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Islam and the Solar
Eclipse "The Sun and the Moon are two of the Signs (Ayat) of Allah:
they do not darken for the death or birth of any person, but Allah strikes fear
into His servants by means of them. So when you see them darken, remember and
mention Allah, declare His Greatness, offer prayer, give in charity, and
supplicate to Him and seek His forgiveness." These words were said by the
noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w.s, when a solar eclipse took place on the very day
that his infant son Ibrahim passed away: 29th Shawwal 10 H / 27th
January 632 C.E. A false prophet would undoubtedly have claimed that such a
magnificent celestial event was a sign of heavenly mourning for the loss of his
loved one, but not the final Messenger of God, who led the community of Muslims
in prayer for as long as the eclipse lasted, then admonished them regarding
their reckoning with their Lord on the Day of Judgment. The Muslim reaction to lunar and solar eclipses in general,can be summarised as
follows: 1:Solar and lunar eclipses are reminders of the Day of Judgment,
when the sun, moon and stars will all lose their light. "When the sight
is dazed, and the moon is buried in darkness, and the sun and moon are joined
together: Man will say on that day, ‘Where is the refuge?’" (Surat
al-Qiyamah, the Resurrection) 2:Being a reminder of the Last Day, the eclipse is a time for
prayer, charitable acts, freeing slaves and generally remembering Allah and
seeking His forgiveness. 3: To have belief in heavenly
bodies (sun, moon, planets, stars) as having power over events and people’s
fates and fortunes is to reject Allah by ascribing partners to Him. "And
among His Signs are the night and the day, the sun and the moon. Prostrate
neither to the sun nor to the moon, but prostrate to Allah who created them, if
it is truly Him you worship." (Surat
Fussilat, the Signs Explained) Thus one cannot worship God by worshipping
creation –whether the devotions are offered to Nature, heavenly bodies, idols
or human beings. The worship of something or someone created in whatever form,
Muslims consider to be an underlying error of many groups active in the UK,
from pagans, Druids and New Age cultures (for whom the eclipse is a sacred
event) to the numerous Christian denominations. The popular but false, empty
faith in astrology, so widespread in the popular press, is also condemned in
Islam. Islam teaches people to constantly turn to the Source of all events:
Allah. Salat al-Kusuf (The Eclipse Prayer) 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. 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
General issues DO NOT LOOK AT THE SUN! This is
dangerous for prolonged periods of time, either during the eclipse or at any
other time. It could cause complete or partial blindness. This applies to
sunglasses and cameras and especially to binoculars and telescopes. The safest
way to view the progress of the eclipse is by projection using a pinhole
camera. "Eclipse glasses" are not 100% safe, although ones with Mylar
filters are better than most. Mylar filters may also be used with cameras. Many
of the cheap eclipse glasses (cardboard with plastic filters) are dangerous:
always check for a trusted safety inspection mark. Even officially
"safe" glasses can be dangerous, since a tiny scratch can allow in
enough solar radiation to burn the retina. Be very careful, especially with
children. This is also a reminder that just as the sun is too bright for the
eyes, creation has to be veiled from Allah, otherwise the Divine Light would
burn and consume all of existence. And Allah knows Best http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aawaz-e-dost/message/5555 |
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