Yesterday, the world saw a prolific Solar Eclipse, which gathered a lot of media attention. Many were quick to call the Eclipse ‘out of this world!’. However, there was another Solar Eclipse that not many know about, especially if they aren’t Muslims.
In a Solar Eclipse, the Moon blocks the Sun completely, making it seem like night during the day. It is said that the naked eye looking at the Solar Eclipse can be very harmful, for a number of different reasons.
Source: imamsonline.com
The Solar Eclipse that happened during the time of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) is proof that he was the last messenger of Allah Almighty. The Eclipse took place only once in his life — and that too, when the Prophet was 61 years old. This Eclipse happened after one of the most tragic incidents in the life of Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W).
The Holy Prophet (PBUH) had two sons and three daughters from his first wife Hazrat Khadija RA and one son from his last wife, Hazrat Maria Qubtia (The Copt) RA. The youngest child, Ibrahim, was born to Maria Qubtia and Hazrat Muhammad RA. However, it was meant to be that our beloved Prophet would not bear a male child, as Allah Almighty clearly told in Surah Al-Ahzab that Muhammad will not have any male children.
The Prophet Muhammad knew this years ago, but then it happened, the little Ibrahim died. This was one of the most tragic and hurting incidents in the life of the Prophet. There were only a few times that he cried in public, and this was one of them. So when he started to cry, so did the Sahaba. The grief spread across Medina like wildfire.
Just as the mosque was full of gatherers who came to offer their condolences, the Solar Eclipse happened. The Moon aligned itself in the route of the Sun in such a manner that there was no light but darkness everywhere. So a rumor started to spread across Medina, not one that was started by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), but one that made sense on itself.
Source: parhlo.com
The rumor said that on the death of Ibrahim, the Prophet’s son, even the skies are crying in grief and the Solar Eclipse is evidence of that. The Sun was covered by the Moon in the middle of the day. Thus, the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) called for Namaz-e-Kasoof — “Asalatu Jameyah!” // “Come to the Mosque!”.
The Prophet Muhammad PBUH started a long Namaz, one of the longest ever, where he recited a lot of surahs till the Eclipse vanished. The emotional day saw so much.
This incident brings the feeling of mythology to Islam but it happened with all its certainty and left such an imprinting example of the finality of the Prophet that no Muslim in their right state of mind can deny it.
