Chapter on the Prayer of the Eclipse

Muhammad ibn Yaqub, from Ali ibn Ibrahim, from his father, and Muhammad ibn Ismail, from al-Fadl ibn Shadhan all from Hammad ibn Isa, from Hariz, from Zurarah and Muhammad ibn Muslim, who said: We asked Abu Ja’far عليه السلام, peace be upon him, about the eclipse prayer (salat al-kusuf), about how many rak’ahs it has and how we should perform it. Imam عليه السلام said: “It is ten rak’ahs and four prostrations. You begin the prayer with a takbir, and you bow with a takbir, and you raise your head with a takbir except in the fifth rak’ah in which you go into prostration; there you say: ‘SamiAllahu liman hamidah’ (‘Allah سبحانه وتعالى hears one who praises Him عز وجل’). You perform qunut in every two rak’ahs before bowing, and you lengthen the qunut and the bowing in proportion to the length of the recitation and the bowing. If you finish before the eclipse has cleared, then sit and supplicate to Allah سبحانه وتعالى until it clears. And if the eclipse clears before you have finished your prayer, then complete whatever remains of your prayer. You recite aloud in this prayer.” He (narrator) said: “I asked, ‘How is the recitation in it?’” Imam عليه السلام said: “If you recite a surah in every rak’ah, then recite ‘Umm al-Kitab’ (Surah Al Fatihah). But if you shorten the surah and stop before completing it, then continue from where you left off, and do not repeat Surah al-Fatihah.” Imam عليه السلام said: “And it was recommended in it to recite Surah al-Kahf and Surah al-Hijr unless the person is leading prayer (as an imam), in which case it may be difficult for those praying behind him. So if you are able to perform your prayer in an open space where no house covers you, then do so. And the eclipse prayer for the sun is longer than the eclipse prayer for the moon although they are equal in recitation, bowing, and prostration.”