of his life. Rather, they are two of the signs of Allah, Mighty and Majestic; [Allah] instills fear in His servants through them (1). When you see that, hasten to prayer” (2).

It is established in the Sahih collections that he performed the eclipse prayer with an additional bowing in each unit of prayer and prolonged it to a degree unmatched in any of his congregational prayers. When an eclipse occurred, he instructed people to pray, remember Allah, supplicate, free slaves, give charity, and seek forgiveness (3).

His statement, “Allah instills fear in His servants through them,” is like the saying of the Most High:

“We send the signs only as a warning.”

[Surah al-Isrā: 59]

For this reason, prayers are prescribed when signs occur in general, such as the scattering of the stars, earthquakes, and other such events. Fear can only be instilled by something that may cause the feared evil, such as an earthquake or a violent wind. Otherwise, something whose presence is no different from its absence cannot instill fear.

It is thus known that an eclipse is a cause of evil, and evil may indeed result from it (4). The question concerning it is therefore the same as that concerning all other causes: is it an actual cause, as the majority of the Muslim community maintains, or merely a habitual conjunction, as the Jahmiyya claim?

When causes of evil arise (5), he—peace and blessings of Allah be upon him—informed us how they may be repelled by means of