Mishkat al-Masabih
Mishkat al-Masabih 1493
وَعَنِ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ قَالَ: كَسَفَتِ الشَّمْسُ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَجَعَلَ يُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَيَسْأَلُ عَنْهَا حَتَّى انْجَلَتِ الشَّمْسُ. رَوَاهُ أَبُو دَاوُدَ. وَفِي رِوَايَةِ النَّسَائِيِّ: أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ صَلَّى حِينَ انْكَسَفَتِ الشَّمْسُ مِثْلَ صَلَاتِنَا يَرْكَعُ وَيَسْجُدُ وَلَهُ فِي أُخْرَى: أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ خَرَجَ يَوْمًا مُسْتَعْجِلًا إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ وَقَدِ انْكَسَفَتِ الشَّمْسُ فَصَلَّى حَتَّى انْجَلَتْ ثُمَّ قَالَ: " إِنَّ أَهْلَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ كَانُوا يَقُولُونَ: إِنَّ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ لَا يَنْخَسِفَانِ إِلَّا لِمَوْتِ عَظِيمٍ مِنْ عُظَمَاءِ أَهْلِ الْأَرْضِ وَإِنَّ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ لَا يَنْخَسِفَانِ لِمَوْتِ أَحَدٍ وَلَا لِحَيَاتِهِ وَلَكِنَّهُمَا خَلِيقَتَانِ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ يُحْدِثُ اللَّهُ فِي خَلْقِهِ مَا شَاءَ فَأَيُّهُمَا انْخَسَفَ فَصَلُّوا حَتَّى ينجلي أَو يحدث الله أمرا "
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Al-Numan ibn Bashir said: During the time of the Messenger of God, the sun was eclipsed, and he began praying two rakahs at a time, supplicating about it until the sun cleared.
Abu Dawud transmitted it. In a version from al-Nasai, the Prophet prayed during the solar eclipse as we pray, bowing and prostrating. In another version from him, the Prophet went quickly one day to the mosque when the sun had been eclipsed. He prayed until it cleared, then said: The people of the pre-Islamic period used to say that the sun and moon only eclipse because a great person among the people of the earth has died. But the sun and moon do not eclipse because of the death or life of anyone. Rather, they are two created beings among His creation; God brings about in His creation whatever He wills. When either of them is eclipsed, pray until it clears or until God brings about a matter.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic says death or life; the English witness says death or birth. The translation follows the Arabic wording.
وَإِنَّ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ لَا يَنْخَسِفَانِ لِمَوْتِ أَحَدٍ وَلَا لِحَيَاتِهِ
The Arabic says life, whereas the English witness reads birth.
Can this Arabic reading be checked against a reliable edition or parallel?