The longest sun eclipse took place in the 21st century and it passed over China and India, so, a believing stop with such incident is a must…..
Sun began a full eclipse since the start of his trip (22/7/2009) across a narrow part of Asia, where millions of people watched the sky darkening despite the dense summer clouds. According to the U.S. space agency (NASA), the longest full eclipse of the sun in the twenty one century could be seen along a corridor of about 250 km distance width, where it passed the hemisphere through India and China.
housands of people took their way through the narrow alleys of the ancient holy city of Varanasi, the Hindu, gathered to dip themselves in the Gange river, a ritual that it leads to salvation from the cycle of life and death. Men, women and children were chanting Hindu hymns and walked in the river waters with their hands intertwined and pray to the Sun upon its emergence in the dark sky.
Eclipse phenomenon allows scientists take a rare look at the sun halo, the gases surrounding it. Dr. “Pat” said that Scientists in China are planning to shoot two-dimensional images of the sun halo that has a temperature of two million degrees Celsius at one image per second. NASA reported that the eclipse lasted for a maximum of six minutes and 39 seconds over the Pacific Ocean.
In ancient Chinese culture, the eclipse of the sun is an omen associated with natural disasters or deaths in the empire family. Officials and state media made great efforts to calm the crowds and to reassure the public that city services will be normal. Hindus believe that this is the best time to improve the Day after.
What about the Islamic culture?
Imagine Beloved how people in China believe that the phenomenon of the eclipse can be detrimental and useful, and can express the anger of the Gods, or praying to the sun can be a mean to reach out to the Gods and escape their anger … All of these beliefs exist to this day although we live in an age of scientific progress.
Such beliefs existed within the era of the mission of our beloved prophet peace be upon him, where people uttered rapidly that “Sun is eclipsed because of the death of the prophet’s son” and it was by chance the day of death of prophet’s son (Ibrahim) it happens that the sun is eclipsed and people linked the two incidents together and the Prophet peace be upon him didn’t accept such belief but correct the mode of thinking and talked to them in a scientific manner. In fact, if we examine the words of the Prophet we’ll find it a scientific speech that is not differ than the words of the of today scholars, moreover it is more eloquent, expressive and accurate.
Let’s examine this correct Hadith: (from Aisha said the sun is eclipsed in the life of the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him, He (the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him) went out to the mosque, stood making Takbeer and rowed the people behind him, read long and Kabbar and did a long Rkuaa (bow) and then he stood and said Allah hear those who praise Him Oh our Lord thanks to you, then stood and read shorter than the first reading, then make Takbeer and made long Rkuaa (bow) which is shorter than the first and then He said God is heard praise to You be praise, and has read a lengthy then stood, then said Allah hear those who praise Him Oh our Lord thanks to you, and then completed four rak’ahs and sun was cleared before going, then PBUH stood and talked to people praising Allah with what He deserve and said that “Sun and the moon are two of the signs of God that does not eclipse for the death or life of anyone and if you see them go to prayer” [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim].
The Prophet peace be upon him have took up the people with prayer along the duration of the eclipse, why and what is the benefit? Of course, to protect them from the burning ultraviolet rays of the sun that hurt the eye may cause blindness, as these rays are the most dangerous as possible during an eclipse!
The Prophet peace be upon him ordered people to exclude legends and myths about their minds and not to believe that Eclipse has relation with one’s death or life, but there is a global system that is destined by the Creator of the universe be blessed and exalted. This is the finest method of speech … And we say to all who thinks that the Prophet, has contributed to the underdevelopment of the people and close their minds:
Just look at this scientific speech: (Sun and the moon are two of the signs), and here is an invitation to lighten the minds and call for considering, contemplation, and research, and see how He PBUH made the people far from underdevelopment, ignorance, saying: (do not eclipse for one’s death or life), and look at how He PBUH chose them a convenient way to keep them away from sun radiation during the eclipse and to prevent them from starring at sun: (if you see them go to prayer), and if He PBUH said to them, there is an ultraviolet light, they’ll not understand his speech, therefore, He PBUH ordered them to resort to prayer and to pray and to seize this opportunity to be closer to God, and to put away the ghost of ignorance and backwardness prevailing in that time from their minds.
We say: Can the merciful Prophet contribute to the underdevelopment of the nation and ignorance, or He PBUH is ordering to open minds, thinking, search and study and people to look at the universe in a scientific manner.
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By: Abduldaem Al-Kaheel
References:
- http://www.earthview.com/ages/myths.htm
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_eclipse#History
- http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/eclipse.html
- http://www.space.com/spacewatch/050930_solar_eclipse.html
- http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/12may_lunareclipse.htm
- http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2004/30/image/a
- http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/0604/eclipse2006_seip_big.jpg
