Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (24/254)

Chapter: The Eclipse Prayer

Shaykh al-Islām was asked:

“Concerning the statement of almanac compilers that the moon will be eclipsed on the fourteenth of this month and the sun on the twenty-ninth: are they to be believed in this? When these eclipses occur, should one perform the eclipse prayer or glorify Allah? If one prays, how should the prayer be performed? Please mention the scholars’ views on this.”

He replied:

Praise be to Allah. Lunar and solar eclipses have appointed times, just as the appearance of the crescent moon has an appointed time. This is part of the regular order Allah has established for night and day, winter and summer, and everything else that follows the courses of the sun and moon. These are among the signs of Allah Most High.

As the Most High says:

“It is He who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon—each floating in an orbit.”

And the Most High says:

“It is He who made the sun a radiance and the moon a light, and determined phases for it so that you may know the number of years and the reckoning of time. Allah did not create all this except in truth.”

And the Most High says:

بَابُ صَلَاةِ الْكُسُوفِ سُئِلَ شَيْخُ الْإِسْلَامِ: عَنْ قَوْلِ أَهْلِ التَّقَاوِيمِ: فِي أَنَّ الرَّابِعَ عَشَرَ مِنْ هَذَا الشَّهْرِ يَخْسِفُ الْقَمَرُ وَفِي التَّاسِعِ وَالْعِشْرِينَ تَكْسِفُ الشَّمْسُ فَهَلْ يُصَدَّقُونَ فِي ذَلِكَ؟ وَإِذَا خَسَفَا هَلْ يُصَلَّى لَهُمَا؟ أَمْ يُسَبَّحُ؟ وَإِذَا صَلَّى كَيْفَ صِفَةُ الصَّلَاةِ؟ وَاذْكُر لَنَا أَقْوَالَ الْعُلَمَاءِ فِي ذَلِكَ. فَأَجَابَ: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، الْخُسُوفُ وَالْكُسُوفُ لَهُمَا أَوْقَاتٌ مُقَدَّرَةٌ كَمَا لِطُلُوعِ الْهِلَالِ وَقْتٌ مُقَدَّرٌ وَذَلِكَ مَا أَجْرَى اللَّهُ عَادَتَهُ بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ، وَالشِّتَاءِ وَالصَّيْفِ وَسَائِرِ مَا يَتْبَعُ جَرَيَانَ الشَّمْسِ وَالْقَمَرِ. وَذَلِكَ مِنْ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى. كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: {وَهُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ فِي فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ} وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: {هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ ضِيَاءً وَالْقَمَرَ نُورًا وَقَدَّرَهُ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعْلَمُوا عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ إلَّا بِالْحَقِّ} وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: