eclipses, About.com, URL , viewed and copied on 31st Jan 2009.

[3]-Moonsighting.com, Sun and Moon Eclipses, URL , viewed and copied on 31st Jan 2009.

[4]- Solar Eclipses in History and Mythology-Historical Observations of Solar Eclipses, URL , viewed on 31st Jan 2009.

[5]-Hindu Blog, Story of Surya Grahan and Chandra Grahan in Hindu Religion, URL , viewed on 31st Jan 2009.