Total Lunar Eclipse & Salat al-Ayat (Dec. 20th to Dec. 21st)

A total lunar eclipse will take place in all of North America the night of Dec. 20 and early Dec. 21.

 

In our area, the eclipse will be visible during the early morning hours of Tuesday, Dec. 21, 

between 1:32 AM - 5:02 AM EST.

 

This is a reminder that Salat al-Ayat becomes obligatory when such phenomenon occur.

Salat/Namaz-e-Ayat

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1500. * Namaz-e-Ayat whose methods will be explained later, becomes obligatory due the following four things:

• Solar Eclipse
• Lunar Eclipse

The prayer becomes Wajib even if the moon or the sun are partially eclipsed, and even if they do not engender any fear.

• Earthquake, as an obligatory precaution, even if no one is frightened.
• Thunder and lightning, red and black cyclone and other similar celestial phenomena, which frightens most of the people; similarly for the terrestrial events like receding sea water, or falling mountains which engender fear in these circumstances, as per recommended precaution, Namaz-e-Ayaat be offered.

1501. If several events which make Namaz-e-Ayaat obligatory occur together, one should offer Namaz-e-Ayaat for each of them. For example, if solar eclipse as well as an earthquake take place, one should offer separate Namaz-e-Ayaat for each of these two occurrences.

1502. If a number of qadha Namaz-e-Ayaat is obligatory on a person, irrespective of whether they have become obligatory due to one and the same thing, like, solar eclipse occurring three times, or due to different events like solar eclipse, lunar eclipse and earthquake, it is not necessary for him while offering the qadha prayers to specify the event for which he is offering the prayer.

1503. Offering of Namaz-e-Ayaat is obligatory for the residents of only that town in which the event takes place. It is not obligatory for the people of other towns.

1504. * The time of Namaz-e-Ayaat sets in as the eclipse starts, and remains till the eclipse is over. It is better, however, not to delay till the reversal of eclipse commences, though completion of Namaz-e-Ayaat may coincide with the time of reversal.

1505. If a person delays offering of Namaz-e-Ayaat till the sun or the moon starts coming out of eclipse, the niyyat of Ada (i.e. praying within time) will be in order, but if he offers the prayers after the eclipse is over, he should make a niyyat of qadha.

1506.* If the duration of solar or lunar eclipse allows time for one or less Rak'at, Namaz-e-Ayaat can be offered with the niyyat of Ada. Similarly, if a person has enough duration of eclipse at his disposal, but he delays till the time to offer one Rak'at remains before the eclipse is over, he will pray with the niyyat of Ada (i.e. within time).

1507. * When earthquake, thunder lightning and other similar events take place, a person should offer Namaz-e-Ayaat immediately, not allowing undue delay. But if these occurrences continue for a protracted time, praying immediately is not obligatory. If one delays when one should not, then, as per recommended precaution, Namaz-e-Ayaat should be offered without the niyyat of ada or qadha.

1508. If a person did not know about the sun or the moon eclipse, and came to know after the eclipse was over, he should give its qadha if it was a total eclipse. And if he comes to know that the eclipse was partial, qadha will not be obligatory.

1509. * If certain people say that the sun or the moon has been eclipsed, but a person hearing that is not satisfied with what they say, and consequently does not offer Namaz-e-Ayaat, if it transpires later that what they said was true, the person should offer Namaz-e-Ayaat if it was a total eclipse. And if it was a partial eclipse, it is not obligatory upon him to offer Namaz-e-Ayaat. The same rule applies if two persons who he does not consider Adil, say that the sun or the moon has been eclipsed and it transpires later that they are Adil''.

1510. * If a person is satisfied with the statement of persons who know the time of solar or lunar eclipse according to scientific calculation, he should pray Namaz-e-Ayaat. Also, if they inform him that the sun or moon will be eclipsed at a particular time, and give him the duration of the eclipse, he should accept their words and act accordingly, provided he is fully satisfied with them.

1511. If a person realises that Namaz-e-Ayaat offered by him was void, he should offer it again. And if the time has passed, he should offer its qadha.

1512. If Namaz-e-Ayaat becomes obligatory on a person at the time of daily prayers, and if he has enough time at his disposal for both, he can offer any of them first. If the time for one of them is short, he should offer that prayers first, and if the time for both of them is short, he should offer the daily prayers first.

1513. If a person realises during the daily prayers that the time for Namaz-e-Ayaat is short, and if the time for daily prayers is also short, he should complete the daily prayers and then offer Namaz-e-Ayaat. But if the time for daily prayers is not short, he should break that prayers and first offer Namaz-e-Ayaat and then offer the daily prayers.

1514. If a person realises while offering Namaz-e-Ayaat, that the time for daily prayers is short, he should leave Namaz-e-Ayaat and start offering the daily prayers. After completing the daily prayers, and before performing any act which invalidates the prayers, he should start Namaz-e-Ayaat from where he left.

1515. * If solar or lunar eclipse, thunder, lightning or any other similar events take place when a woman is in her menses or nifas, it will not be obligatory for her to offer Namaz-e-Ayaat, nor is there any qadha upon her.

Method of Offering Namaz-e-Ayaat

1516. Namaz-e-Ayaat consists of two Rak'ats, and there are five Ruku in each. Its method is as follows: After making niyyat of offering the prayers, one should say takbir (Allahu Akbar) and recite Surah al-Hamd and the other Surah, and then perform the Ruku. Thereafter, he should stand and recite Surah al-Hamd and a Surah and then perform another Ruku. He should repeat this action five times, and, when he stands after the fifth Ruku, he should perform two Sajdah, and then stand up to perform the second Rak'at in the same manner as he has done in the first. Then he should recite tashahhud and Salam.

1517. * Namaz-e-Ayaat can also be offered in the following manner:

After making niyyat to offer Namaz-e-Ayaat, a person is allowed to say takbir and recite Surah al-Hamd and then divide the verses of the other Surah into five parts, and recite one verse or more or less, and thereafter perform the Ruku. He should then stand up and recite another part of the Surah (without reciting Surah al-Hamd) and then perform another Ruku. He should repeat this action, and finish that Surah before performing the fifth Ruku. For example, he may say: Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim with the niyyat of reciting Surah al-Ikhlas, and perform the Ruku. He should then stand up and say, Qul huwallahu Ahad, and perform another Ruku. He should then stand up and say, Allahus Samad, and perform the third Ruku. Thereafter he should stand up again and say, Lam yalid walam yulad, and perform the fourth Ruku. Then he should stand up again and say, Walam yakullahu Kufuwan ahad, and then perform two Sajdah and then rise for the second Rak'at, the same way as the first Rak'at. At the end, he should recite tashahhud and Salam after the two Sajdah.

It is also permissible to divide a Surah into less than five parts. In that event, however, it is necessary that when the Surah is over, one should recite Surah al-Hamd before the next Ruku.

1518. There is no harm if in one Rak'at of Namaz-e-Ayaat, a person after Surah Al Hamd recites another Surah five times, and in the second Rak'at recites Surah Al Hamd, and divides the other Surah into five parts.

1519. * The things which are obligatory and Mustahab in daily prayers are also obligatory and Mustahab in Namaz-e-Ayaat. However, if Namaz-e-Ayaat is offered in congregation, one may say 'As-salaat' three times in place of Adhan and Iqamah. If the prayer is not being offered in congregation, it is not necessary to say anything.

1520. It is Mustahab that the person offering Namaz-e-Ayaat should say takbir before and after Ruku, and after the fifth and tenth Ruku he should say Sami'allahu liman hamida before takbir.

1521. It is Mustahab that qunut be recited before the second, fourth, sixth, eighth and tenth Ruku, but it will be sufficient if qunut is recited only before the tenth Ruku.

1522. If a person doubts as to how many Rak'ats he has offered in Namaz-e-Ayaat, and is unable to arrive at any decision, his prayer is void.

1523. * If a person doubts whether he is in the last Ruku of the first Rak'at, or in the first Ruku of the second Rak'at, and he cannot arrive at any decision, his Namaz-e-Ayaat is void. But if he doubts whether he has performed four Ruku or five, and if the doubt takes place before he goes into Sajdah, he should perform the Ruku about which he is doubtful. But if he has reached the stage of Sajdah, he should ignore his doubt.

1524. * Every Ruku of Namaz-e-Ayaat is a Rukn, and if any addition or deduction takes place in them, the prayer is void. Similarly, if an omission takes place inadvertently, or, as a precaution, an addition is made to it unintentionally, the prayers will be void.

Why are eclipses important in Islamic theology?

The Signs of the Reappearance (Qiyam) of the (Imam) who
undertakes the Office (al-Qa'im), Peace be on him, the
Period of Time of his Appearance, an Explanation of his
Life and an Extract of what is revealed about his State.


Traditions have been reported mentioning the signs for the time of
the appearance of the Imam who will arise (qa'im), peace be on him,
and the events which will take place before his appearance, together
with the indications and features of it. Among them are: The Sufyani
will come out in revolt; the Hasanid will be killed; the Abbasids will
dispute over worldly kingdom; there will be an eclipse of the sun in
the middle of the month of Ramadan; there will be an eclipse of the
moon at the end of that month in contrast to ordinary happenings;
the land will be swallowed up at al-Bayda'; it will be swallowed in the
east-it will be swallowed up in the west; the sun will stay still from the
time of its decline to the middle of the time for the afternoon prayer; it
will rise from the west; a pure soul (nafs zakiyya) will be killed in the
outskirts of Kufa with seventy righteous men; a Hashimite will be
slaughtered between the corner (of the Ka'ba) and the station of
Abraham); the wall of the mosque of Kufa will be destroyed; black
standards will advance from Khurasan; al-Yamani will come out in
revolt; al-Maghribi will appear in Egypt and take possession of it
from Syria; the Turk will occupy the region of al-Jazira; the
Byzantines will occupy Ramla; the star will appear in the east giving
light just like the moon gives light; then (the new moon) will bend
until its two tips almost meet; a colour will appear in the sky and
spread to its horizons; a fire will appear for a long time in the east
remaining in the air for three or seven days; the Arabs will throw off
the reins and take possession of their land, throwing out the foreign
authority; the people of Egypt will kill their ruler and destroy Syria;
and three standards will dispute over it (Syria); the standards of Qays
and the Arabs will come among the people of Egypt; the standards of
Kinda (will go) to Khurasan; horses will come from the west until
they are stabled in al-Hira; the black standards will advance towards
them from the east; the Euphrates will flood so that the water comes
into the alleys of Kufa; sixty liars will come forward, all of them
claiming prophethood, and twelve will come forward from the family
of Abu Talib, all of them claiming the Imamate; a man of important
rank of the supporters of the 'Abbasids will be burnt between Jalula'
and Khaniqin; the bridge next to Karkh in the city of Baghdad will be
established; a black wind will raise it at the beginning of the day and
then an earthquake will occur so that much of it will be swallowed up;
fear will cover the people of Iraq and Baghdad; swift death (will
occur) there and there will be a loss of property, lives and harvests;
locusts will appear at their usual times and at times not usual so that
they attack agricultural land and crops and there will be little harvest
for what the people planted; two kinds of foreigners will dispute and
much blood will be shed in their quarrel; slaves will rebel against
obedience to their masters and kill their masters (mawali); a group of
heretics (ahl al-bida) will be transformed until they become monkeys
and pigs; slaves will conquer the land of their masters; a cry (will
come) from the sky (in such a way) that all the people will hear it in
their own languages; a face and a chest will appear in the sky before
the people in the centre of the sun; the dead will arise from their
graves so that they will return to the world and they will recognize one
another and visit one another; that will come to an end with twenty-
four continous rainstorms and the land will be revived by them after
being dead and it will recognize its blessings; after that every disease
will be taken away from those of the Shia of the Mahdi, peace be on
him, who believe in the truth; at that time they will know of his
appearance in Mecca and they will go to him to support him.

(These signs) are as the reports have mentioned. Among the total of
these events are some which are bound (to happen) and other which
are conditional. God knows best what will take place. We have only
mentioned them on the basis of what is recounted in basic sources of
tradition (usul) because of their inclusion in traditions which have
been handed down. From God we seek help and Him do we ask for
success.

[Abu al-Hasan 'Ali b. Bilal al-Muhallabi informed me:
Muhammad b. Jafar al-Mu'addib told me on the authority of
Ahmad b. Idris, on the authority of 'Ali b. Muhammad b. Qutayba,
on the authority of al-Fadl b. Shadhan, on the authority of Ismaeil b.
al-Sabbah, who said: I heard an old man among our colleagues
mention on the authority of Sayf b. Umayra, who said:]

I (i.e. Sayf b. 'Umayra) was with Abu Jafar al-Mansur and he said
to me of his own accord: "There will certainly be a voice calling from
the sky the name of a man from the descendants of Abu Talib."

"May I be your ransom, Commander of the faithful," I said, "do
you relate that?"

"Indeed, by Him in Whose hands is my life," he replied, "because
my own ears have heard it."

"Commander of the faithful," I said, "this tradition which you
have heard is before my time."

"Sayf, it is the truth," he told me. "When it happens, we will be the
first to answer it. Indeed the call will be for a man from the
descendants of our uncle."

"A man from the descendants of Fatima, peace be on her?" I
asked.

"Yes," he replied. "Sayf, if it was not for the fact that I have heard
from Abu Jafar Muhammad b. Ali (al-Baqir), who told me about it,
even though all the people of the earth have told me about it, I would
not accept it from them. However it was Muhammad b. Ali (al-
Baqir), peace be on them, (who told me)."

[Yahya b. Abi Talib reported on the authority of Ali b. Asim, on
the authority of Ata' b. al-Sa'ib, on the authority of his father on the
authority of Abd Allah b. Umar, who said:]

The Apostle of God, may God bless him and his family, said: "The
hour (of the end of the world) will not arise until the Mahdi from my
descendants comes forth. The Mahdi will not come forth until sixty
liars come forward, all of them declaring: 'I am a prophet.' "

[al-Fadl b. Shadhan reported on the authority of one who reported
it on the authority of Abu Hamza al-Thumali, who said:]

I (i.e. Abu Hamza al-Thumali) asked Abu Jafar (al-Baqir), peace
be on him: "Is the revolt of the Sufyani one of the things which must
happen?"

"Yes," he replied. "The call is one of the things which must happen
as is the rising of the sun from the west one of the things which must
happen. The dispute of the Abbasids over the state is also one of
them and the killing of the pure soul (al-nafs al-zakiyya). The
appearance of the one who will arise (al-qa'im) from the family of
Muhammad, may God bless him and his family, is another of the
things which must happen."

"How will the call be?" I asked.

"There will be a call from the sky at the beginning of the dayù
indeed the truth is with Ali; and his Shia,'' he said. "Then at the end
of the day, Satan will call from the earth - indeed the truth is with
Uthman and his supporters. At that the false one will feel doubt."

[al-Hasan b. Ali al-Washsha' (reported) on the authority of
Ahmad b. A'idh, on the authority of Abu Khadija, on the authority
of Abu Abd Allah (Ja'far al-Sadiq, peace be on him:]

(Jafar al-Sadiq) said: "The one who will arise (al-qa'im) will not
come forth until twelve of the Banu Hashim come forth before him,
all of them summoning men to themselves."

[Muhammad b. Abi al-Bilad (reported) on the authority of Ali b.
Muhammad al-Azdi, on the authority of his father, on the authority
of his grandfather, who said:]

The Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, said: "Before the
one who will arise (al-qa'im), there will be red death and white death;
there will be locusts at their usual time and at their unusual time like
the colours of blood. As for red death that is (from) the sword,while
white death is (from) plague."

[al-Hasan b. Mahbub (reported) on the authority of 'Amr b. Abi
Miqdam, on the authority of Jabir al-Jufi on the authority of Abu-
Jafar (al-Baqir), peace be on him:]

(Al-Baqir) said: "Stay close to the ground. Don't move an arm or a
leg until you see the signs which I will mention to youùI don't think
that you will live until that time. The Abbasids will dispute; a voice
will call from the sky; one of the villages of Syria called
al-Jabiyya will
be swallowed up; the Turks will occupy the region of al-Jazira; the
Byzantines will attack al-Ramla; at that time there will be much
conflict throughout the land until Syria is destroyed. The cause of its
destruction will be the meeting of three standards there: the standard
of the Red, the standard of the Spotted and the standard of the
Sufyam."

[Ali b. Abi Hamza (reported) on the authority of Abu al-Hasan
Musa, peace be on him:]

Concerning the words of Him, the Mighty and High: We will show
them our signs on the horizons and in themselves so that it will become
clear to them that it is the truth [XLI 53], (Musa) said: "(There will be)
a disturbance on the horizons and the enemies of truth will be
changed in form."

[Wahb b. (Abi) Hafs (reported) on the authority of Abu Basir, who
said:]

I (i.e. Abu Basir) heard Abu Jafar (al-Baqir) speak concerning the
words of Him, the Exalted: If We wish, We will send down on them
signs from the sky, and their necks will remain bent submissively to
them (XXVI 4). He said: "God will do that to them."

"Who are they?" I asked.

"The Umayyads and their supporters," he answered.

"What is the sign?" I asked.

"Between the decline of the sun (at noon) and the time of the
afternoon prayer, the sun will remain still," he said. "The chest and
face of man will appear in the centre of the sun, who will be
recognized by his standing and genealogy. That will occur in the time
of the Sufyani. At that moment his destruction will occur and the
destruction of his people."

[Abd Allah b. Bukayr (reported) on the authority of Abd al-
Malik b. Ismail, on the authority of his father, on the authority of
Said b. Jubayr:]

(Sa'id b. Jubayr) said: "In the year in which the Mahdl will rise,
twenty rain storms will rain on the earth. You will see their effects and
benefits."

[al-Fadl b. Shadhan (reported) on the authority of Ahmad b.
Muhammad b. Abi Nasr , on the authority of Thalaba al-Azdi, who
said:]

Abu Jafar (al-Baqir), peace be on him, said: "Two signs will come
before the one who will arise (al-qa'im), peace be on him: there will be
an eclipse of the sun in the middle of the month of Ramadan and an
eclipse of the moon at the end of it."

"Son of the Apostle of God," I said, "usually the eclipse of the sun
occurs at the end of the month and the eclipse of the moon occurs in
the middle of it?"

"I know what I have said," replied Abu Jafar (al-Baqir), peace be
on him. "They are signs which have not occurred since Adam came
down."

[Thalaba b. Maymun (reported) on the authority of Shuayb al-
Haddad, on the authority of Salih. b. Maytham, who said:]

I (i.e. Salih b. Maytham) heard Abu Jafar (al-Baqir), peace be on
him, say: "There is no longer than fifteen nights between the
appearance of the one who will rise (al-qa'im), peace be on him, and
the killing of the pure soul (al-nafs al-zakiyya)."

[Amr b Shamir (reported) on the authority of Jabir (al-Jufi) who
said:]

I (i.e. Jabir al-Jufi) said to Abu Ja'far (al-Baqir), peace be on him:
"When will this event occur?"

"Jabir, that will occur at a time when the killing between al-Hira
and Kufa is considerable," he replied.

[Muhammad b. Sinan (reported) on the authority of al-Husayn b.
al-Mukhtar, on the authority of Abu Abd Allah (Jafar al-Sadiq),
peace be on him:]

(Ja'far al-Sadiq) said: "When the wall of the mosque of Kufa,
which adjoins the house of Abd Allah b. Masud is destroyed, then at
that time the ruler of the people will disappear. At his disappearance,
the one who will rise (al-qai'im), peace be on him, will come forth."

[Sayf b. 'Umayra (reported) on the authority of Bakr b.
Muhammad, on the authority of Abu 'Abd Allah (Jafar al-Sadiq),
peace be on him:]

(Jafar al-Sadiq) said: "There will be three appearances in one year,
one month and one dayùthe Sufyani, the Khurasani and the
Yamam. The standard of guidance will not be among them, except
the standard of the Yamani, because he will summon (people) to the
truth."

[al-Fadl b. Shadhan (reported) on the authority of Ahmad b.
Muhammad b. Abi Nasr, on the authority of Abu al-Hasan al-Rida,
peace be on him:]

(Al-Rida) said: "What you stretch your necks for will not occur
until you are able to discern and to be tested. Only a few of you will
remain."

Then he recited: Alif Lam. Do the people consider that they can
abandon saying " We believe whenever they are tempted? [XXIX 1-2].
He said: "Among the signs of the relief is an event which will occur
between the two mosques (of Mecca and Medina). So-and-so from
the descendants of so-and-so will kill fifteen leaders of the Arabs."

[Al-Fadl b. Shadhan (reported) on the authority of Muammar b.
Khallad, on the authority of Abu al-Hasan (al-Rida), peace be on
him:]

(Al-Rida) said: "(It is as if I see) standards, dyed green, coming
from Egypt until they come to the Syrian (standards). Then they will
be guided to the descendant of the one who gave the testamentary
bequests of authority (to the Imams)."

[Hammad b. Isa (reported) on the authority of Ibrahim b. Umar
al-Yamani on the authority of Abu Basir, on the authority of Abu
Abd Allah (Jafar al-Sadiq), peace be on him:]

(Jafar al-Sadiq) said: "The kingdom of these men will not
disappear until they slaughter people in Kufa on Friday. It is as if I
was looking at heads falling between the Gate of al-Fil and (the place
of) the soap-sellers."

[Ali b. Asbat (reported) on the authority of (Abu) al-Hasan b. al-
Jahm, who said:]

A man asked Abu al-Hasan (Musa), peace be on him, about the
relief. He asked: "Do you want most of it or shall I give you a
summary?"

"Would you give me a summary?" he said.

"(It will be) when the standards of Qays are carried in Egypt and
the standards of Kinda in Khurasan," he replied.

[Al-Husayn b. Abi 'Ala' (reported) on the authority of Abu Basir,
on the authority of Abu Abd Allah (Ja'far al-Sadiq), peace be on
him:]

(Jafar al-Sadiq) said: "Because of the sons of so-and-so there will
be a battle at your mosqueùmeaning the mosque of Kufa. On one
Friday four thousand will be killed between the Gate of al-Fil to (the
place of) the soap-sellers. Beware of this street. Avoid it. Those who
are in the best situation will take the street of the Ansar."

[Ali b. Abi Hamza (reported) on the authority of Abu Basir, on
the authority of Abu 'Abd Allah (Jafar al-Sadiq), peace be on him:]

(Jafar al-Sadiq) said: "Before (the coming of) the one who will rise
(al-qa'im), peace be on him, there will be a year of abundant rain in
which the fruits and the dates on the palms will be destroyed. But
don't complain of that."

[Ibrahim b. Muhammad (reported) on the authority of Ja'far b.
Sad, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Abu Abd
Allah (Jafar al-Sadiq), peace be on him:]

(Jafar al-Sadiq) said: "In the year of the Conquest (by the Mahdi)
the Euphrates will flood so that the water goes into the alleys of
Kufa."

[It is reported in the account (hadith) of Muhammad b. Muslim,
who said:]

I (i.e. Muhammad b. Muslim) heard Abu Abd Allah (Jafar al-
Sadiq), peace be on him, say: "Before (the coming) of the one who
will rise (al-qaim) there will be a trial from God."

"May I be your ransom, what is that?" I asked him.

He recited: Let Us test you with fear, with hunger, and with lack of
money, of lives and of harvests. Good news will come to those who are
steadfast [II 55]. Then he said: "The fear will be from the kings of the
Banu so-and-so; the hunger will be as a result of exorbitant prices; the
lack of money will be due to the failure of trade and the scarcity of
surplus (goods) in it; the lack of lives will be because of swift death;
the lack of harvest will be due to the great rains and the little benefit
they bring to the crops." Then he continued: "The good news for
those who are steadfast is that the one who will rise (al-qa'im) will
soon come forth."

[Al-Husayn b. Sa'id (reported) on the authority of Mundhir al-
Jawzi, on the authority of Abu Abd Allah (Jafar al-Sadiq), peace be
on him:]

(Mundhir al-Jawzi) said: I heard (Ja'far al-Sadiq) say: "Before the
coming of the one who will rise (al-qa'im), peace be on him, the people
will be chided for their acts of disobedience by a fire which will appear
in the sky and a redness which will cover the sky. It will swallow up
Baghdad, it will swallow up Kufa. There blood will be shed and
houses destroyed. Death (fana) will occur amid their people and a
fear will come over the people of Iraq from which they shall have no
rest."


Kitab al Irshad
Chapter: The Twelfth Imam (Peace be on him)
Page (s): 541 - 548
Published by Tehrike Tersile Qura'n