—only for the death or life of a great person.

Out of his sincere counsel, his devotion to delivering the message, and his desire to benefit people, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) resolved to erase from their minds these superstitions, which rest on neither sound transmission nor sound intellect.

So, in his sermon he declared: “The sun and the moon are two of Allah’s signs; they are not eclipsed for the death or life of anyone. Allah causes them to move by His power so that He may make His servants fearful through them and remind them of His favors.

When you witness this, rush back to Allah in repentance and penitence: supplicate, pray, magnify Him, and give charity.”

He then began to spell out some of the major sins that incur Allah’s anger and punishment. While delivering this admonition—he who is ever-truthful and ever-believed—he swore, “O community of Muhammad, by Allah, no one is more protective than Allah, exalted be He, that His male servant should commit fornication or His female servant should commit fornication.”

He also explained that they know only a little of Allah’s punishment; and if they knew what he knows, fear and dread would overwhelm them—they would laugh out of joy only a little and would weep and grieve much.

Our Lord, protect us from Your punishment and have mercy on us by Your mercy, which has encompassed all things—our parents, our teachers, our relatives, and all the Muslims. Āmīn.

Note:
You will notice that some details of the eclipse prayer described above are not found in the wording presently before us; I have taken them from the other narration of ʿĀʾishah that is also recorded in the two Ṣaḥīḥs, so that the benefit may be complete.

Another note:
The eclipse prayer has been reported in several formats. In some narrations the command to “pray” is left general; in others it is described as 2 rakʿahs, 4 rakʿahs, 6 rakʿahs, 8 rakʿahs, and even 10 rakʿahs.