Those who permitted praying two rak'ahs during an eclipse with four bowings in each rak'ah

Taus narrates from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both): When the sun was eclipsed, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led a prayer with eight bowings and four prostrations.

(a) Taus narrates from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led the eclipse prayer. He (peace and blessings be upon him) recited. Then he bowed, then recited, then bowed. Then he recited. Then he bowed. Then he recited. Then he bowed, then prostrated, and he did the same in the second rak'ah.
Muhammad bin Isma'il al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) turned away from these narrations, which go against the narration of the majority.
(b) Kathir bin Abbas narrates from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led them in a prayer of two rak'ahs and performed two bowings in each rak'ah.
(c) Taus narrates from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) his own practice: that he performed six bowings and four prostrations in the prayer. But there is a difference regarding its attribution (to the Prophet) and the number.

(a) Al-Rabi' bin Sulayman (may Allah have mercy on him) says: Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) informed us that one of those who debated with him said that some (of you) narrated: "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed three bowings in every rak'ah." I said: This hadith is munqati' (broken) through one route, and in our view a munqati' hadith is not established when it stands alone; and another route we consider, and Allah knows best, to be an error. He said: Is any narration reported from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he performed three bowings in one rak'ah? We said: Yes. Sulayman al-Ahwal relates: I heard Taus say that the sun was eclipsed in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) led us in a prayer with six bowings and four prostrations. He said that the chain of Zayd bin Aslam from Ata' bin Yasar from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) is more established than the chain of Sulayman al-Ahwal from Taus from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both). Likewise, Safwan bin Abdullah bin Safwan says: I saw Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) offer the eclipse prayer near Zamzam, and he performed two bowings in each rak'ah.
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) would never lead an eclipse prayer contrary to the eclipse prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). All three narrations are to be accepted.
It is narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that at an earthquake he led a prayer with three bowings in each rak'ah.
(c) Muhammad bin Isma'il al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) says: In my view, offering the eclipse prayer with four bowings and four prostrations, that is, two bowings in each rak'ah, is more correct.

Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led the people in prayer at the solar eclipse. He (peace and blessings be upon him) stood and said the takbir, then recited, then bowed for as long as he had recited. Then he raised his head from the bowing and stood for as long as he had bowed; he (peace and blessings be upon him) did this for four bowings before prostrating. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) performed two prostrations, then stood for the second rak'ah and did the same, and he did not recite between the bowings.
Muhammad bin Abd al-Rahman bin Abi Layla is not used as proof.
(b) In some narrations five bowings in one rak'ah are also mentioned, but they are not fit to be used as proof.

Abu al-Aliyah narrates from Sayyiduna Ubayy bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him): The sun was eclipsed in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) led the people in prayer; he (peace and blessings be upon him) recited one of the long surahs and performed five bowings, then two prostrations. Then he rose for the second rak'ah, recited one of the long surahs and performed five bowings, then two prostrations. Then he remained seated facing the qiblah, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) supplicated until the sun became bright.

(a) Al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that he led the eclipse prayer with five bowings and four prostrations.
(b) It is mentioned from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that he performed four bowings in each rak'ah.

Hanash bin Rabi'ah (may Allah have mercy on him) says: The sun was eclipsed in the time of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), and he led those who were with him in prayer. In it he recited Surah al-Hajj and Surah Ya-Sin; I do not know which of the two he began with; and he recited aloud. Then he bowed for about as long as his standing. Then he raised his head and stood for about as long as he had stood, then bowed, then raised his head from the bowing. Then he remained standing for about as long as his standing, then bowed for about as long as his standing, and after the fourth time he prostrated. Then he stood and recited Surah al-Hajj and Surah Ya-Sin. Then he stood and did in this rak'ah just as in the first rak'ah; he performed eight bowings and four prostrations. Then he sat, supplicated, and then left. As soon as he finished, the sun became bright.
Sulayman al-Shaybani did not narrate it as marfu' (attributed to the Prophet), while al-Hasan bin al-Hurr narrated it from al-Hakam as marfu'.

Hanash narrates from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): The sun was eclipsed, and Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) led the people in prayer. In it he recited Surah Ya-Sin or something like it, then bowed for about as long as his recitation, then raised his head from the bowing and said: 'Sami' Allahu liman hamidah' (Allah hears the one who praises Him). Then he stood for about the length of the surah (Ya-Sin), supplicating, and he said the takbir. Then he performed a bowing as long as his recitation, then said: 'Sami' Allahu liman hamidah.' Then he stood for about the length of the surah, then bowed for the same length, until there were four bowings. Then he said: 'Sami' Allahu liman hamidah,' then prostrated. Then he rose for the second rak'ah and did in it just as in the first rak'ah. Then he remained seated supplicating, and kept urging (them), until the sun became bright. Then he told them that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had done the same.

Abu Ahmad bin Adi al-Hafiz said: Hanash bin al-Mu'tamir Abu al-Mu'tamir al-Kinani, whom some called Hanash bin Rabi'ah, heard from Ali (may Allah be pleased with him); Simak bin Harb and al-Hakam bin Utaybah narrated from him. They criticise his hadith, and he is a Kufan. I heard Ibn Hammad mention this from al-Bukhari. Abu Ahmad said: Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Nasa'i said: Hanash bin al-Mu'tamir is not strong.
The Shaykh says: Some of our companions held that the reports that have come with these numbers are authentic, and that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did it on several occasions: once with two bowings in each rak'ah, once with three bowings in each rak'ah, and once with four bowings in each rak'ah; each narrator conveyed what he had memorised, and all of these forms are permissible. It is as though he (peace and blessings be upon him) would add bowings when he saw that the sun had not yet cleared. This was the view of Ishaq bin Rahawayh, and after him Muhammad bin Ishaq bin Khuzaymah, Abu Bakr Ahmad bin Ishaq bin Ayyub al-Sibghi and Abu Sulayman al-Khattabi, and Abu Bakr Muhammad bin Ibrahim bin al-Mundhir, the author of al-Khilafiyyat, considered it good. Success is from Allah. But the preference that al-Shafi'i indicated is more correct, and Allah knows best.