The Prayer of Eclipse
Praying it is a communal obligation and it must be prayed in congregation and in the masjid. When the eclipse is visible and can be seen by people, the call is made to gather the Muslims in the mosque.
The Prayer 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-salaatu jaami’ah (congregational prayer is about to begin)”, and he led the people in prayer. Then he addressed them and explained to them the reason for the eclipse, and declared their pre-Islamic beliefs to be null and void. He explained to them what they should do, such as praying and making du’aa’ and giving in charity.
:He said
The sun and the moon are two of the signs of Allah; they do not become eclipsed for the death or life of anyone. If you see that then call upon Allah and magnify Him, and pray, and give in charity
Related by an-Nasa'i, Book 16, hadith No. 16
How it is prayed:
Praying it is a communal obligation and it must be prayed in congregation and in the masjid. When the eclipse is visible and can be seen by people, the call is made to gather the Muslims in the mosque. The Imam leads the prayer by offering takbeer, recites the Dua'a in the beginning of the prayer, seeks refuge in Allah from Satan, recites al-Fatiha and then recites a long surah after it. He then bows and prolongs his ruku and then stands straight saying: Sami’a Allahu liman Hamidah, rabana wa lakal Hamd. He then begins to recite al-Fatiha again and another long surah but shorter than the first one. After that, He bows and prolongs his ruku but less than the first one and then stands straight saying: Sami’a Allahu liman Hamidah rabana wa lakal Hamd and prolongs his standing position. He then offers two long prostrations and also prolongs his sitting in between the prostrations. After that, he stands up and repeats the same format as the first rak'ah but shorter. He then sits for tashahud and offers Salam.
Time:
The eclipse prayer begins when the eclipse takes place, and should end once it is cleared out. One must not take the predictions of astronomists and pray without seeing it, but rather should only begin prayer once the eclipse is visible. While in prayer, the Imam finishes the prayer either by estimating the time or when someone notifies him.