Lunar Eclipse

An Account, A Miracle

Lunar Eclipse

Arshad Aslam Attari Madani

After dinner, the children rushed to Grandpa who was sitting in his room, slowly sipping on tea. ‘Grandpa, I heard that we would see a lunar eclipse today,’ cried Khubayb.

‘Why does this happen, Grandpa?’ asked an eager Suhayb.

‘A solar eclipse and lunar eclipse are from Allah Almighty,’ replied Grandpa, ‘therefore, whenever they occur, we should repent. Our Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم would seek forgiveness on such occasions. It is not a time to be wasted.’

Khubayb asked, ‘Please tell us something about the Moon.’

Placing his cup on the table, Grandpa said, ‘Islamic dates, and many special occasions such as fasting in Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Qurbani, and Hajj, are based on the phases of the Moon.’ ‘Oh, now I understand why people get excited about sighting the Moon for Ramadan and Eid!’ cried Suhayb.

‘Are any of our Beloved Prophet's صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم miracles linked to the moon?’ asked Khubayb. Grandpa smiled, ‘Absolutely!’

‘Grandpa! Please tell us about it!’ shrieked Suhayb in excitement, eager to know more.

Grandpa thought for a moment: ‘Okay, so listen. When our Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم called people towards his message, they gradually began accepting Islam. The disbelievers were distressed by this. So, they plotted and planned, willing to do everything in their power to stop people becoming Muslim. They made false accusations about him by calling him a sorcerer and astrologer.

One night, some disbelievers approached the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. ‘Show us a miracle,’ remarked one of them.

The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم asked, ‘Which miracle would you like to see?’

The person planned on asking for a miracle that would be impossible, so he said: ‘Split the moon into two pieces before us.’

‘Grandpa, can the Moon be split into two?’ interjected Khubayb.

‘If our Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم wants something to happen, it can,’ Grandpa told him. ‘Hold on and listen to what happened next! As soon as the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم pointed towards the moon, it split into two pieces for everyone to see. The disbelievers asked the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم to join the moon again. He merely pointed towards the moon, and it was whole again! One of the disbelievers recited the Shahadah straight away and became a Muslim,’ (Ruh-ul-Bayan, vol. 9, p. 263).

After remaining silent for a moment, Grandpa said: ‘Children, should I tell you of another amazing event?’

‘Yes, Grandpa! This is so much fun!’ said Khubayb.

And so, Grandpa elaborated: ‘When our Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was a baby, he would play with the Moon! His paternal uncle Sayyiduna Abbas رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ mentioned this to the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم: ‘I used to see you in the cradle speaking to the Moon. It would move in whichever direction you moved your finger.’ The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said to him that ‘I and the Moon used to speak to each other. It would stop me from crying. When the Moon would prostrate, I used to hear its glorification [of Allah Almighty],’ (Khasaais-ul-Kubra, vol. 1, p. 91).

Grandpa then looked at the window and remarked, ‘I think the lunar eclipse is taking place. Come on, let us pray and seek forgiveness.’