ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Sulaymān ibn Kathīr. None of these men occur in the ḥadīth transmitted by al-Zuhrī, and, in any case, the afore-mentioned report of Ibn Isḥāq from ʿĀʾishah stands in direct contradiction to it.
The champions of audible recitation also buttressed their position by an analogical argument based on resemblance. They said: “This is a Sunnah prayer performed in congregation during the daytime; therefore the recitation ought to be voiced aloud, just as in the two ʿEid prayers and the rain-seeking prayer.” Al-Ṭabarī held that either mode was permissible, and this—namely, harmonising the various texts—is the preferred method whenever feasible; as I am aware, the jurists who specialise in legal theory are unanimous on this point.
Third Issue: The time at which the eclipse prayer may be offered.
• Al-Shāfiʿī maintained that it is valid at all times, even at those periods in which prayer is normally forbidden.
• Abū Ḥanīfah held that it is not to be performed during the prohibited times.
• As for Mālik, Ibn Wahb relates from him that the solar-eclipse prayer is confined to hours in which voluntary prayer is lawful, while Ibn al-Qāsim reports that its Sunnah time is from mid-morning until just before noon.
The root of their disagreement lies in their differing conceptions of the prayers barred during the prohibited hours. Whoever considered those times to exclude every kind of prayer would equally forbid the eclipse prayer; whoever viewed the Prophetic reports as applying solely to supererogatory prayers—and deemed the eclipse prayer a Sunnah—allowed it; and whoever also classified it as nafl yet adhered to the literal prohibition did not allow it in those hours. Ibn al-Qāsim’s narration from Mālik can only be understood as likening the eclipse prayer to the ʿEid prayer.
Fourth Issue: Is a sermon (khuṭbah) required after the eclipse prayer?
Al-Shāfiʿī held that the sermon is a necessary component, whereas Mālik and Abū Ḥanīfah maintained that there is no sermon for the eclipse prayer.
Their dispute goes back to the reason for which the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—addressed the people after finishing the eclipse prayer. According to the ḥadīth of ʿĀʾishah, she related:
“When he concluded the prayer and the sun had returned to normal, he praised and extolled Allah and then said, ‘Indeed the sun and the moon are two of Allah’s signs; they do not eclipse for the death or life of anyone….’”
Al-Shāfiʿī argued that the Prophet delivered this address because a sermon forms part of the Sunnah of the prayer, as is the case with the ʿEid and rain prayers. Others, siding with Mālik and Abū Ḥanīfah, contended that the Prophet’s sermon on that occasion was merely to refute the people’s claim that the sun had eclipsed on account of the death of his son Ibrāhīm—peace be upon him.
Fifth Issue: The lunar eclipse.
Al-Shāfiʿī held that a congregational prayer is to be performed for a lunar eclipse in the same manner as for a solar eclipse; this was also the view of Aḥmad, Dāwūd, and a group of scholars. Mālik and Abū