The ruling on praying the eclipse prayer before the eclipse occurs

The questioner:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. A situation occurred regarding the eclipse prayer where a person prayed the eclipse prayer and finished the prayer before the eclipse cleared. Then another person stood up and prayed another prayer. What is the ruling on this action?

The Shaykh:
The first prayer is invalid because it was not in its proper time. The second prayer is also invalid. This is one of the results of the news spread by these extremists who publish in the newspapers. This is extremism, and it has deceived some people. What was prescribed was that the eclipse and its details be announced. The righteous predecessors knew the book more accurately than these people; they knew it with greater precision than these people. If they had told people, "You will see it on such-and-such day in such-and-such month, when the moon or sun is obscured to such-and-such degree," all of this would have been part of the extremism and boasting by which they want people to say that they know. This is something known beforehand; knowing it does not invalidate it. The scholars knew it more accurately than they do, and they did not tell people, "There will be an eclipse party." This led to what the questioner mentioned: some ignorant people prayed before the eclipse party, outside the time of the prayer.

The questioner:
It is not rare. The point is that the prostration was standing, the prostration existed, so he said: If it is assumed that it should end, he prayed until it ended.

The Shaykh:
No, they say: If he has said the closing salam and the eclipse has not ended, he does not repeat the prayer; rather, he continues in supplication, seeking forgiveness, and charity until it ends. I thought he was saying that he prayed before the eclipse.

The questioner:
It may have happened in the eclipse prayer that a person prayed the eclipse prayer and finished the prayer before the eclipse cleared.

The Shaykh:
I mean his saying "clears." We should not assume he prayed before, because in fact this happened: some of them prayed before the eclipse occurred. He started the prayer before the eclipse occurred. He did not pray and say the salam before; no, I mean he started the prayer before the eclipse occurred. He was hasty. This is not valid. Yes. Whatever he seeks, seeking it is fine, but starting the prayer before the eclipse occurs is not, because they may determine that it starts at such-and-such minute, and it does not happen; it is delayed from their statement, because their statement does not mean it must apply one hundred percent; it increases and decreases.