﷽
الحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله
وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين
اللهم اجعلنا منهم
With the Name of The One True God, Allāh, The Infinitely Caring, Eternally Compassionate. We sincerely praise and thank God to the highest extent, and ask Him to bless, protect, honor, and compliment our Prophet and Messenger Muḥammad, his family, his companions, and those that diligently follow them until the end of times. Dear God, please include us from amongst them.
On the morning of Monday, April 8th 2024, a solar eclipse will start to occur around 8:42 a.m. (PT) and will continue until around 1:52 p.m. (PT). It will be visible across Southern California. A solar eclipse is when the physical disc of the moon covers and eclipses the physical disc of the sun.[1] This is an extremely rare occurrence and is extremely dangerous to view.
For more eclipse related details, please see:
| Eclipse Stages Worldwide | Local Time in Los Angeles |
|---|---|
| First location to see the partial eclipse begin | Apr 8 at 8:42:15 am |
| First location to see the full eclipse begin | Apr 8 at 9:38:52 am |
| Maximum Eclipse | Apr 8 at 11:17:21 am |
| Last location to see the full eclipse end | Apr 8 at 12:55:35 pm |
| Last location to see the partial eclipse end | Apr 8 at 1:52:19 pm |
We know that a solar eclipse occurred once during the lifetime of our Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ,[3] so let us see what he ﷺ said and did. The Prophet ﷺ said, “The sun and the moon are two of the many signs of Allāh. They do not eclipse on their own due to death or birth of anyone. So when you see an eclipse [do the following].”[4] In multiple other narrations, the Prophet ﷺ said, “rush to prayer out of fear (فَافْزَعُوا إِلَى الصَّلاَةِ)”. Here is a compilation of the multiple different actions the Prophet ﷺ encouraged his community to do upon seeing an eclipse:
We should try to be in congregation at our local masjid for the Prayer of the Solar Eclipse (Ṣalāh Al-Kusūf). Ideally, the imām will lead the congregation in 2 very long units (rakʿatān) of prayer. If you are unable to pray in congregation, then try to pray 2 units on your own, and try to make them as long as possible. The prayer should ideally last the duration of the eclipse. If the eclipse has not ended by the time the prayer is over, proceed to make extra supplications (duʿāʾ) and remember and mention Allāh (dhikr) until the eclipse finishes.[12]
This should also be a time of fear and reflection. Our Beloved Prophet ﷺ had a heightened state of fear of Allāh ﷻ during the eclipse.[13] He ﷺ also reminded us that the sun and the moon are creations and indicators of God ﷻ, so when we see them (especially in such an intense state), we should remember Allāh and seek His Forgiveness.[14] It is also a time for us to engage in charitable works, especially helping those in need.[15]
We may be tempted to go outside and stare (with polarized glasses) at the eclipse, and that makes sense since this is a very rare sight. However, when it first starts, take a moment to (safely) look at it (if you must), and then act like the companion ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Samurah (raḍiya Allāh ʿanh[16]) who was practicing archery when he noticed the eclipse, and then decided to run the Prophet ﷺ to see how he ﷺ would act during such a situation.[17] If you are worried about “missing it”, do not worry, because NASA and Time and Date will have all the videos, pictures, and diagrams one could ask for.
Also, let us not forget the honor and rank given to our Prophet ﷺ during this incident. This was one of those special times that Allāh ﷻ chose to give His Beloved Messenger ﷺ a glimpse of the Hereafter.[18] Interestingly enough, when we read those narrations, the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ said that he saw Heaven and tried to grab a cluster of grapes, and also saw The Fire. It is as if Allāh ﷻ opened up a literal portal into the Heavenly dimension for His Prophet ﷺ to enter. Yet, our dear Messenger ﷺ chose to (once again) stay with us, his ummah, hoping to continue guiding us and teaching us — because he ﷺ loves us and wants to meet us safe and sound in Paradise—, despite the endless bounties awaiting him ﷺ on the other side.
At the same time, this was an event of loss for our Prophet ﷺ. The death of his dear son, Ibrāhīm (raḍiya Allāh ʿanh), coincided with the eclipse. Because of that, some people felt reassured of their pagan belief that eclipses were, on their own, a cosmic sign of the birth and death of important people. However, our Prophet ﷺ taught us that this is not the case. As we mentioned before, he ﷺ said that they are simply indicators towards Allāh. So when we see them, remember Allāh and turn to Him. And during the eclipse, continue to pray until the eclipse ends. Again, look at how much our beloved Prophet ﷺ chose to care for us. He ﷺ did not isolate himself at this difficult moment. Rather, he ﷺ still stayed amongst his companions (raḍiya Allāh ʿanhum) to teach them, advise them, and guide them to what pleases Allāh ﷻ. What a Messenger we have, ﷺ!
We have a great opportunity before us to (briefly) witness a spectacular sight of the magnificence of Allāh ﷻ, and to follow a rare sunnah of our Prophet ﷺ.
Footnotes
