‘Salat-al-Kasuf’: Prayer of Eclipse

 

'…He created the sun, moon, and stars to be subservient to His command; all creation and command belong to Him. Exalted be God, Lord of all the worlds!’ (7:55)

‘It is He who created night and day, the sun and the moon, each floating in its orbit.’ (21:34)

The sun and the moon follow their calculated courses’. (55:6)

'The night, the day, the sun, the moon, are only a few of His signs. Do not bow down in worship to the sun or the moon, but bow down to God who created them, if it is truly Him that you worship.’—(41:38)

'The sun and the moon are two signs of the Almighty. Solar and lunar eclipses do not occur because of the life or death of someone; in fact, the Almighty warns His people through such phenomena. So, when you see them, beseech the Almighty, celebrate His sovereignty, offer the prayer and spend in His way’. 

---Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa)

Recently a Muslim brother from India contacted Imam-Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Al Siddique Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius requesting guidance on Islamic prayer to be offered in times of solar or lunar eclipses. We are reproducing below the clear guidance given by Hazrat Saheb (aba) on the occasion for the benefit of all truth seekers in relation to the religious prayer to be offered in times of solar or lunar eclipse:

On the 'Super Blue Blood Moon' 2018

'Super Blue Blood Moon', an extraordinary lunar event, dazzled millions of sky-watchers around the world on the night of Wednesday, 31 January 2018. Extracted below are the special remarks on this Heavenly Sign by Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius: 

A Rare Heavenly Sign

"The world has witnessed an extraordinary celestial sign Wednesday, 31 January 2018. This sign is a Super Blue Blood Moon. What exactly is this super blue blood moon? It is the conjunction of three lunar peculiarities. 

To give a simplified explanation of this phenomenon (or rather divine sign), it is when the natural satellite is at the same time relatively close to the Earth (which gives us a Super Moon), it is also the 2^nd full Moon in a month (a Blue Moon) and there is at the same time an eclipse of the moon (a Blood Moon). So it's a super-moon combined with a blue moon and with an eclipse of the moon that was total in some parts of the world and that we call, a blood moon. 

All three phenomena were visible only in certain parts of the earth, in this case in America (after 152 years) and in the countries of Asia and Australia and so on. But for the countries of Europe, like France etc., this phenomenon, this celestial sign was not visible (but was visible in 1982). But here in Mauritius after 152 years, we witnessed this, but only with a partial eclipse of the moon that lasted only a few minutes. (Inset: Seagulls and the blue moon in Portobello, Edinburgh, taken by Matthew Corney, (c) BBC).

Heavenly Signs in the Later Days

This phenomenon/ sign became subject of conversations, with everyone speculating on its meaning. There are those who say that it is an indicator of the approach of the end of the world and that the Saviour will appear soon. But the truth is that we are living the days of the end of the world and the Saviour that everyone is waiting for is already among you. When you see such divine heavenly signs, these are signs in support of the coming of a Messenger of Allah. 

Solar Eclipse, in Mauritius: A Grand Sign

DEEP PARTIAL ANNUAL SOLAR ECLIPSE VISIBLE FROM MAURITIUS

Like you witnessed yesterday (01 September 2016), a deep and partial annular Solar Eclipse was visible here in Mauritius, as well as the other nearby islands and countries like Rogrigues, Reunion, Madagascar, and Central Africa. The eclipse was also partially visible in parts of the Indian and Atlantic Ocean.

An annular eclipse occurs when the moon is farthest from the earth from its orbit. Thus, this makes the moon look smaller, and the outer ring of the sun’s fires or rays of light is seen. For yesterday’s eclipse, the sun disc was eclipsed up to nearly 90% (88.8%). In simpler words, it was noticeably dark here in Mauritius.

The start of the partial phase of the eclipse was seen 27 minutes after noon and reached its maximum at around 14.13pm. The last phase of the eclipse ended at 15.44pm. As for the maximum duration of annularity, it lasted for 3 minutes.

In our sister Island, that is, Reunion Island (the first island outside Mauritius where I went to propagate the teachings of the Promised Messiah (as)), mainly in Saint-Louis, at the Etang du Gol, dubbed as the Eclipse Village, the eclipse  was magnificently whole with a beautiful ring of fire from 14.09-14.11pm, that is, two minutes and 44 seconds of annularity. 

For the first time since 1901, that is, after 115 years, an eclipse of such a magnitude was witnessed from Mauritius by the Mauritians. This is the only deepest solar eclipse to be witnessed from Mauritius itself for the 21^st century. The next eclipse of such magnitude shall manifest in the year 2200.

This is one of the mighty signs for this era, especially with the advent of this humble Messenger of Allah in this 21^st century (CE) and 15^th Century (AH), whereby Mauritius witnessed an eclipse of such a nature.

'Super Blood Moon' : A Grand Celestial Sign

There is no doubt that our Earth is dying. Day after day, hour after hour, the Earth nears its end, just like all humans and every living being shall inevitably meet their end. 

But no one can with exactitude say when the final Hour shall occur. Only the Almighty, Allah (twa) owns information about it and has not disclosed it to anyone, even His closest and most beloved of all prophets and creatures, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

WHAT IS THE “FINAL HOUR/
THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT”?

In the Holy Quran, Allah (swt) clearly states:

They ask you about the Hour: when is its arrival? 

Say, “Its knowledge is only with my Lord. None will reveal its time except Him. It lays heavily upon the heavens and the earth. It will not come upon you except unexpectedly.” 

They ask you as if you are familiar with it.

Say, “Its knowledge is only with Allah, but most of the people do not know.” 
----(Qur'an , 7: 188)

“People ask you concerning the Hour. Say, “Knowledge of it is only with Allah. And what may make you perceive? Perhaps the Hour is near.” (Quran 33: 64)

The Bible also makes clear that only God Almighty knows the timing of such, and anyone who makes such a prediction (claiming that he knows the time of the Hour) acts contrary to the Word of God.

Eclipses in Ramadan: A Great Sign

‘When eyes are dazzled;

And the moon eclipsed;

when the sun and the moon

are brought together’.

       - The Holy Qur'an, 75: 8-10 

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!

On the other hand, partial eclipses of the Moon and the Sun can occur together in the same Holy Month at an interval of every 22 or 23 years, a fact confirmed by the great Ahmadi astronomer Dr. Saleh Muhammad Allahdin Sahib as well.  Leaving the whole millennium of Islam, in the 19th century itself, the partial eclipses of the Sun and the Moon have occurred together in the same Ramadan 9 times. It was one of such occurrences in 1894 that formed the backdrop of the claim of the Promised Massih Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian. The ‘rarity’ in that case was that there was a Divine claimant at that point of time and that such a heavenly phenomenon was visible from Qadian after many centuries. Regarding the significance of the Heavenly Signs in support of the claims of a Divine Reformer, the Promised Massih (as) was very clear about the scope and limits of the Prophecy of double eclipses in the same Ramadan and he states:

‘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.