Fath al-Rabbani

Sayyiduna Mahmood bin Labeed (may Allah be pleased with him) says: On the day when the son of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Ibrahim (may Allah be pleased with him), passed away, there was a solar eclipse. So people began to say: The sun was eclipsed because of the death of Sayyiduna Ibrahim (may Allah be pleased with him). Upon hearing this, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Surely, the sun and the moon are two signs among the signs of Allah. Beware! They do not lose their light because of anyone’s death or life. When you see them like this, then out of fear seek refuge in the mosque. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up for prayer, and we think that he (peace and blessings be upon him) recited some verses from Surah Ibrahim, then bowed (ruku’), then stood up straight, and then performed two prostrations (sujood), then stood up and performed the second rak’ah like the first.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) says: In the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), the sun was eclipsed. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up for prayer, and we also stood with him. He (peace and blessings be upon him) stood for such a long time that we thought he would not bow (ruku’). Eventually, he (peace and blessings be upon him) bowed, and it seemed he would not raise his head from ruku’, then he raised his head and fell into prostration (sajdah), and it seemed he would not raise his head from that either. Eventually, he raised his head and sat (in the sitting position) for so long that it seemed he would not perform the second prostration, then he prostrated, and it seemed he would not raise his head from prostration. Then he performed the second rak’ah in the same manner as the first. When he was in prostration of the second rak’ah, he began to blow on the ground and weep, and he began to say: O Lord! Why are You punishing them while I am among them? O Lord! Why do You punish us while we are seeking forgiveness from You? Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his head, and the sun had become clear. Then, after completing the prayer, he (peace and blessings be upon him) praised and glorified Allah and said: O people! Surely the sun and the moon are two signs among the signs of Allah. So when you see either of them losing light, seek refuge in the mosques out of fear. By the One in Whose hand is my soul! Paradise was presented before me (and brought so close) that if I wished, I could have plucked a branch from it. And the Fire was also presented before me (and brought so close) that I was blowing on it out of fear that it might engulf you. I saw in it a tall, dark woman from the tribe of Himyar; she was being punished because of a cat. She had tied it up, neither feeding nor giving it water herself, nor letting it go so it could eat the insects of the earth, (the state of punishment was that) whenever she moved forward, the cat would scratch her from the front, and when she turned back, it would scratch her from behind. I also saw in the Fire a man from the tribe of Banu Dadda’, and I saw the man with the staff; he was leaning on his staff in the Fire. (His crime was that) he used to steal the belongings of pilgrims with his staff. So when people found out, he would say: I am not stealing, this thing just got stuck to my staff.

(Second chain of narration) It is in this: And the Fire was presented before me, I was blowing upon it out of fear that its heat might cover you, and I saw in it the person who stole the two camels of the Messenger of Allah.

Sayyiduna Nu’man bin Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed a prayer at the time of a solar eclipse similar to your (regular) prayer, in which he also performed bowing (ruku’) and prostration (sajdah).

(Second chain) They say: In the time of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, the sun lost its light, so he, peace and blessings be upon him, led the prayer and performed bowing and prostration in it. Hajjaj said: It was just like our prayer.

Tha’laba bin ‘Abad ‘Abdi, who was from among the people of Basra, says: One day I was present at the sermon of Sayyiduna Samurah bin Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him). In that sermon, while narrating a hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), he said: I and an Ansari boy were shooting arrows between two marks during the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). When the sun rose two or three spears high in the sight of the observer, it began to turn black and became like the black fruit of Tanumah. One of us said to his companion: Let us go to the mosque. By Allah! This condition of the sun will surely bring about a new command for this Ummah from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). So we ran towards the mosque, and indeed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had come out. When he came to the people, he stepped forward and (began the prayer) and made such a long standing (qiyam) that he had never made such a lengthy standing in any prayer before. We could not hear the voice of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Then he made such a long bowing (ruku’) that he had never made us do such a long ruku’ before. We could not hear his voice. Then he did the same in the second rak’ah. When he sat after the second rak’ah, the sun had become clear again. Then he turned for salam and praised and glorified Allah, and bore witness that he himself is the servant and Messenger of Allah. Then he said: O people! I adjure you by Allah, if you know that I have fallen short in conveying the messages of my Lord, then inform me of it. (As for myself, I say that) I have conveyed the messages of my Lord as they deserved to be conveyed. In any case, if you know that I have conveyed the messages of Allah, then inform me of it. Some people stood up and said: We bear witness that indeed you have conveyed the messages of your Lord, and you have advised your Ummah, and you have fulfilled the right that was upon you. Then they became silent.

After that, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: After praise and glorification, some people think that the darkening of the sun and the moon and the stars moving from their places happens because of the death of some great person among the people of the earth. These people are liars. These are among the signs of Allah. He tests His servants through them, and then He sees who among them repents at that time. By Allah! When I stood in this prayer, I saw everything that you will receive in this world and the Hereafter. By Allah! The Hour will not be established until thirty liars appear, the last of whom will be the Dajjal, who will be one-eyed, and his left eye will be obliterated, as if it is the eye of Abu Yahya. He was an Ansari sheikh who was sitting between the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the chamber of Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). When that Dajjal appears, he will claim that he is Allah. So whoever believes in him, affirms him, and follows him, his previous good deeds will not benefit him (i.e., his righteous deeds will be wasted). And whoever disbelieves in him and denies him, he will not be held accountable for his previous (bad) deeds (i.e., his previous sins will be forgiven). Indeed, that Dajjal will dominate the whole earth except for the Haram and Bayt al-Maqdis. He will besiege the believers in Bayt al-Maqdis, and they will be shaken with extreme severity (i.e., they will be in great anxiety, distress, and hardship because of him). Then Allah will destroy him and his armies, until the foundation of a wall or the trunk of a tree will call out: O believer! O Muslim! Here is a Jew (hiding), here is a disbeliever, come here and kill him. But remember, this matter of the Dajjal will not occur until you see great events, and after their occurrence, you will ask each other: Did your Prophet mention anything about them? For example, mountains will move from their places, and after that, the Hour will be established.

Sayyiduna Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) says: In the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), the sun was eclipsed. He stood up and, dragging his garment, hurriedly reached the mosque, and people also began to gather continuously. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in two rak‘ahs of prayer, and the eclipse of the sun ended. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) turned towards us and said: Indeed, the sun and the moon are two signs among the signs of Allah; He frightens His servants through them. They do not lose their light because of anyone’s death. On that day, in fact, the son (Ibrahim, may Allah be pleased with him) of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had passed away. So when you see something of this kind among these, then pray and supplicate until that which you are afflicted with is over.

Sayyiduna Qabeesah (may Allah be pleased with him) says: The sun was eclipsed, so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came out and led two units of prayer, and he prolonged the recitation in them, until the sun became clear. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Surely the sun and the moon are two signs among the signs of Allah Almighty; He frightens His servants through them. So when you see this, then perform a prayer similar to the obligatory prayer you have just performed.