The Book of Prayer - Eclipses

Abu Bakr b. Abi Shayba narrated to us: Ismail b. Ulayya narrated to us, from Sufyan, from Habib, from Tawus, from Ibn Abbas, who said: “When the sun eclipsed, the Messenger of Allah prayed eight bowings with four prostrations.” The same was reported from Ali.

Muhammad b. al-Muthanna and Abu Bakr b. Khallad narrated to us, both from Yahya al-Qattan. Ibn al-Muthanna said: Yahya narrated to us, from Sufyan, who said: Habib narrated to us, from Tawus, from Ibn Abbas, from the Prophet, that he prayed during an eclipse: he recited, bowed, recited, bowed, recited, bowed, recited, bowed, and then prostrated. He said: “The other rakah was like that.”

Muhammad b. Rafi narrated to me: Abu al-Nadr narrated to us: Abu Muawiya—Shayban al-Nahwi—narrated to us, from Yahya, from Abu Salama, from Abd Allah b. Amr b. al-As; and Abd Allah b. Abd al-Rahman al-Darimi informed us: Yahya b. Hassan narrated to us: Muawiya b. Sallam narrated to us, from Yahya b. Abi Kathir, who said: Abu Salama b. Abd al-Rahman informed me of the report of Abd Allah b. Amr b. al-As, who said: “When the sun eclipsed during the time of the Messenger of Allah, a call was made: The prayer is gathering. The Messenger of Allah performed two bowings in one prostration, then stood and performed two bowings in one prostration. Then the sun emerged from the eclipse. Aisha said she had never performed a bowing or prostration longer than that.”

Abu Amir al-Ashari Abd Allah b. Barrad and Muhammad b. al-Ala narrated to us. They said: Abu Usama narrated to us, from Burayd, from Abu Burda, from Abu Musa, who said: “The sun eclipsed during the time of the Prophet. He stood in alarm, fearing that the Hour might have come, and went to the mosque. He stood in prayer with such prolonged standing, bowing, and prostration as I had never seen him do in any prayer. Then he said that these signs sent by Allah do not occur because anyone dies or is born. Rather, Allah sends them to make His servants fear Him. When people see any of them, they should hasten to remember Him, supplicate Him, and seek His forgiveness.” In the narration of Ibn al-Ala, it says that the sun eclipsed and that Allah makes His servants fear Him.

Harun b. Said al-Ayli narrated this to me: Ibn Wahb narrated to us: Amr b. al-Harith informed me that Abd al-Rahman b. al-Qasim related to him, from his father al-Qasim b. Muhammad b. Abi Bakr al-Siddiq, from Abd Allah b. Umar, who used to report from the Messenger of Allah that he said: “The sun and moon do not eclipse because of any person death or life. They are signs of Allah. When you see them, pray.”

Abu Bakr b. Abi Shayba and Muhammad b. Abd Allah b. Numayr narrated to us. They said: Musab—namely, Ibn al-Miqdam—narrated to us: Zaida narrated to us: Ziyad b. Ilaka narrated to us. In the narration of Abu Bakr, he said: Ziyad b. Ilaka said: I heard al-Mughira b. Shuba say: “The sun eclipsed during the time of the Messenger of Allah on the day Ibrahim died. The Messenger of Allah said that the sun and moon are two signs of Allah. They do not eclipse because of any person death or birth. When people see them, they should supplicate Allah and pray until the eclipse clears.”