‘When
eyes are dazzled;
And
the moon eclipsed;
when
the sun and the moon
are
brought together’.
One of the greatest signs in favour of the
claims of Hazrat Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius as the Divinely-raised
Reformer (Muhyi-ud-Din/Mujaddid) of this age is the total eclipse of the
Sun and the Moon in the same Holy Month of Ramadan
1424, in November 2003.
According to the available scientific information on both total and
partial eclipses over the millennium, the total eclipses of November 2003 are
such a rare heavenly sign. In the last 1400 years of the
Islamic history, the total eclipses of the Sun and the Moon in the same Ramadan
has occurred only very few occasions that they can be counted on our human
fingers. In November 2003 when the total eclipses took place, it was occurring
only the seventh
time in 1400 years of
Islamic history! And
the next occasion is so distant that no one alive on the face of earth today
will be around to witness the same astronomical phenomenon, when it occurs
again in the second half of the next century!
‘We are not concerned with how often solar and lunar eclipses have occurred in the month of Ramazan from the beginning of the world till today. Our aim is only to mention that from the time man has appeared in this world, solar and lunar eclipses have occurred as Signs only in my age for me. Prior to me, no one had this circumstances that on one hand he claimed to be Mahdi Maoud (The Promised Reformer) and on the other, in the month of Ramazan, on the appointed dates, lunar and solar eclipses occurred and he declared the eclipses as signs in his favour.
The Hadees of Darqutni does not say at all that solar and lunar
eclipses did not occur ever before, but it does clearly say that such eclipses
never occurred earlier as Signs, because the word "lum takuna" is used which denotes feminine gender; this implies that such a
Sign was never manifested before. If it was meant that such eclipses never
occurred before "lum yakuna" which denotes masculine gender was needed and not "lum takuna" which denoted feminine gender. It is clear from this that
the reference is to the two signs because signs are of feminine gender. Hence
if anybody thinks that many times lunar and solar eclipse have occurred, it is
his responsibility to show the claimant to Mahdi who declared the solar and
lunar eclipses as his sign and this proof should be certain and conclusive and
this can only happen if a book of the claimant is produced who claimed to be Mahdi Ma'hood and had written that the lunar and
solar eclipses which occurred in Ramazan on the dates specified in Darqutni are
the Signs of my truth.
In short we are not concerned with the mere occurrence of solar and lunar
eclipses even if they had been thousands of times. As a Sign this has happened at the
time of a claimant only once and the Hadees has proved its authenticity and
truth through its fulfillment at the time of the claimant to Mahdi." (Chashma-e-Marifat,
p. 315).
In an essay written as early as 1996, for a science research journal- Hamdard Islamicus- published from Pakistan, Dr. David L. McNaughton pointed to the uniqueness of the phenomenon of two total eclipses during the same Ramadan, by looking at the scientific/astronomical data for the entire history of Islamic Hijri Calendar. He points out that in the entire modern history of the world, between AD 1786 and in future AD 2155, the only occasion when the two total eclipses occur together in the same month of Ramadan, was in November 2003/Ramadan 1424. Concluding his prescient essay, Dr. David L. McNaughton makes a pointed remark:
“It will be interesting to see whether the
two total eclipses scheduled to occur during Ramadan 1424 (AD November 2003) - are cited to support a claim similar to that made by
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, or as proof of the significance of some extraordinary
event”.
In the context of the
establishment of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam in India in
2010-11 and in response to the questions raised by certain Ahmadi brothers at
that point of time in Kerala, Hazrat Munir A. Azim (aba) acknowledged
the reality of heavenly signs that were vouchsafed to him in this era. In
his Friday Sermon of 25 March 2011, Hazrat Saheb
(aba), thus, stated:
'Allah has sent this humble self with lots of heavenly signs and the most
flagrant and being a prophecy of both the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet
Muhammad (saws) is the eclipse of both the moon and the sun in the
same month of Ramadhan back in November 2003 (November 9 and
23). At that time (in the Jamaat Ahmadiyya Al Mouslemeen), Allah made
me stood up and proclaim that I was the one whose advent is announced
through this heavenly sign in our present era, that this sign is for the advent
of this humble self.'
“Even if another Reformer appears later and the
eclipses occur on the specified dates of Ramazan in his time, he would not be able to say that such a
Sign has not been shown for any other Divine Reformer before him since the
creation of the world, since the Sign has already been manifested for the
Promised Messiah”.
“Undoubtedly, people have greatly erred in understanding the Ahadith that mention the prophecy of the Holy Prophet (sa) about the coming of a person named Mahdi. In general, it has been erroneously assumed that the word 'Mahdi' invariably refers to 'Muhammad son of ‘Abdullah' who has been mentioned in some Ahadith. But a careful study reveals that the Holy Prophet (sa) has foretold the coming of several Mahdis…. In short, it is a definite and proven fact that several Mahdis are mentioned in the Sihah Sittah…” (The Heavenly Sign, pp.22-23, Trans.by MA Ghauri, London: Islam International Publications Ltd, (2005); First Urdu edition in India in 1892.
Regarding the spiritual significance of the Heavenly Sign in support of a Divine claimant, the Promised Massih (as) wrote: "Are you not afraid to deny the Hadees of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, even though its truth has become as manifest as the bright sun? Can you present a Sign like this in any age in the past. Do you read in any book that some person claimed to be from Almighty God and then in his time in Ramazan, the lunar and solar eclipses occurred as you have now seen? If you are aware then relate it ….And if you cannot prove, and you will never be able to prove, then guard against the Fire which is prepared for those who create disorder." (Noor’al Haq, Part II).
Just as the Promised Massih (as) had told the sceptics and critics and
unbelievers of his day that the appearance of the Heavenly Signs in the time and
the very presence of a Divine Reformer or a claimant of Divine revelations is a
matter of serious and extraordinary significance for the believers. It
is for Ahmadis and other truth seekers who have asked the questions about heavenly Signs for the Divinely-raised "Muhyi-ud-Din" of
this Era to look at objectively and reflect profoundly on these Signs
and their spiritual importance in the light of guidance left behind by the
Promised Massih (as) in the previous century.
[To read the 1996 Essay by Dr. David L. McNaughton on “Eclipses during Ramadan”, click here. For other Blog articles on celestial signs, click here and here ].