The eclipse is called the situation in which the moon passes between the sun and the earth as a result of their alignment in a straight line, so the moon blocks the light of the sun from the earth and casts shadows on it, so a solar halo is formed around the moon when the sun is obscured by it, and a prayer for this position is called the eclipse prayer.

Ruling on the eclipse prayer

The eclipse prayer is a confirmed Sunnah, and it is Sunnah to do it in congregation as the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, did, and it is not a condition in it, rather it is valid individually.

The Sunnah is to pray in the mosque.


How to pray the eclipse and what is read in it

It is two rak’ahs, in each rak’ah there are two standing, two readings, two bowing and two prostrations.

In the first rak’ah, recite al-Fatihah aloud, and a long surah, then he kneels for a long time, then he raises, then he hears, and praises, and does not prostrate. In everything he does, he then recites the tashahhud and submits.

The recitation is aloud for the hadith of Aisha in the two Sahihs (the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, recited aloud in the eclipse prayer).

The estimation of the length of the first standing came in the hadith of Ibn Abbas, may God be pleased with him: (The Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, stood for a long time, similar to Surat Al-Baqarah) (a hadith agreed upon).

And on the authority of Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari, describing the prayer of the Messenger of God, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, he said: “He came to the mosque and prayed with the longest standing, bowing and prostration I saw him doing in his prayer” (Bukhari and Muslim)

The raising of the second bowing, the sitting between the two prostrations, or the tashahhud should not be prolonged.

Prayer is valid with any amount of reading, but it is desirable to lengthen it.

It is Sunnah to frequently remember God, to seek forgiveness, to say takbeer, to give alms, and to draw close to God Almighty as much as possible of closeness, as the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said:

Among the scholars are those who think that if he prays it two rak’ahs, like a supererogatory prayer, it is valid, and it suffices for the eclipse, and he missed the Sunnah.

The following is a detail of how to perform the eclipse prayer


The first rak'ah

  • The takbeer of Ihram.

  • Opening prayer

  • Istihaadah and basmalah.

  • Read Al-Fatihah, then a long surah.

  • Kneel long and give praise.

  • Glory and praise after getting up from kneeling.

  • Read Al-Fatihah and Surah less than the first.

  • The kneeling is long but shorter than the first kneeling.

  • Glory and praise after standing from bowing with no lengthening.

  • Prostration two long prostrations with no lengthening between them.

The second rak'ah

Doing the same as he did in the first rak’ah, but without it in length in all that he did, then the tashahhud and the tasleem.