I read in the book *Stories of the Prophets* about the solar and lunar eclipses that the sun revolves on a wheel, and in the wheel there are 360 pegs, and on every peg is an angel from the angels of Allah.
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The questioner : I read in a book titled "Stories of the Prophets" about the lunar and solar eclipses, and it says in the book: that the sun revolves on a wheel, and in the wheel there are three hundred and sixty pegs, and on every peg is an angel from the angels of Allah, and when Allah wants to frighten His servants, He removes the sun from the wheel and the eclipse occurs. But science says: the moon coming between the sun and the earth is the cause of the eclipse. I ask for clarification of this divine power. May Allah reward you?
The Shaykh : The divine power is greater than what the questioner mentioned regarding this book, which is "Stories of the Prophets". And that which indicates to you the greatness of the power of the Creator, Mighty and Majestic, is His saying, the Exalted:[Ya-Sin 36:82] And His saying, the Exalted: [Fussilat 41:11] And His saying, the Exalted, regarding the resurrection: [Ya-Sin 36:53] And He, the Exalted, said: [An-Nazi'at 79:13-14] So this is the great power: that a shout is made to the creation while they are dead in their graves, and then they come out with this shout as if they were one man, until they are presented before Allah, Mighty and Majestic. And He, the Exalted, said: [Luqman 31:28] So the divine power is such that the intellect never reaches its limit, because Allah, the Exalted, is too great for anyone to encompass His essence or His attributes, meaning in terms of the reality and the truth. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, said: [Taha 20:110] And He, the Exalted, said: [Al-An'am 6:103].
And this statement that the questioner mentioned about the sun is a false statement; it has no truth and no basis in the Book of Allah or in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). And such fabricated lies harm Islam greatly, because if non-Muslims hear such trivial statements attributed to Islam, it becomes clear in their minds that Islam is nothing, that it is superstitious, and that its affairs do not stand firm as long as this is its state. And in that case, these fabricators have attacked Islam without realizing it.
The reality of the eclipse is what the questioner mentioned: that the moon comes between the sun and the earth, so the eclipse occurs in the part of the earth opposite the moon. For this reason, a solar eclipse does not occur except at the end of the month, when the moon is close to it, so it can come between it and the earth. Likewise, a lunar eclipse does not occur except on the nights of the full moon, when there is complete opposition between the moon and the sun, so the earth can come between the sun and the moon, covering part of the moon or the whole moon, and the eclipse occurs. So the cause of the solar eclipse is the moon coming between it and the earth, and the cause of the lunar eclipse is the earth coming between it and the sun. And all of this only happens by the command of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and by the divine decree and destiny of Allah. And Allah, Mighty and Majestic, decrees this in order to frighten the servants. And this is the Shari'ah cause of the solar and lunar eclipses. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Ibn Majah 1263Sahih (Darussalam) And he (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded, when that happens, to command prayer, charity, seeking forgiveness, saying Allahu Akbar, supplication, and freeing slaves. All of this is to avoid the anger of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, the causes of which have been established. And Allah, Mighty and Majestic, made this eclipse a warning with it. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih Muslim 901f So the solar and lunar eclipses are a warning and not a punishment, so that doubt does not arise in the minds of some people, saying: the solar and lunar eclipses happen constantly and we find no harm. It is said: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not say: it is a punishment and anger, and that the punishment and anger must occur. But he said: Sunan an-Nasa'i 1502Sahih (Darussalam) Perhaps they will make a repentance for it. So if they stand up and pray and do what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded them to do, then Allah, the Exalted, may lift the punishment from them because of these things they did by the command of their Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Some people say that the causes of the solar and lunar eclipses are known and are known before they occur, so they doubt what the Sunnah brought regarding the fact that the solar and lunar eclipses are a fright from Allah, Mighty and Majestic, for the servants? And the answer to that is that there is no doubt in the matter, for the One who decreed these causes is Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
The Shaykh : The divine power is greater than what the questioner mentioned regarding this book, which is "Stories of the Prophets". And that which indicates to you the greatness of the power of the Creator, Mighty and Majestic, is His saying, the Exalted:
His command is only when He intends a thing that He says to it, "Be," and it is.
إِنَّمَا أَمْرُهُ إِذَا أَرَادَ شَيْئًا أَنْ يَقُولَ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُThen He directed Himself to the heaven while it was smoke and said to it and to the earth, "Come [into being], willingly or by compulsion." They said, "We have come willingly."
ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى إِلَى السَّمَاءِ وَهِيَ دُخَانٌ فَقَالَ لَهَا وَلِلأَرْضِ اِئْتِيَا طَوْعًا أَوْ كَرْهًا قَالَتَا أَتَيْنَا طَائِعِينَIt will not be but one blast, and at once they are all brought present before Us.
إِنْ كَانَتْ إِلَّا صَيْحَةً وَاحِدَةً فَإِذَا هُمْ جَمِيعٌ لَدَيْنَا مُحْضَرُونَ(13) Indeed, it will be but one shout, (14) And suddenly they will be [alert] upon the earth's surface.
فَإِنَّمَا هِيَ زَجْرَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ * فَإِذَا هُمْ بِالسَّاهِرَةِYour creation and your resurrection will not be but as that of a single soul
مَا خَلْقُكُمْ وَلا بَعْثُكُمْ إِلَّا كَنَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍAllah knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them, but they do not encompass it in knowledge.
يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَلا يُحِيطُونَ بِهِ عِلْمًاVision perceives Him not, but He perceives [all] vision; and He is the Subtle, the Acquainted.
لا تُدْرِكُهُ الأَبْصَارُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الأَبْصَارَ وَهُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُAnd this statement that the questioner mentioned about the sun is a false statement; it has no truth and no basis in the Book of Allah or in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). And such fabricated lies harm Islam greatly, because if non-Muslims hear such trivial statements attributed to Islam, it becomes clear in their minds that Islam is nothing, that it is superstitious, and that its affairs do not stand firm as long as this is its state. And in that case, these fabricators have attacked Islam without realizing it.
The reality of the eclipse is what the questioner mentioned: that the moon comes between the sun and the earth, so the eclipse occurs in the part of the earth opposite the moon. For this reason, a solar eclipse does not occur except at the end of the month, when the moon is close to it, so it can come between it and the earth. Likewise, a lunar eclipse does not occur except on the nights of the full moon, when there is complete opposition between the moon and the sun, so the earth can come between the sun and the moon, covering part of the moon or the whole moon, and the eclipse occurs. So the cause of the solar eclipse is the moon coming between it and the earth, and the cause of the lunar eclipse is the earth coming between it and the sun. And all of this only happens by the command of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and by the divine decree and destiny of Allah. And Allah, Mighty and Majestic, decrees this in order to frighten the servants. And this is the Shari'ah cause of the solar and lunar eclipses. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The sun and the moon are two of the signs of Allah. They do not become eclipsed for the death or birth of anyone.
إن الشمس والقمر ءايتان من ءايات الله لا ينكسفان لموت أحد ولا لحياتهwith which Allah terrifies His servants
يخوّف الله بهما عبادهwith which He strikes fear into His slaves
إن الله يُخوّف بهما عبادهSome people say that the causes of the solar and lunar eclipses are known and are known before they occur, so they doubt what the Sunnah brought regarding the fact that the solar and lunar eclipses are a fright from Allah, Mighty and Majestic, for the servants? And the answer to that is that there is no doubt in the matter, for the One who decreed these causes is Allah, Mighty and Majestic.