Wednesday, January 05, 2005

The Eclipse Prayers

The Prayer of the Solar Eclipse

If the sun eclipses, then the leader prays with the group two subsets in optional prayer fashion (there is no call to prayer or speech, and there is only one bow in each subset. (Al-Shaafi3iy said: there are 2 bows)
  • The leader of the prayer should be the leader of their Friday Prayers, and if he doesn't show up, then people should pray single to avoid problems.
  • The leader recites lengthily and with silence according to Abu Hanifah.
  • Reciting lengthily in the prayer is a preference, but he may shorten it if he wants to do so. The sunnah is to occupy the entire time with prayer and supplication, so if one of the two is short in time, then the other is lengthened.
  • One supplicates after this prayer until the sun appears since this is what the Prophet (may Allah raise his rank) advised.
  • There is no speech with any of the eclipse prayers.

The Prayer of the Lunar Eclipse

There is no group prayer if a lunar eclipse occurs. Instead, everybody plays single (as a sunnah).