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.
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Earth casting its shadow on the
Moon.timeanddate.com
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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.
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Kaniz Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a
regular columnist for New Age Islam.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-science/lunar-eclipse-/d/129706
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