We mentioned in the last couple of articles certain occasions when the Prophet (peace be upon him) cried, either out of grief for the loss of some of his loved ones or in prayer or when listening to the Qur’an. There were other occasions when the Prophet’s eyes were tearful out of compassion for his community. One such occasion is reported by Abdullah ibn Amr:
“The sun was in eclipse one day during the Prophet’s time. He stood up in prayer. When he bowed, i.e. in ruku’, he prolonged it until we felt he would not lift his head, then he stood so long that we thought he would not go down to prostrate himself, but then he prostrated himself until we felt he would not lift his head again. He was breathing heavily, crying and praying: “My Lord! Have You not promised me that You will not punish them while I am present in their midst? My Lord! Have You not promised me that You will not punish them when we may yet ask for forgiveness?” When he had completed praying two rak’ahs the sun came out again. He stood and praised God and glorified Him; then he said: ‘The sun and the moon are two of God’s signs. Should they be eclipsed, seek protection in glorifying God.” (Related by Abu Dawood, Al-Nassaie and Al-Tirmidhi).
This Hadith mentions several points of much importance. The first is a Muslim’s attitude at a time of unusual universal events. Perhaps today we look at an eclipse as something to be sighted and enjoyed. When a few years ago a total eclipse of the sun took place, people traveled long distances to reach points where it was total. At the moment when the sun was completely dark, they expressed joy; their excitement was at its highest. The Prophet’s attitude is in marked contrast to that. He resorts to prayer, and he is worried about his followers. His prayer is a special one, with very long bowing and prostrations, as well as reciting very long passages of the Qur’an. Needless to say, in his bowing, i.e. ruku’, and prostration the Prophet glorified God and praised him in the clearest of terms. Such a long prayer was very unusual for the Prophet except in night worship, but apparently he wanted to stay in prayer throughout the time of the eclipse.
Secondly, in his supplication, the Prophet mentions God’s punishment, and seeks the fulfillment of God’s promise contained in the following Qur’anic verse: “But God would not punish them while you were present in their midst, nor would God punish them when they may yet ask for forgiveness.” (8: 33) Why would punishment be associated with the eclipse? What could it bring? It seems to me that the eclipse is a very unusual event that reflects a disturbance of the recognized order of day and night. Many previous communities were destroyed by such events, like the floods that overwhelmed Noah’s people, and the storms that destroyed Aad. So the solar eclipse could be a signal for a much bigger universal event, or an upheaval, which could herald a disaster of great proportions. Should a disaster be forthcoming, and then turning to God for protection against its effects is the only way we have.
Besides, the eclipse is a visible sign of God’s control over the universe. It is He alone who is the Master of all planets, stars, galaxies and all creatures in them. He has put in place a system that keeps everyone and everything in place, fulfilling the function assigned to it, until its term set by God has expired. We know that the sun, the moon and the earth run their courses in their orbits providing the conditions that are suitable to human life and its progress. Should this system be disturbed for any appreciable length of time, human life would come to an end. When a total eclipse of the sun takes place, the earth is engulfed in darkness. Should this be prolonged, temperatures would fall and atmospheric conditions would change dramatically. If we imagine an eclipse lasting for a week, or a month, what would happen to animal and plant life on earth? It will all be destroyed, and only God knows what may happen to human life. Hence we see the Prophet resorting to prayer and being absorbed by it throughout the period of the eclipse, praying for God’s mercy. This is the only right course of action. It is true that the eclipse is an unusual event and we may wish to watch it. We can do so, but we must always remember what it signifies and be always aware of God and that our life is given to us only by His grace. And it is for His grace that we should continue to pray.
This is indeed the meaning that we read in the Prophet’s comment on the event as he said that the sun and the moon are two of God’s signs. They certainly reflect His infinite power. We only need to remember that our entire solar system is no more than a drop in the universal ocean that includes billions of similar solar systems of different dimensions. When He allows a change to take place, such as the eclipse indicates, such a change fulfills a purpose of God.
Another version of this Hadith mentions that the eclipse took place shortly after Ibraheem, the last of the Prophet’s children died when he was about one and a half years of age. People suggested that the sun was eclipsed in mourning for Ibraheem. This version mentions that the Prophet said: “The sun and the moon are two of God’s signs. They are never eclipsed for the death or the life of anyone. Should you see them eclipsed, seek protection in God’s glorification.”
This version of the Hadith tells us that we must never associate universal signs like the eclipse of the sun or the moon with any person or what may happen to him or her. It is understandable that the Prophet’s companions should link the eclipse at the time with the death of the Prophet’s son. They knew how the Prophet loved that child. His death must have filled the Prophet’s heart with sorrow. And they were aware that God loved the Prophet. Therefore, a signal that the universe shares the Prophet’s grief sounded appropriate. But the Prophet put the matter in perspective. No one is treated in this way. If this notion of linking universal events to the life and death of ordinary people, it could easily lead to giving some people a divine status, and this could easily slip into polytheism. To prevent any such notion developing among Muslims, the Prophet made it clear that no such link should ever be drawn, and resort should be always to glorifying God, the Creator of the universe who controls all its affairs.
