you were kind to one of them for an entire lifetime, but then she saw something from you that displeased her, she would say, ‘I have never seen any good from you.’”1

The Prophet’s—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—alarm at the eclipse, his performance of this prayer, his being shown Paradise and Hellfire during it, his seeing everything that we will encounter in this world and the Hereafter, his seeing that the nation would be tested in their graves, his delivery of this eloquent and moving sermon, and his instruction to his nation to hasten, whenever an eclipse occurred, to prayer, the remembrance of Allah, supplication, seeking forgiveness, proclaiming Allah’s greatness, and giving charity—all this demonstrates the gravity of an eclipse and the importance of hastening to prayer, supplication, and seeking forgiveness when it occurs.

Yet many people in this age have become heedless of eclipses. They attach no importance to them, nor are they moved by them in the least. This is due only to weak faith, ignorance of the sunnah, and reliance upon those who attribute eclipses solely to natural causes, while remaining heedless of the causes established by revelation and the far-reaching wisdom for which Allah causes eclipses to occur. May Allah enable us to revere His signs and fear Him, and grant us the ability to take heed from His signs and benefit from them. He is indeed Most Generous and Bountiful.