that was long, and he recited it aloud. He then bowed for a very long time, rose, and said, “Allah hears whoever praises Him. Our Lord, to You belongs all praise.” He then recited al-Fātiha and a long surah, though it was shorter than the first. He bowed for a long time, but less than the first, then rose and said, “Allah hears whoever praises Him. Our Lord, to You belongs all praise.” He remained standing for a long time, approximately as long as his bowing, and then prostrated for a very long time, approximately as long as his bowing. He then rose and remained seated for a long time before prostrating again for a long time.
He then stood for the second unit of prayer and did as he had done in the first, though it was shorter in its recitation, bowing, prostration, and standing. He then recited the final testimony and concluded the prayer with salām. By then, the sun had become clear again.
The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—then delivered a momentous and eloquent sermon in which he explained that the sun and the moon are two of Allah’s signs and are not eclipsed because of anyone’s death or life. He urged them, whenever this occurred, to hasten to prayer, the remembrance of Allah, supplication, and seeking His forgiveness until Allah brought relief and the eclipse cleared.
Among the things he said in his sermon was: “O nation of Muhammad! By Allah, no one has greater protective jealousy than Allah when His male or female servant commits adultery. O nation of Muhammad! If you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much.”
He also said in his sermon: “There was nothing I had not previously seen that I was not shown while standing here, even Paradise and Hellfire. It was revealed to me that you will be tested in your graves with a trial like that of the False Messiah. It will be asked, ‘What do you know about this man?’ The believer—or the one who possessed certainty—will say, ‘He is Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah. He came to us with clear proofs and guidance, so we responded to him and followed him.’ He will be told, ‘Sleep peacefully, if indeed you were certain of him.’ As for the hypocrite—or the one who harbored doubt—he will say, ‘I do not know. I heard people saying something, so I said the same.’”
The Companions said to him, “O Messenger of Allah, we saw you reach for something while you were standing, and then we saw you draw back [that is, step backward].” He replied: “I saw Paradise and reached for a bunch of grapes. Had I taken it, you would have eaten from it for as long as the world remained. I also saw Hellfire, and I have never seen a sight more horrifying than what I saw today. I saw that most of its inhabitants were women.” They asked, “Why, O Messenger of Allah?” He replied, “Because of their ingratitude.” Someone asked, “Do they disbelieve in Allah?” He said, “They are ungrateful to their husbands and ungrateful for kindness. If