In the blessed time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, when Surah Kahf was recited, the adhan and iqamah were not given for the prayer, but the mu'adhin was commanded to say, 'Al-Salatu Jami'ah' (The prayer is in congregation), to call the people for the prayer of Surah Kahf. This is reported by Bukhari.

In every rak'ah of the prayer at the time of solar eclipse, there is one recitation and one prostration, and in the second rak'ah, there are two prostrations.

The Noble Prophet ﷺ performed the noon prayer with one bowing and two prostrations in each unit, just as you all perform all the prayers with one bowing and two prostrations in each unit.

Qabisah al-Bajali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: "The sun eclipsed during the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and he prayed as you pray." [Narrated by Al-Tahawi]

Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: "We were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when the sun eclipsed. He rushed to the mosque, dragging his cloak in haste, and the people gathered around him. He prayed as you pray." [Narrated by Al-Tahawi]

Bukhari narrated something similar.

In a narration by Ibn Hibban: "He prayed two rak’ahs like your prayer."

In a narration by Al-Hakim, similar to Ibn Hibban’s, Al-Hakim said: "It meets the conditions of Bukhari and Muslim, but they did not include it." Al-Dhahabi agreed with him.

Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: "We were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when the sun eclipsed. He rushed to the mosque, dragging his cloak in haste, and the people gathered around him. He prayed as you pray." [Narrated by Al-Tahawi]

Bukhari narrated something similar.

In a narration by Ibn Hibban: "He prayed two rak’ahs like your prayer."

In a narration by Al-Hakim, similar to Ibn Hibban’s, Al-Hakim said: "It meets the conditions of Bukhari and Muslim, but they did not include it." Al-Dhahabi agreed with him.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray the funeral prayer in the same way as the prayer with one bowing and two prostrations. This is narrated by Imam Ahmad and Nasa'i, and it is part of the Sunnah.

Al-Nu’man ibn Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed during a solar eclipse in a manner similar to your prayer, bowing and prostrating." [Narrated by Ahmad and Nasa’i with an authentic chain]

In a narration by Nasa’i: "The Prophet (ﷺ) prayed when the sun eclipsed in the same way as our prayer, bowing and prostrating."

Ibrahim reported: "They used to say, 'If an eclipse occurs, pray as you normally pray until it clears.'" [Narrated by Ibn Abi Shaybah with an authentic chain]

'Abdullah ibn 'Umar used to say that the Prophet ﷺ would perform one ruku' in his fajr prayer (multiple ruku' are not established). This is reported by Abu Dawud, Nasa'i, and Hakim, and it is also reported in the Shu'ab, and Hakim has declared this hadith sahih.

Mahmud ibn Labid reported: "The sun eclipsed on the day Ibrahim, the son of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), passed away. People said, 'The sun has eclipsed because of the death of Ibrahim.' The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, 'The sun and the moon are two signs among the signs of Allah. They do not eclipse because of the death or life of anyone. When you see them (eclipse), rush to the mosques.' Then he stood and recited some of Surah Ibrahim, bowed, (1) stood up, prostrated twice, stood again, and repeated the same in the second rak’ah." [Narrated by Ahmad with a good chain]

Al-Haythami said in Majma’ al-Zawa’id: "Its narrators are those of authentic hadith."

(1) The statement: "Then he bowed." Shaykh Ibn al-Humam said: "The narrations about multiple bowings are inconsistent. Some narrators reported two bowings, as mentioned earlier, while others reported three." Ali al-Qari said: "The narrations about multiple bowings are inconsistent, with some reporting two, three, four, or even five bowings. This inconsistency weakens them, so we must rely on the narrations that do not mention multiple bowings."

Ali al-Qari also said: "Al-Shafi’i and Bukhari responded that these narrations cannot be interpreted as indicating permissibility unless the event occurred multiple times, which it did not, as all narrations refer to the same eclipse during the death of Ibrahim. Therefore, we must prioritize the narrations mentioning only two bowings, as they are the most authentic and well-known."

I say: Rather, we should prioritize the narrations mentioning only one bowing, as it is the original practice, supported by both statements and actions, as previously mentioned. All other narrations are inconsistent and contradictory.

In Tabi’ al-Athar, it is said: "The narrations differing from this, which mention multiple bowings, are not supported by historical evidence of later actions, so we prioritize what aligns with the established practice. Additionally, it is supported by explicit statements."

In Al-Bada’i’, Abu Mansur said: "The differing narrations are interpreted as abrogation rather than choice, as the scholars disagreed. If it were a matter of choice, they would not have differed." This is mentioned by Al-‘Allamah Al-‘Ayni in Sharh al-Hidayah.

In Al-Mirqat, it is said: "Some of our scholars reconciled the narrations of multiple bowings by suggesting that the Prophet (ﷺ) prolonged the bowing excessively, and those behind him did not hear his voice when he rose, so they remained in bowing. When those behind them saw that he had not risen, they thought he was still bowing and returned to bowing. This led to the narrations of multiple bowings. Similarly, the narrations of three or four bowings may be based on repeated misunderstandings."

Ata’ ibn al-Sa’ib reported from his father, who reported from Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): "The sun eclipsed during the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He stood and almost did not bow, then he bowed and almost did not rise, then he rose and almost did not prostrate, then he prostrated and almost did not rise, then he rose and almost did not prostrate, then he prostrated and almost did not rise. Then he rose and repeated the same in the second rak’ah." [Narrated by Abu Dawud, Nasa’i, Tirmidhi in Al-Shama’il, Al-Hakim, and Al-Tawus with a good chain]

Al-Hakim said: "It is authentic, but Bukhari and Muslim did not include it." Shaykh Imam Ibn al-Humam said: "Bukhari included Ata’ alongside Abu Bishr, and Ayyub said he is trustworthy."

Imam Ibn al-Humam said in his investigation that Bukhari narrated it in the manner of its transmission.

Abu Qilabah reported from Qabisah al-Hilali (may Allah be pleased with him):

"The sun eclipsed during the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He rushed out in alarm, dragging his garment, and I was with him in Madinah that day. He prayed two rak’ahs, prolonging the standing in them. When the eclipse ended, he said, 'These are signs by which Allah instills fear. When you see them, pray as you have prayed the most recent obligatory prayer.' (1) [Narrated by Abu Dawud, Al-Tahawi, and Nasa’i with an authentic chain]

(1) The statement: "As you would pray the most recent obligatory prayer." In Jami’ al-Athar, it is said: "This refers to the Fajr prayer, as the eclipse occurred when the sun was two spear-lengths above the horizon." This is mentioned in Fath al-Qadir, which adds "two spear-lengths" based on the hadith of Samurah.

Al-Nu’man ibn Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: "The sun eclipsed during the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He prayed two rak’ahs and inquired about it until the eclipse ended." [Narrated by Abu Dawud]

Samurah ibn Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: "While I and a young man from the Ansar were practicing archery, the sun eclipsed when it was about two or three spear-lengths above the horizon. It darkened until it looked like a piece of cloth. One of us said to the other, 'Let us go to the mosque, for by Allah, this eclipse will surely cause the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to address his Ummah.' We hurried, and he was already standing in prayer. He led us in the longest standing, bowing, and prostration we had ever experienced in prayer, and we did not hear his voice. (1) He repeated the same in the second rak’ah, and the eclipse ended as he sat in the second rak’ah." [Narrated by Abu Dawud]

Tirmidhi and Nasa’i narrated something similar, and its chain is authentic. Tirmidhi said: "It is a Hasan Sahih Hadith."

(1) The statement: "We did not hear his voice." The narrations mentioning audible recitation are interpreted as referring to his occasional practice of reciting a verse or two aloud in silent prayers for teaching purposes. A distant observer might have assumed the entire recitation was audible and narrated it as such. This is mentioned in Tabi’ al-Athar.

Shaykh Imam Ibn al-Humam said: "When there is a contradiction, the preference is given to the original practice of silent recitation in daytime prayers."

The third hadith

It is known that there are actually two opinions: one opinion is based on the Quran, and the other opinion contains verses from the Jari Quran. This is found in the books of traditions and in the legal works of others. The night becomes very dark when the moon is crescent or when it sets.

Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: "The sun eclipsed during the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He rushed out in alarm, fearing it might be the Hour, until he reached the mosque. He led us in prayer with the longest standing, bowing, and prostration I had ever seen him perform. Then he said, 'These are signs that Allah sends to instill fear in His servants. When you see them, rush to remember Allah, supplicate, and seek His forgiveness.'" [Narrated by Al-Tahawi]

Bukhari and Muslim narrated something similar.

In a narration by them: Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said, "I never performed a bowing or prostration as long as that."

In another narration by them from Aisha: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, 'The sun and the moon are two signs among the signs of Allah. They do not eclipse because of the death or life of anyone. When you see them, remember Allah, (1) say the takbir, pray, and give charity.'"

In another narration by them from Abdullah ibn Abbas: "The eclipse ended (2) as he finished the prayer. He said, 'The sun and the moon are two signs among the signs of Allah. They do not eclipse because of the death or life of anyone. When you see them, remember Allah.' They said, 'O Messenger of Allah, we saw you reach for something during the prayer, then we saw you step back.' He said, 'I saw Paradise and reached for a cluster of grapes. If I had taken it, you would have eaten from it as long as the world exists. I also saw Hell, and I have never seen a more terrifying sight. Most of its inhabitants are women.' They asked, 'Why, O Messenger of Allah?' He said, 'Because of their ingratitude.' It was said, 'Do they disbelieve in Allah?' He said, 'They are ungrateful to their husbands and ungrateful for kindness. If you were to do good to one of them for a lifetime, then she saw something from you (she disliked), she would say, "I have never seen any good from you."'"

In another narration by them from Aisha: "He said, 'O Ummah of Muhammad, by Allah, no one is more jealous than Allah when His servant or maidservant commits adultery. O Ummah of Muhammad, if you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much.'"

In a narration by Nasa’i: "The Prophet (ﷺ) rushed to the mosque one day when the sun eclipsed. He prayed until the eclipse ended, then said, 'The people of ignorance used to say that the sun and moon do not eclipse except for the death of a great person. But the sun and moon are two creations among Allah’s creations. They do not eclipse for the death or life of anyone. When either of them eclipses, pray until it clears or Allah decrees something else.'"

(1) The statement: "Remember Allah." Abu Hanifah, Malik, and Ahmad said: "There is no sermon for the eclipse prayer." They argued that the Prophet (ﷺ) commanded prayer, takbir, and charity but did not command a sermon. If it were a Sunnah, he would have commanded it. Additionally, it is a prayer that individuals perform at home, so a sermon is not prescribed. The Prophet (ﷺ) delivered a sermon after the prayer to teach its ruling, which seems specific to that occasion. It is also said that he delivered the sermon to refute the claim that the sun eclipsed because of Ibrahim’s death, as mentioned in the hadith. This is stated in ‘Umdat al-Qari.

(2) The statement: "The eclipse ended." In Al-Bahr, it is said: "The sermon he delivered on the day his son Ibrahim died and the sun eclipsed was to refute those who said the eclipse occurred because of his death, not because it was a prescribed practice. Therefore, he delivered the sermon after the eclipse ended. If it were a Sunnah, he would have delivered it before, like the prayer and supplication." This is mentioned in Rad al-Muhtar.

During the blessed time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, once there was a solar eclipse. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ performed the prayer for the solar eclipse so long that I did not pray it myself, nor did I pray with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, because it was such a long prayer with a prolonged bowing and a prolonged prostration, as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to perform the prayer for the solar eclipse with a prolonged bowing and a prolonged prostration.

Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: "The sun eclipsed during the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He rushed out in alarm, fearing it might be the Hour, until he reached the mosque. He led us in prayer with the longest standing, bowing, and prostration I had ever seen him perform. Then he said, 'These are signs that Allah sends to instill fear in His servants. When you see them, rush to remember Allah, supplicate, and seek His forgiveness.'" [Narrated by Al-Tahawi]

Bukhari and Muslim narrated something similar.

In a narration by them: Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said, "I never performed a bowing or prostration as long as that."

In another narration by them from Aisha: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, 'The sun and the moon are two signs among the signs of Allah. They do not eclipse because of the death or life of anyone. When you see them, remember Allah, (1) say the takbir, pray, and give charity.'"

In another narration by them from Abdullah ibn Abbas: "The eclipse ended (2) as he finished the prayer. He said, 'The sun and the moon are two signs among the signs of Allah. They do not eclipse because of the death or life of anyone. When you see them, remember Allah.' They said, 'O Messenger of Allah, we saw you reach for something during the prayer, then we saw you step back.' He said, 'I saw Paradise and reached for a cluster of grapes. If I had taken it, you would have eaten from it as long as the world exists. I also saw Hell, and I have never seen a more terrifying sight. Most of its inhabitants are women.' They asked, 'Why, O Messenger of Allah?' He said, 'Because of their ingratitude.' It was said, 'Do they disbelieve in Allah?' He said, 'They are ungrateful to their husbands and ungrateful for kindness. If you were to do good to one of them for a lifetime, then she saw something from you (she disliked), she would say, "I have never seen any good from you."'"

In another narration by them from Aisha: "He said, 'O Ummah of Muhammad, by Allah, no one is more jealous than Allah when His servant or maidservant commits adultery. O Ummah of Muhammad, if you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much.'"

In a narration by Nasa’i: "The Prophet (ﷺ) rushed to the mosque one day when the sun eclipsed. He prayed until the eclipse ended, then said, 'The people of ignorance used to say that the sun and moon do not eclipse except for the death of a great person. But the sun and moon are two creations among Allah’s creations. They do not eclipse for the death or life of anyone. When either of them eclipses, pray until it clears or Allah decrees something else.'"

(1) The statement: "Remember Allah." Abu Hanifah, Malik, and Ahmad said: "There is no sermon for the eclipse prayer." They argued that the Prophet (ﷺ) commanded prayer, takbir, and charity but did not command a sermon. If it were a Sunnah, he would have commanded it. Additionally, it is a prayer that individuals perform at home, so a sermon is not prescribed. The Prophet (ﷺ) delivered a sermon after the prayer to teach its ruling, which seems specific to that occasion. It is also said that he delivered the sermon to refute the claim that the sun eclipsed because of Ibrahim’s death, as mentioned in the hadith. This is stated in ‘Umdat al-Qari.

(2) The statement: "The eclipse ended." In Al-Bahr, it is said: "The sermon he delivered on the day his son Ibrahim died and the sun eclipsed was to refute those who said the eclipse occurred because of his death, not because it was a prescribed practice. Therefore, he delivered the sermon after the eclipse ended. If it were a Sunnah, he would have delivered it before, like the prayer and supplication." This is mentioned in Rad al-Muhtar.

Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to the Ummah of Muhammad: 'O Ummah of Muhammad, you should avoid what you would avoid if one of your slaves or maids committed adultery, for the wrath of Allah does not come with anything greater than this, and the anger of Allah comes at the moment when His servant or maid reaches the stage of adultery. O Ummah of Muhammad, if you know of the trials of Allah that He knows, then if you knew them, you would find them less in number but more severe.'

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ performed the prayer at the time of a solar eclipse and when it was over, he addressed the Muslims (saying): 'Listen! The sun and the moon are among the signs of Allah. They do not suffer eclipse on account of anyone's death or life. So when you see them eclipsed, remember Allah. The Companions said: O Messenger of Allah, what did you see? When you finished the prayer and were praising (Allah), we saw you taking something behind your back. Then when we looked again, we saw you bringing something forward (which we could not see). The Prophet ﷺ said: When you saw me taking something behind my back, Paradise was presented before me at that moment. I wanted to take a bunch of grapes from Paradise (but Allah did not permit it). If I had taken it, you would have eaten from it until the end of the world. And when you saw me bringing something forward, Hell was presented before me. What a terrible sight it was! If you saw what I saw, you would not find any place to stand. There were many women in Hell. The Companions asked: What do women do that causes them to be in Hell in such numbers? The Prophet ﷺ replied: They show ingratitude. The Companions said: Do they show ingratitude like us? Do they show ingratitude to Allah? The Prophet ﷺ said: No, but they show ingratitude to their husbands and deny their favors. Have you not seen that most of the curses are directed against women? And if anything unpleasant happens with a man, and he reacts negatively, she forgets all his favors and says, 'I have never seen any good from you.' This is why women are in Hell in such numbers.'

Mahmud ibn Labid reported: "The sun eclipsed on the day Ibrahim, the son of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), passed away. People said, 'The sun has eclipsed because of the death of Ibrahim.' The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, 'The sun and the moon are two signs among the signs of Allah. They do not eclipse because of the death or life of anyone. When you see them (eclipse), rush to the mosques.' Then he stood and recited some of Surah Ibrahim, bowed, (1) stood up, prostrated twice, stood again, and repeated the same in the second rak’ah." [Narrated by Ahmad with a good chain]

Al-Haythami said in Majma’ al-Zawa’id: "Its narrators are those of authentic hadith."

(1) The statement: "Then he bowed." Shaykh Ibn al-Humam said: "The narrations about multiple bowings are inconsistent. Some narrators reported two bowings, as mentioned earlier, while others reported three." Ali al-Qari said: "The narrations about multiple bowings are inconsistent, with some reporting two, three, four, or even five bowings. This inconsistency weakens them, so we must rely on the narrations that do not mention multiple bowings."

Ali al-Qari also said: "Al-Shafi’i and Bukhari responded that these narrations cannot be interpreted as indicating permissibility unless the event occurred multiple times, which it did not, as all narrations refer to the same eclipse during the death of Ibrahim. Therefore, we must prioritize the narrations mentioning only two bowings, as they are the most authentic and well-known."

I say: Rather, we should prioritize the narrations mentioning only one bowing, as it is the original practice, supported by both statements and actions, as previously mentioned. All other narrations are inconsistent and contradictory.

In Tabi’ al-Athar, it is said: "The narrations differing from this, which mention multiple bowings, are not supported by historical evidence of later actions, so we prioritize what aligns with the established practice. Additionally, it is supported by explicit statements."

In Al-Bada’i’, Abu Mansur said: "The differing narrations are interpreted as abrogation rather than choice, as the scholars disagreed. If it were a matter of choice, they would not have differed." This is mentioned by Al-‘Allamah Al-‘Ayni in Sharh al-Hidayah.

In Al-Mirqat, it is said: "Some of our scholars reconciled the narrations of multiple bowings by suggesting that the Prophet (ﷺ) prolonged the bowing excessively, and those behind him did not hear his voice when he rose, so they remained in bowing. When those behind them saw that he had not risen, they thought he was still bowing and returned to bowing. This led to the narrations of multiple bowings. Similarly, the narrations of three or four bowings may be based on repeated misunderstandings."

When the sun was eclipsed, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ordered that a slave or a servant be brought forward (so that the divine punishment might be averted due to this act.). This is narrated by Bukhari.