All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.
The moon is amongst the signs of Allah. It is a cosmic proof of His power and existence. He, The Almighty, said, "Blessed is He Who made constellations in the skies, and placed therein a Lamp and a Moon giving light;"{Al-Furqan, 61} When lunar eclipse takes place, a Muslim should remember Allah, The Exalted, and seek refuge in Him through performingwhat is called"Prayer of Lunar Eclipse". This prayer reflects the greatness of this cosmic event.
It is a confirmed Sunnah because Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said, "The sun and the moon are two signs amongst the signs of Allah. They do not eclipse because of someone's death or life. So when you see them, invoke Allah and pray till the eclipse is clear."{Related by Bukhari& Muslim}.
Its time starts from the beginning of the eclipse until its end. This is based on the Hadith in which the Prophet (PBUH) said: “So when you see them, invoke Allah and pray till the eclipse is clear.”{Bukhari& Muslim}. It is best to makeGhusl(ceremonial washing) for this prayer and join the congregation in the mosque without raising Azaan or Eqama; rather, it is called for by saying “ as-salatujami'ah “”Prayer in congregation”.
After the prayer, the Imam delivers two speeches(sermons) like Eid prayer. Praying it in congregation is better although it is permissible for a single person to perform it and for a woman to offer in her house, as stated in the book { Moghni Al-Mohtajj (599/1)}: “ It {prayer of lunar eclipse} is permissible for a single person, a slave, a woman and a traveler.”
Its perfect form is to recite-after the Istiftah supplication, seeking refuge in Allah, and Al-Fatihah-Al-Baqarah in the first standing(Qiyam), Al-Emran in the second, An-Nissa` in the third, Al-Mai`da in the fourth or chapters of similar length, offer Tasbeeh(Glorification of Allah) in the first bow(Ruku) for a period parallel to the reciting of a hundred verses from chapter Al-Baqarah, parallel to eighty in the second, seventy in the third, fifty in the fourth, and continue the rest of this prayer as customary ones, then the Imam delivers two speeches(sermons) similar to Friday prayer.”{Umdat As-Salik (p.87)}.
The Imam delivers two speeches (sermons) similar to Friday prayer in terms of pillars and conditions; where he urges people to make repentance and do good deeds, and warns them against heedlessness and vanity.
It is recommended that a person does much of the following: praising Allah, seeking forgiveness, making Takbeer, giving charity and drawing closer to Allah by offering good deeds.
However, if a person failed to perform it because its time has already passed by the clearing of the eclipse, then it isn`t permissible to make up for it because it is amongst the prayers associated with a cause, and once that cause is gone, there is no need to deliver it. And Allah knows best.
