The eclipse prayer (Salat al-Kusuf and Khusuf)
The sunnah prayer for a solar eclipse and the recommended prayer for a lunar eclipse: when to pray, how many units (rak'ahs), and how they differ from an ordinary prayer.
Sometimes the sun goes dark in the daytime, or the moon goes dark at night. This is called an eclipse: kusuf for the sun, khusuf for the moon. It is not a sign that someone has died. It is a sign of Allah's power, and it should make us remember Him.
Praying when the sun is eclipsed is sunnah. It is best prayed together with other people, led by the same imam who leads the Friday prayer. If he is not there, people pray it in smaller groups at the mosque or at home instead.
1How the sun-eclipse prayer is different
- There is no adhan and no iqamah for it. If people need to be called, someone just announces "as-salatu jami'ah" (the prayer is starting).
- There is no khutbah (sermon) either, before or after.
- It is two rak'ahs, like other nafl prayers, but the imam reads for a long time and makes ruku' and sujood long too.
- The reading is said quietly, not out loud.
- After the prayer, the imam stands and makes a long dua, and everyone else says "Ameen". This dua goes on until the sun is clear again.
It is a good thing to give charity to people in need while an eclipse is happening.
1Praying when the moon is eclipsed is a good thing to do (mustahabb), but it is a little different from the sun-eclipse prayer: you don't need to go and pray it with everyone else. You can just pray it by yourself at home, two rak'ahs.
Kusuf is a solar eclipse; khusuf is a lunar eclipse. A hadith explains that eclipses are not caused by anyone's death; they are signs of Allah's power meant to instil fear in His servants so that they turn back to Him. Another hadith instructs: when anyone sees an eclipse, whether of the sun or the moon, they should make dua, say "Allahu Akbar", pray, and give charity.
The eclipse prayer belongs to a small family of prayers prescribed for a specific event rather than a fixed time of day, alongside the prayer offered during a frightening calamity, the prayer for rain (Istisqa) and the prayer of fear (Salat al-Khawf). The table below shows how they differ from an ordinary congregational prayer.
| Prayer | Congregation | Adhan & iqamah | Sermon | Recitation | Rak'ahs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ordinary fard prayer | Recommended | Called | None (except Jumu'ah) | Aloud for some prayers, silent for others | Set for that prayer (2, 3 or 4) |
| Eclipse of the sun (Kusuf) | Sunnah, led by the Friday imam if present | None, announce "as-salatu jami'ah" if needed | None | Silent | 2 (one ruku' each), prolonged |
| Eclipse of the moon (Khusuf) | Not in congregation, prayed alone | Not addressed in the source | Not addressed in the source | Not addressed in the source | 2 |
| Prayer for rain (Istisqa) | Not obligatory (Abu Hanifa); congregational when led (Abu Yusuf & Imam Muhammad) | None | None (Abu Hanifa); one or two sermons after the prayer (Abu Yusuf & Imam Muhammad) | Aloud | 2 |
| Prayer of fear (Salat al-Khawf) | Yes, split into two groups behind one imam | Not addressed in the source; it is the fard prayer already due | Not addressed in the source | As for the fard prayer being offered | Same as the fard prayer, divided between the two groups |
Cells marked "not addressed in the source" are left that way deliberately rather than guessed: see the review flags for this batch.
The prayer for a solar eclipse is unanimously sunnah. It is prayed in congregation (a communal sunnah, so if enough people pray it together the obligation is met for all) led by the same imam who leads the Friday prayer. If that imam is not present, people pray it separately, either at the mosque or at home.
1How the solar eclipse prayer is prayed
- There is no adhan or iqamah. If people need to be gathered, "as-salatu jami'ah" is announced instead.
- There is no khutbah, because none is established for this prayer.
- It is preferable to pray it in the Eid ground or the central mosque, though anywhere is permitted.
- It consists of two rak'ahs, prayed like other voluntary prayers, without adhan, iqamah or a sermon, and outside the disliked times.
- Only one ruku' is performed in each rak'ah.
- It is sunnah to prolong the recitation (for example Surah al-Baqarah in the first rak'ah and Aal Imran in the second) and to prolong the ruku' and sujood.
- The recitation is not said aloud.
- After the prayer, the imam does not ascend a pulpit. He stands, ideally leaning on a stick or bow, facing the people, and makes dua; the congregation says "Ameen".
- The dua continues until the eclipse clears.
Giving charity to those in need during an eclipse is recommended.
1The prayer for a lunar eclipse is mustahabb (recommended). It consists of two rak'ahs, but, unlike the solar eclipse prayer, it is not prayed in congregation, whether or not the Friday imam is present, and there is no need to go to the mosque for it; it may be prayed individually at home.
Kusuf denotes a solar eclipse and khusuf a lunar eclipse. It is narrated that eclipses do not occur on account of anyone's death but are among the signs of Allah's power, sent to instil fear in His servants so that they turn to Him in obedience; a further hadith instructs that whoever sees an eclipse, solar or lunar, should make dua, pronounce the takbir, pray, and give charity.
The eclipse prayer belongs to a small family of prayers prescribed for a specific occasion rather than a fixed waqt, alongside the prayer offered during a frightening calamity, Istisqa (the prayer for rain) and Salat al-Khawf (the prayer of fear). The table sets out how each differs from an ordinary congregational fard.
| Prayer | Congregation | Adhan & iqamah | Sermon | Recitation | Rak'ahs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ordinary fard prayer | Recommended | Called | None (except Jumu'ah) | Aloud for some prayers, silent for others | Set for that prayer (2, 3 or 4) |
| Kusuf (solar eclipse) | Sunnah kifayah, led by the Friday imam where present | None, "as-salatu jami'ah" is announced if needed | None, not established for this prayer | Silent | 2 (a single ruku' each), deliberately prolonged |
| Khusuf (lunar eclipse) | Not congregational, prayed individually | Not addressed in the source | Not addressed in the source | Not addressed in the source | 2 |
| Istisqa (prayer for rain) | Not obligatory per Abu Hanifa (individual dua suffices); congregational per Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad, whose view the fatwa follows for the accompanying sermon | None | None per Abu Hanifa; one or two khutbahs after the prayer per Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad | Aloud | 2 |
| Salat al-Khawf (prayer of fear) | Yes, the congregation is split into two groups behind one imam | Not addressed in the source; it is the fard prayer already due, prayed in a modified form | Not addressed in the source | As for the fard prayer being offered | Identical to the fard prayer being offered, apportioned between the two groups |
Cells marked "not addressed in the source" are left that way deliberately rather than guessed at; see the review flags for this batch.
Salat al-Kusuf is sunnah by unanimous agreement. Congregational performance is sunnah kifayah, led by the imam who leads the Friday prayer (or by the ruler of the time, or by whomever such an imam authorises); where no such imam is present, people pray it separately, in the mosque or at home.
1The method of Salat al-Kusuf
- No adhan or iqamah is given; if the people need to be gathered, "as-salatu jami'ah" is announced instead.
- No khutbah is delivered; none is established for this prayer. (The eclipse on the day the Prophet's son Ibrahim died was not itself a khutbah occasion; the point made then was only to remove the misconception that the eclipse was caused by the death.)
- It is preferable to pray it in the Eid ground or the central mosque, though praying it elsewhere is also valid.
- It consists of two rak'ahs (more is permitted, but two is preferred and more virtuous), prayed as any other voluntary prayer is prayed: without adhan, iqamah or khutbah, and outside the disliked times.
- Only a single ruku' is performed in each rak'ah, unlike Imam ash-Shafi'i's position of two bowings per rak'ah.
- Prolonging the recitation is sunnah, for example Surah al-Baqarah in the first rak'ah and Aal Imran in the second, as is prolonging the ruku' and the sujood; it is likewise valid to shorten the recitation while lengthening ruku' and sujood, or vice versa, though lengthening the recitation is preferred.
- The recitation is not made aloud.
- After the prayer, the imam does not ascend the pulpit. Standing (preferably leaning on a stick or bow) and facing the people, he makes dua while the congregation says "Ameen"; sitting to face the qiblah and prolong the dua is also permitted.
- The dua continues until the eclipse clears.
Giving charity and alms to those in need during an eclipse is mustahabb. (By contrast, the customary practice in some places of giving something to a raja or ruler's household at such a time has no basis and should be discontinued.)
1Salat al-Khusuf is mustahabb, not sunnah, the one point on which it differs in level from the solar eclipse prayer. It consists of two rak'ahs, but unlike Salat al-Kusuf it is not performed in congregation under any circumstance, whether or not the Friday imam is present, and there is no requirement to attend the mosque for it; it may be prayed individually at home.
This is the English translation of Nisab Ahle Khidmaat Sharia, exactly as the book has it, for the passages this page was written from. About 794 words. Switch back to Guide for the rewritten version.
Rulings of Eid Prayers 8. Rules Regarding Eid Prayers
The Rulings of the Solar and Lunar Eclipses Prayer:
- Definition of Solar and Lunar Eclipses:
(1) Kusuf refers to a solar eclipse, and Khusuf refers to a lunar eclipse.(2) It is narrated in a Hadith that "Eclipses do not occur due to anyone’s death but are signs of Allah's power. Their purpose is to instill fear in the hearts of His servants [So that one can turn towards Allah and obey His commands.]. When you see them, perform prayer." In another Hadith, it is said, "When anyone sees an eclipse, whether solar or lunar, they should make dua, say 'الله اكبر,' perform prayer, and give charity."
- Rulings of the Solar Eclipse Prayer:
(1) The solar eclipse prayer is unanimously considered Sunnah.(2) The solar eclipse prayer should be performed in congregation, and the same Imam who leads the Friday prayer should lead it [In the prayer for a solar eclipse (Salat al-Kusoof), congregational prayer is Sunnah Kifaayah.]. If the Imam of Friday is not present, then the people should pray separately [Or if the ruler of the time leads the prayer, and those permitted by the Imam can lead as well.], either in the mosque or their homes [If this is not possible, one should engage in Du’a and seeking forgiveness.].(3) There is no sermon for the solar eclipse prayer [Because the sermon is not established in this prayer; the eclipse that took place on the day of the death of the Prophet's son, Ibrahim, was not a specific feature of the eclipse, but was meant to remove the misconception that people thought the eclipse occurred due to the death of the Prophet’s son.].(4) There is no call to prayer (adhan) or iqamah for the solar eclipse prayer. If it is necessary to gather the people, then "As-Salāh Jāmi’ah" should be announced.(5) It is preferable to perform the solar eclipse prayer in an Eid ground or the central mosque, though it is also permissible elsewhere.(6) The solar eclipse prayer consists of two rak’ahs [More than two Rak'ahs is allowed, but two Rak'ahs is preferred and more virtuous.], and it is performed in the same manner as other voluntary prayers, i.e., without adhan or iqamah and without a sermon, during non-recommended times. In each rak’ah, only one ruku is performed [Imam Shafi'i states that two bowings (ruku') are performed.].(7) It is Sunnah to prolong the recitation and actions in the solar eclipse prayer, such as reciting long Surahs (e.g., in the first rak’ah Surah Al-Baqarah and in the second Surah Aal Imran) [It is also permissible to shorten bowing and prostration while lengthening the recitation, or to shorten the recitation while lengthening the bowing and prostration, but lengthening the recitation is preferable.], and prolonging the ruku and sujood.(8) The recitation in the solar eclipse prayer should not be done aloud.(9) After the prayer, the Imam should engage in supplication (dua) and not ascend the pulpit. It is better to stand while supporting oneself with a stick or bow and face the people while making the dua, and the followers should say "Ameen" [It is allowed to face the Qiblah while sitting and prolonging supplications.].(10) The dua should continue until the eclipse ends and the sun is clear.(11) Either prolonging the prayer and shortening the dua or prolonging the dua and shortening the prayer is permissible, but if one shortens one, the other should be prolonged [It is recommended to spend the entire time of a solar eclipse in prayer and supplication.].(12) The solar eclipse prayer should not be performed during disliked times; during such times, one should only engage in dua and seeking forgiveness.(13) If the time for another prayer arrives during the eclipse, the dua should be postponed, the prayer performed, and after the prayer, the dua should be resumed. If the sun sets during the eclipse, the dua should be stopped, and the Maghrib prayer should be performed.(14) If the sun becomes clear, the dua should not be stopped.(15) If the solar eclipse prayer was not performed during the eclipse, it should not be performed after the eclipse ends.
(16) If both an eclipse and a funeral occur at the same time, the funeral prayer should be performed first.
(17) During an eclipse, giving charity and alms to those in need is also recommended [In contrast, the common practice of giving something to the Raja during this time is improper and should be discontinued.].
3. Rules for the Prayer of Lunar Eclipse:
(1) The prayer for a lunar eclipse is recommended (mustahabb).
(2) This prayer consists of two rak’ahs, but it is not performed in congregation, whether the Friday Imam is present or not. It is also not necessary to go to the mosque for this prayer; one may perform it individually at home.
Terms on this page
Related
- The funeral prayer: ruling and conditions Why the funeral prayer (salat al-janazah) is a communal obligation (fard kifayah), its conditions, who has the right to lead it, and when it may not be prayed.
- The prayer of fear (Salat al-Khawf) How an obligatory prayer is split between two groups when an enemy is present, so a congregation can still pray together without leaving itself undefended.
- The prayer for rain (Istisqa) Seeking rain from Allah during a drought, through repentance and supplication (dua), and, in the view most of the school's fatwa follows, a congregational prayer and sermon.
- Congregational prayer, its virtues, and excuses for missing it What counts as a congregation, how strongly each prayer's congregation is emphasised, and the valid excuses for praying alone instead.