SECRETS OF THE SUN AND LUNAR ECLIPSES
SECRETS OF THE SUN AND LUNAR ECLIPSES
The miracles of the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace and blessings be upon him) sayings are not less significant than the Koran; the illiterate prophets’ sayings are revelations from Almighty God.
Almighty God says (meaning), “By the star when it goes down. Your companion (Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)) has neither gone astray nor has erred. Nor does he speak of his own desire. It is only a Revelation revealed. He has been taught (this Koran) by one mighty in power (Gabriel).” (Sura An-Najm, ayat 1-5).
During the time of the Prophet, the phenomenon of a solar eclipse occurred. People, then, said that the sun eclipsed for the death of Ibrahim, the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) son, who died the same day of the phenomenon.
It was usual for the ancients to attribute any phenomenon to myths and legends, such as attributing a solar eclipse to the death of an important king, or as a sign of losing a battle or removal of the king’s property.
Among the funny things that ancient people used to believe is that a solar eclipse occurred because a dragon swallowed it. So they used to beat the drums and throw arrows toward the sky to scare away that dragon; and then said that the dragon was so frightened that he threw the sun back and ran away! Other people believed that when a solar eclipse occurred, an important event was about to happen due to equating the sun with gods. While we judge these thoughts as mere myth, people during that time believed them to be serious facts.
When people came to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and said that the sun had eclipsed for the death of Ibrahim, what did he tell them? Did he agree with them or did he correct their beliefs? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “The sun and the moon are among Allah’s signs that do not eclipse for the death or the life of someone.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim).
From this hadith we can conclude that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) had unique and miraculous knowledge and that he was the first human (inspired by Allah, of course) to lay the foundation of studying astronomy.
Perhaps among the important effects of a solar eclipse is the confusion that appears amongst certain animals and birds. Birds stop singing and some animals think that the night descended, so they snooze in their nests, and roses that open during the day and close during the night close during a solar eclipse. There are also important effects on tides and many other results.
How does this phenomenon occur? What are the causes and what are the results?
The earth we live on orbits around the sun once every year. The moon also orbits around the earth once every lunar month. It happens that, in certain times, when the sun is bright and sending its rays, the moon while rotating comes in front of it and obscures it totally, so we say that the sun has eclipsed.
The phenomenon of a solar eclipse is very dangerous. This is because the sun acts like a lamp that transmits light and dangerous radiation. The most dangerous radiation is infrared which is transmitted via the sun on a permanent basis but does not harm us because we do not look directly at the sun. When the moon comes in front of the sun and covers only part of it, we call this phenomenon a partial eclipse. However, if the moon covers the sun totally, the phenomenon is a total eclipse, during which the sun disappears and the world is suddenly dark for a minute or two.
When the moon passes in front of the sun and blocks out part of its light, we can see the sun, but the infrared radiation is invisible. If we look even momentarily at the sun during the eclipse, our retina will be seriously injured. This radiation might even cause temporary or permanent blindness. Scientists recommend not looking at the sun during an eclipse because it sends a large amount of infrared radiation.
The moon does not send out any rays; God the Most High precisely describes it saying (meaning), “and a moon giving light.” [Sura Al-Furqan, ayah 61), without itself producing light or rays. The moon reflects rays which are safe for. Almighty God describes it as an object that reflects light, while the sun is the source of light and illumination. Based on this fact, watching the moon while in eclipse does not cause any harm.
Another phenomenon is a lunar eclipse. The moon reflects the sun’s light toward our planet, so we see it illuminating in our sky. Almighty God says (meaning), “Blessed be He Who has placed big stars in the heavens and has placed therein a great lamp (sun) and a moon giving light.” (Sura Al-Furqan, ayah 61).
During a lunar eclipse, the earth is located in the middle of the moon and the sun masking the sun’s light, so the moon appears as a dim copper disc.
While sun and lunar eclipse occur on the earth, the eclipse phenomenon occurs for other planets. Most planets in the universe have moons that orbit around them, and sometimes, these moons pass in front of the sun covering the sun’s light and leaving the planets dark for a few minutes. Scientists from NASA were able to take a photograph for the planet Jupiter during the eclipse as seen on the picture. The black spots represent the planet’s moon’s shadow during the eclipse
We can conclude from these facts that the sun and the moon revolve in a controlled and accurate system, and the eclipse phenomenon is a natural process that does not occur in a result of someone’s death or life.
By Abduldaem Al-Kaheel. Source: https://kaheel7.net/?lang=en
