All of the foregoing is Malik’s opinion, the first view being the authoritative formulation of his school. Everything mentioned applies only so long as the sun has not yet re-appeared.
When a solar eclipse occurs, a caller announces, “To prayer—may Allah have mercy on you,” or, “Prayer in congregation,” without giving the adhan. The people then enter the mosque—for the eclipse prayer is offered only there—where the imam leads them, again without an iqamah, in two rakʿahs, each containing two rukuʿs (bowings).
He begins with the opening takbir, then recites quietly al-Fatihah followed by a surah roughly the length of al-Baqarah. After that he performs a long rukuʿ proportionate to the length of his recitation, rises saying, “Allah hears those who praise Him,” and recites al-Fatihah again together with a surah about the length of Al ʿImran. He then makes another rukuʿ of comparable length, rises saying, “Allah hears those who praise Him,” and performs two complete but not overly prolonged prostrations.
This is Malik’s position. Ibn al-Qasim, however, held that the prostrations should be as long as the bowings. The imam then stands for a second rakʿah, equal to the first or slightly shorter, in which he recites al-Fatihah and a surah about the length of al-Nisaʾ. After the first rukuʿ of this rakʿah he again recites al-Fatihah together with a surah about the length of al-Maʾidah. Any surah would suffice, but Malik’s preferred practice is what we have just described. He then makes two prostrations as noted, sits for the tashahhud, supplicates, invokes blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ, and ends with the taslim.
No formal sermon is given before or after the prayer; rather, the imam turns to the congregation, admonishes and exhorts them, and urges them to give charity, pray, and fast. If he fears that those behind him will find the prayer burdensome, he shortens the recitation while still performing it in its prescribed form: two rakʿahs, each with two rukuʿs. He does not lengthen the bowing that follows the second standing, and in each rakʿah the first bowing is longer than the second. If they finish the prayer at the very moment the sun clears, so much the better, even if