وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ اللَّيْلُ وَالنَّهَارُ وَالشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ
"And of His signs are the night and day and the sun and moon. Do not prostrate to the sun or the moon — prostrate to Allah." — Qur'an 41:37. When the sky darkens, the ummah stands.
When the Prophet's ﷺ son Ibrahim died, the sun eclipsed and people said it was for his death. The Prophet ﷺ corrected them: "The sun and the moon are two of the signs of Allah; they are not eclipsed for the death or the life of anyone. So when you see that, hasten to prayer."
— Sahih al-Bukhari 1044, Sahih Muslim 901
Each rak'ah has TWO standings with recitation, TWO bowings and TWO prostrations. The recitation is long, the bowings are long, and it is prayed until the sky clears. Kusuf (solar) and khusuf (lunar) are prayed the same way.
Stand as in any prayer. The caller says as-salatu jami'ah. Recite aloud: al-Fatihah, then a long surah — the Prophet ﷺ stood a very long standing.
Bow and glorify your Lord for a long time — nearly the length of the recitation. Then rise: Sami'allahu liman hamidah.
Do not prostrate yet. Stand back into recitation: al-Fatihah and another surah, shorter than the first.
Bow again, shorter than the first bowing, then rise fully and stand straight.
Now prostrate — twice, with the sitting between — and make the sujud long too. Then rise into the second rak'ah.
Everything again: two standings, two bowings, two sujuds — each a little shorter than its twin in the first rak'ah.
Sit for the tashahhud as in any prayer and end with the salam. Two rak'ahs complete.
The Prophet ﷺ then addressed the people. Keep praying, remembering, seeking forgiveness and giving until the sky is bright again.
2 standings, 2 bowings, 2 sujuds — in every rak'ah
no adhan · no iqamah · the call is "as-salatu jami'ah"
2 rak'ahs, then khutbah, du'a and sadaqah until it clears
No adhan and no iqamah. The caller proclaims as-salatu jami'ah — "the prayer is gathering" — and everyone comes. Pray it in congregation where you can, alone where you cannot.
The Prophet ﷺ recited aloud in the eclipse prayer — reported by Ibn 'Abbas and 'Aisha. A long surah after al-Fatihah is the Sunnah; in the second standing, something shorter.
— Sahih al-Bukhari 1052, Sahih Muslim 904
"So when you see anything of that, hasten to His remembrance: pray, make du'a, seek forgiveness, give charity, free what is bound." The eclipse is a reminder — answer it with a soft heart.
— Sahih Muslim 912
Every movement on this page — the two standings, the two bowings, the longer-then-shorter recitation, the call of as-salatu jami'ah — comes from the long eclipse hadith of Ibn 'Abbas and 'Aisha in the two Sahihs. The schools agree on the shape; they differ only in small details your imam will carry.
Eclipses are announced weeks ahead. Save this page now, and when the news comes you will know exactly what to do — stand, recite, bow, and remember.
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