12/08/2026
asalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu
🌑 THE ECLIPSE AND THE FIQH
OF SALAATUL KUSOOF 🌑
☀️ The Sun & the Moon — Signs of Allah
The sun and the moon are special signs (aayaat) of Allah ﷻ and demonstrate His great power.
The sun is such a constant and reliable sight that few of us rarely acknowledge its existence.
First of all, the sun is a gigantic lamp that lights our daily activities. It is also essential for the production of food for humans and animals. In addition to this, the sun provides us with Vitamin D, which is important for the creation and maintenance of our bones and our body.
Furthermore, sunlight has a positive effect on our mood and well-being. Just the sight of the sun ‘lights up’ and brightens our day. We living in Britain know this very well!
Likewise, the sun provides us with natural warmth.
In a similar way, the moon is also a great sign of Allah ﷻ. Without the moon, there would be no natural moonlight to illuminate our way at night.
The moon also has a significant effect upon the earth. Without the moon, the global level of the oceans would be different. If the moon were removed, a considerable amount of water would be redistributed towards the polar regions.
The earth would also spin differently without its orbiting moon. The moon has played an important stabilising role in relation to the Earth's axis of rotation.
All of these things should make us reflect upon the tremendous wisdom and power of Allah ﷻ.
The sun, moon, earth and everything within the heavens and the earth are not operating independently. They are all created, controlled and maintained by Allah ﷻ.
Furthermore, Allah ﷻ uses the movement of the sun and the moon to provide us with day and night. Both of these are great favours of Allah ﷻ.
📖 Allah ﷻ says:
وَجَعَلْنَا نَوْمَكُمْ سُبَاتًا ٩
وَجَعَلْنَا اللَّيْلَ لِبَاسًا ١٠
وَجَعَلْنَا النَّهَارَ مَعَاشًا ١١
> “And We made your sleep for rest, and made the night a covering, and made the day for livelihood.”
(Surah an-Naba, 78:9–11)
We get up in the morning, work and carry out our duties during the day, and then sleep at night removes our fatigue and refreshes us for the next day.
🌙 Allah ﷻ asks:
قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِن جَعَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمُ اللَّيْلَ سَرْمَدًا إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ مَنْ إِلَٰهٌ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُم بِضِيَاءٍ ۖ أَفَلَا تَسْمَعُونَ ٧١
> “Say, ‘Have you considered: if Allah were to make the night perpetual for you until the Day of Resurrection, which deity other than Him could bring you light? Will you not then listen?’”
وَقُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِن جَعَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمُ النَّهَارَ سَرْمَدًا إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ مَنْ إِلَٰهٌ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُم بِلَيْلٍ تَسْكُنُونَ فِيهِ ۖ أَفَلَا تُبْصِرُونَ ٧٢
> “Say, ‘Have you considered: if Allah were to make the day perpetual for you until the Day of Resurrection, which deity other than Him could bring you a night in which you could rest? Will you not then see?’”
(Surah al-Qasas, 28:71–72)
These are powerful verses which require reflection.
The regular alternation of night and day is not something we should take for granted. It is a tremendous favour from Allah ﷻ.
🌌 Reflection Upon the Creation of Allah
Allah ﷻ draws our attention towards the creation of the heavens and the earth and encourages us to reflect upon His signs.
Allah ﷻ says:
إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لَآيَاتٍ لِّأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ ١٩٠
الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَٰذَا بَاطِلًا سُبْحَانَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ ١٩١
> “Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and day are signs for those of understanding — those who remember Allah while standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth, saying: ‘Our Lord! You have not created all this without purpose. Glory be to You! So protect us from the punishment of the Fire.’”
(Surah Aal ‘Imran, 3:190–191)
This is exactly the attitude that a believer should have when witnessing an eclipse.
Rather than simply being fascinated by the astronomical event, we should use it as an opportunity to remember Allah ﷻ, contemplate His greatness and turn towards Him.
☀️ The Sun and Moon — Created by Allah
The sun and the moon are great, but greater than these two is their Creator, Allah ﷻ.
Allah ﷻ says:
وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ اللَّيْلُ وَالنَّهَارُ وَالشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ ۚ لَا تَسْجُدُوا لِلشَّمْسِ وَلَا لِلْقَمَرِ وَاسْجُدُوا لِلَّهِ الَّذِي خَلَقَهُنَّ إِن كُنتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ ٣٧
> “And among His signs are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. Do not prostrate to the sun or the moon, but prostrate to Allah Who created them, if you truly worship Him.”
(Surah Fussilat, 41:37)
From time to time, Allah ﷻ displays the weakness and dependence of the sun and moon to us by temporarily depriving them of their light through eclipses.
This demonstrates the power and might of Allah ﷻ.
A believer is able to see how everything is subservient to Allah ﷻ and in need of Him, while He is independent and all-powerful.
This should encourage us to think and ponder over the amazing power of Allah ﷻ and bow down before Him.
🌑 What is an Eclipse?
An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object is temporarily obscured, either by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer.
An eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into a position of direct alignment with the Sun and the Earth.
There are two basic types of eclipses:
🔹 SOLAR
🔹 LUNAR
☀️ Solar Eclipse
A solar eclipse occurs when the sun is blocked because the moon passes between the sun and the earth.
The moon blocks the light of the sun, casting a shadow over the earth.
SUN → MOON → EARTH
🌕 Lunar Eclipse
A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon becomes darker because the earth passes between the sun and the moon.
The earth blocks the light of the sun, casting its shadow over the moon.
SUN → EARTH → MOON
📅 The Next Eclipse
Modern technology has made it easy to calculate various astronomical events.
Despite the calculation and predictability of eclipses, one should seek the mercy of Allah ﷻ during this time.
ﷺ The Prophet ﷺ During an Eclipse
It was the habit of the Prophet ﷺ that when something unusual and extraordinary happened, he would use it to remind people about Allah ﷻ, remove ghaflah (negligence) from people's hearts and encourage them to turn towards Allah ﷻ.
Hence, when the solar eclipse took place in Madinah Munawwarah, it coincided with and was on the same day as the death of the son of the Prophet ﷺ, whose name was Ibrahim رضي الله عنه.
The people started talking, and some claimed that the solar eclipse was happening due to the death of the Prophet's ﷺ son.
Despite this being a very difficult time, the Prophet ﷺ felt that it was important to correct this misconception and wrong belief.
The Prophet ﷺ thus ordered the people to gather and performed two rak'ahs of Salaatul Kusoof.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
إِنَّ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ آيَتَانِ مِنْ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ، لَا يَنْكَسِفَانِ لِمَوْتِ أَحَدٍ وَلَا لِحَيَاتِهِ، فَإِذَا رَأَيْتُمُوهُمَا فَادْعُوا اللَّهَ وَصَلُّوا حَتَّى يَنْجَلِيَ
> “Indeed, the sun and the moon are two signs from the signs of Allah. They do not eclipse because of the death or life of anyone. So when you see them, supplicate to Allah and pray until the eclipse clears.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari; Sahih Muslim)
The Prophet ﷺ used this incident to remind the people that Allah ﷻ is the One who gives light to the sun and the moon, and He is the One who has the power to take away that light.
In fact, whenever the Prophet ﷺ faced any difficulty, he would at once turn to Salah. This was the case during strong winds, storms and other difficult circumstances.
🌍 An Eclipse and the Events of Qiyamah
The Qur'an describes extraordinary cosmic events that will occur at the time of Qiyamah.
Allah ﷻ says:
يَسْأَلُ أَيَّانَ يَوْمُ الْقِيَامَةِ ٦
فَإِذَا بَرِقَ الْبَصَرُ ٧
وَخَسَفَ الْقَمَرُ ٨
وَجُمِعَ الشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ ٩
> “He asks, ‘When will be the Day of Resurrection?’ Then when the sight is dazzled, and the moon is eclipsed, and the sun and the moon are brought together.”
(Surah al-Qiyamah, 75:6–9)
These verses describe the tremendous cosmic events that will occur at the time of Qiyamah.
They should not be understood to mean that every ordinary solar or lunar eclipse is itself one of the specific signs of Qiyamah.
Rather, an eclipse should remind us of the far greater cosmic events that will occur when the present order of the universe comes to an end.
🤲 What to Do During an Eclipse
When some earthquake, tsunami or other phenomenon takes place, we see it as something amazing and fascinating.
We should rather be taking heed and thanking Allah ﷻ for not punishing us as a result of our bad actions.
We might only see the apparent reason for such incidents, but Rasulullah ﷺ sees far beyond that. He explains to us the real reasons behind these incidents and explains how we should behave in such circumstances.
Eclipses are not something merely to be seen and looked forward to as an astronomical spectacle.
Rather, they should cause us to turn towards Allah ﷻ.
When the Prophet ﷺ passed through the ruins of Thamud during the expedition of Tabuk, he covered his face with his garment and quickened the pace of his camel.
He also instructed the Sahabah رضي الله عنهم to do the same, as it was the scene of Thamud's destruction.
🤍 Istighfar
Istighfar is key to bringing the mercy of Allah ﷻ and seeking relief from difficult situations.
Once several people came to Hasan al-Basri رحمه الله and complained of various different problems.
He advised all of them to do istighfar.
The people around him asked why he had given all of them the same advice.
He replied by reciting the verses from Surah Nuh which discuss the various benefits of istighfar.
Allah ﷻ says:
فَقُلْتُ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفَّارًا ١٠
يُرْسِلِ السَّمَاءَ عَلَيْكُم مِّدْرَارًا ١١
وَيُمْدِدْكُم بِأَمْوَالٍ وَبَنِينَ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ أَنْهَارًا ١٢
> “So I said, ‘Seek forgiveness from your Lord; surely He is Most Forgiving. He will shower you with abundant rain from the sky, and He will strengthen you with wealth and children, and provide you with gardens and rivers.’”
(Surah Nuh, 71:10–12)
Therefore, during an eclipse, we should increase our istighfar and sincerely repent to Allah ﷻ.
💝 Sadaqah
One should also give sadaqah, as the Prophet ﷺ encouraged this during such occasions.
The Prophet ﷺ also said that sadaqah extinguishes the anger of Allah.
As mentioned before, there is also a special Salah during the time of an eclipse.
🕌 The Fiqh of Salaatul Kusoof
Note:
☀️ Solar Eclipse:
To pray Salah is Sunnah according to consensus, but there is a difference of opinion in the way it will be performed.
🌕 Lunar Eclipse:
There is a difference of opinion in whether Salah will be performed or not.
🧎 Salaah
• Some Hanafi scholars have said that it is wajib, but this is not the preferred opinion; rather, it is Sunnah Mu'akkadah.
• There is a difference of opinion among the four Imams in the way that it is to be performed.
The Hanafi School
The Salah will be like an ordinary two-rak'ah prayer, with only one ruku' in each rak'ah.
There will also be qira'ah in each rak'ah as usual.
This is because the hadith of Abu Bakrah رضي الله عنه and Samurah رضي الله عنه do not mention anything extra.
According to the Other Three Schools
According to the Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali schools, there will be two ruku's in each rak'ah, hence there will also be two qira'ahs in each rak'ah.
This is supported by the hadith of Aishah رضي الله عنها and Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما, in which there is a mention of four ruku's in two rak'ahs.
The Hanafi scholars have stated that the ahadith vary and state different numbers of ruku's.
Some scholars have tried to answer this difference by saying that the number of ruku's will be according to the length of the eclipse.
Imam Tabari رحمه الله has also discussed the differing narrations regarding the prayer.
📖 Qiraat
It is Sunnah to have long qiraat in Salaatul Kusoof.
It is better to recite a long surah like Baqarah, Aal Imraan and others of a similar length.
If the qiraat is short, then one should keep engaged in dua or reciting the Qur'an.
🗣️ Khutbah
The Prophet ﷺ also gave a khutbah at the time of KusooF.
The Shafi'i school states that there will be two khutbahs after the prayer, just like Jumu'ah and Eid khutbahs.
Others have stated that the khutbah of the Prophet ﷺ was primarily to remove the misconception that eclipses take place when someone of great importance is born or dies.
📌 Other Points
• The Hanafi and Maliki schools state that this Salah should NOT be performed during impermissible and disliked prayer times.
• The Shafi'i school gives permission to perform Salaatul Kusoof even during disliked times.
• It is preferable to perform the Salah where Eid is performed or in a masjid.
• It can also be performed in other places.
• The prayer will be performed in congregation, and it is better if the local Imam leads.
• It is mustahab to do dhikr, make dua, seek forgiveness and give sadaqah, because the Prophet ﷺ encouraged these.
• There will be no adhan and iqamah for Salaatul Kusoof.
• Ladies should pray Salah and keep busy in Dhikrullah, tawbah and istighfar in their own places.
🌟 A Final Reminder
An eclipse is an opportunity to pause and reflect.
The sun that rises every morning, the moon that appears every night, the alternation of darkness and light, and the entire order of the heavens and earth are all signs pointing towards the greatness of Allah ﷻ.
Allah ﷻ says:
رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَٰذَا بَاطِلًا سُبْحَانَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
> “Our Lord! You have not created all this without purpose. Glory be to You! So protect us from the punishment of the Fire.”
(Surah Aal ‘Imran, 3:191)
May Allah ﷻ make us among those who, when they see His signs, remember Him, turn towards Him, seek His forgiveness, perform Salah, give sadaqah and increase in fear and hope of Him.
آمِين يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ
