As for believing or disbelieving someone who reports such matters, one may neither believe him unless his truthfulness is known nor disbelieve him unless his falsehood is known. As the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“When the People of the Book relate something to you, neither believe them nor disbelieve them, for they may tell you something true and you disbelieve them, or tell you something false and you believe them.”

Although it is possible to know when solar and lunar eclipses will occur, the particular person reporting this may or may not possess that knowledge, and may or may not be trustworthy in what he reports. Judgment must be suspended concerning the report of an unknown person whose knowledge and truthfulness cannot be relied upon, but who is not known to be lying. Even if someone reported the time of prayer, his report would not be accepted if his reliability were unknown. However, when those versed in astronomical calculation agree in their reports, they hardly ever err. Even so, their reports do not establish knowledge authoritative under Islamic law, for the solar and lunar eclipse prayers are performed only when we witness the eclipse.

If a person considers such a report possibly true, or believes it most likely to be true, and therefore intends to perform the eclipse prayer at that time and prepares to watch for the eclipse, this would encourage him to hasten to obey Allah Most High and worship Him. Muslims agree that prayer is prescribed during an eclipse. Reports of this practice from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, have been transmitted through numerous independent chains, and the compilers of the Sahīh, Sunan and Musnad collections have narrated them through many routes. It is also widely reported that he led the Muslims in the eclipse prayer on the day his son Ibrāhīm died.