the general wording of the Prophet’s statement: “When you see that, then pray.” (1) It includes every time.

If someone were to say: The general wording of the Prophet’s statement, “There is no prayer after the afternoon prayer,” (2) includes every prayer—then we now have two general texts: the general prohibition of every prayer at a particular time, such as the time after the afternoon prayer, and the general command to perform the eclipse prayer at every time. This is what is termed general and particular in different respects. So which general wording takes precedence: the general prohibition or the general command?

If we say that the general command takes precedence, it may be said: Rather, the general prohibition takes precedence, because it is the safer course, since one would otherwise fall into sin.

Shaykh al-Islam mentioned a principle: “When one of two general texts has been qualified, its generality is weakened.” That is, once it has been subject to qualification, it becomes weaker; thus, the general text that has not been qualified takes precedence over it, because its generality remains intact, whereas the generality of the other text, which has been qualified, does not remain intact. What he said is correct.

Indeed, some scholars, may Allah have mercy on them, held that once a general text has been qualified, its indication of generality becomes open to possibility: regarding any individual case covered by its general wording, an opponent can claim that it may not have been intended, just as it was qualified in the case in which qualification occurred.

But the stronger view is that when a general text is qualified, it remains general except in the particular case for which it was qualified.

Thus, the hadith commanding prayer upon seeing the eclipse has not been qualified, whereas the hadith concerning prayer after the afternoon prayer has been qualified by the Prophet’s statement: “If you two have prayed in your dwellings and then come to a mosque in which the congregational prayer is being held, then pray…”