In all these narrated formats only four prostrations are actually reported, even though the eclipse occurred just once in the Prophet’s lifetime. For that reason the leading imams and critical scholars preferred the ḥadīth of ʿĀʾishah that we are discussing over the other versions. According to it the prayer consists of four rakʿahs and four prostrations, whereas the alternative reports were declared weak by Imams Aḥmad, al-Bukhārī and al-Shāfiʿī, as well as by Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah.
Scholarly disagreement
The scholars differed over whether a sermon (khuṭbah) is recommended for the eclipse prayer.
• The Ḥanafīs, Mālikīs and Ḥanbalīs hold that it has no sermon.
• Al-Shāfiʿī, Isḥāq and many ḥadīth specialists consider a sermon recommended on the strength of the relevant narrations.
The sounder view makes a distinction: if people need a sermon—an admonition or clarification—then it is recommended, following the Prophet’s practice when the people said, “The sun was eclipsed because of Ibrahim’s death.” If there is no such need, one suffices with supplication, seeking forgiveness and the prayer itself.
Lessons drawn from the ḥadīth
1 – A solar eclipse occurred during the lifetime of Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
2 – The prayer is legislated; the majority regard it as an emphatic sunnah.
3 – The prayer should be performed in the manner described in this ḥadīth. We have detailed it in the commentary, supplementing it with particulars from the other narration of ʿĀʾishah reported by both Ṣaḥīḥs.
4 – It is recommended to lengthen the standing, bowing and prostration.
5 – Each subsequent cycle should be shorter than the one before, to avoid weariness.
6 – The time for the prayer begins with the eclipse and ends when it clears.
7 – Delivering a sermon is permissible when a need arises.
8 – The sermon should begin with praising and extolling Allah, as proper etiquette.
9 – The sun and moon are cosmic signs of Allah, pointing to His power and wisdom.
10 – The eclipse occurs to make people fear Allah and warn them of His punishment; this does not contradict the ordinary physical causes.
11 – It abolishes the pre-Islamic belief that an eclipse, lunar or solar, or the falling of stars, signals the death or life of notable individuals.