The Lunar Eclipse and Islam

By Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam Why Are Muslims Required To Pray During Eclipses? Main Points: 1. A penumbral lunar eclipse is anticipated to occur this Friday, May 5, 2023, according to reports. 2. For Muslims, the Prophet (peace be upon him) specified the righteous deeds to perform during lunar and solar eclipses, including prayer, du'a, and charitable giving. 3. The lunar eclipse and solar eclipse are two of the signs of Allah. ---- Earth casting its shadow on the Moon.timeanddate.com ---- There will likely be a penumbral lunar eclipse this Friday. A penumbral lunar eclipse is reported to take place between 8:44 pm on May 5 and 1:01 am on May 6. According to a report published on Live Mint, The penumbral eclipse will be visible in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, and Antarctica. If the sky is clear, lunar eclipses can be seen throughout the night-time from anywhere on Earth. The Moon will rise or set during the eclipse in some locations, but the entire eclipse will be visible from other locations. New Delhi will be able to see it all if the weather is clear. Since an eclipse is just a common occurrence that happens every so often, a questioner at this point asked why, when there was no danger, did the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) command to pray at the time of eclipse? When the sun was eclipsed at the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), he commanded someone to call out “Al-Salaat Al-Jaami’ah”, and he led the people in prayer. Then he addressed them and explained to them the reason for the eclipse, and declared their Jaahili beliefs to be null and void. He outlined for them the proper actions to do, such as prayer, Dua, and charitable giving. The Muslims had no idea when an eclipse would happen, but when it did, they raced to do the prayers and other actions prescribed by Allah. They would be alarmed by the idea of an eclipse threatening disaster and seek Allah's help to overcome their concerns. As astronomy and calculations of the movements of the sun and moon became more widely known in later times, the scholars emphasized that it did not change the ruling and that the Muslims still had to follow the divine commands at the time of an eclipse, even if they were aware of it in advance. Some scholars also talked about how an eclipse may portend bad luck for individuals or perhaps be the cause of it. When the questioner asserts that eclipses have no adverse effects, he is speaking without knowledge and contesting the divine command. The events that Allah causes to take place during an eclipse may or may not be known to mankind. It's possible that because of Muslims' prayers, Allah averts terrible tragedies that are known only to Him. Therefore Muslims must submit to Allah's will, obey His command, and have trust in it because Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. On Tuesday, during the program "Ma'a al-Naas (With People)," which was broadcast on the "Al-Naas" satellite channel, Dr. Ali Fakhr, Secretary of Fatwas at the Egyptian House of Ifta, stated that the eclipse took place during the lifetime of our master Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and that it occurred at the same time as the passing of his son Ibrahim. The people then said that the sun eclipsed and this caused the death of the son of the Prophet. So our Prophet approached them and said: "The sun and the moon are two of the signs of Allah; they do not eclipse because of the death or life (i.e. birth) of someone. So when you see that, supplicate to Allah, say Takbir, pray, and give charity." The Secretary of Fatwas further said, “The lunar eclipse and the solar eclipse are two signs of Allah. He Almighty wants people to observe the scenes before the Day of Resurrection and warns His servants that all matters are under His control. If He wants to change any matter, then He is the one who acts.” The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught us that if we see a lunar eclipse or solar eclipse, we must pray and seek the shelter of God, from the moment the phenomenon occurs until it ends, and that we should ask Allah Almighty for safety from it in this world and the Hereafter. This was confirmed by the Secretary of the Fatwa at the Egyptian House of Al-Iftaa. He added that doing this is the preferred course of action in the case of a lunar or solar eclipse. Solar and lunar eclipses are signs of Allah that remind Muslims of the Day of Resurrection when the sun will be wound round and lose its light, the stars will fall (the Quran, 81:1), and the sight will be dazed, the moon will be eclipsed, and the sun and moon will be joined together (75:8-9). This is why Muslims should be alarmed by eclipses. The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to have a great fear of Allah. When the sun was eclipsed during his lifetime, he emerged from it in an agitated mood and asked his Ummah to seek the help of Allah. This is an indication of how much he thought about and feared the Day of Resurrection. People now go outside to observe eclipses with sophisticated glasses and cameras and no longer consider them to be anything other than a natural phenomenon. The companions of the Prophet used to offer the eclipse prayer in the hope that if the Hour had arrived, they would not be held accountable and that, in the unlikely event that the eclipse had nothing to do with the Hour, they would still have received a significant reward. ----- Kaniz Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a regular columnist for New Age Islam. 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