When:
A partial Solar eclipse will occur on Tuesday 25th October, 2022. It is visible from most of Europe, northern Africa, the Middle East, and Southern / Western parts of Asia.
What is it:
A partial Solar eclipse occurs when the Moon comes between the Sun and Earth, but the Moon only partially covers the Sun's disk. During a partial solar eclipse, the Moon, the Sun and Earth don't align in a perfectly straight line, and the Moon casts only the outer part of its shadow, the penumbra, on Earth. From our perspective, this looks like the Moon has taken a bite out of the Sun. https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/partial-solar-eclipse.html
Portsmouth (U.K.): What time?
The Portsmouth timings for the major phases of the eclipse on Tuesday 25th October, 2022 are as follows:
10:09:54 – Partial eclipse begins. The Moon touches the Sun’s edge. Salat al-Ayaat WAJIB time commences
10:58:23 – Maximum Eclipse occurs. This is when the Moon is closest to the centre of the Sun.
11:48:31 – Partial eclipse ends. The Moon leaves the Sun’s edge. Salat al-Ayaat WAJIB time ends.
The duration of the partial eclipse is 1 hour, 39 minutes. All times shown in local UK (BST) time.
Viewing:
For more details and animation on how the Eclipse will look in Portsmouth visit:
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/uk/portsmouth
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2022-october-25
Your obligation:
Salat al-Ayaat becomes WAJIB from 10:09:54.
On Tuesday 25th October, 2022 it is Wajib to pray Salat al-Ayaat during the eclipse, preferably between 10:09:54 to 10:58:23
Related rules:
The rules and method of Salat al-Ayaat is given in Ayaatullah Seyyid Seestani’s Risala: Islamic Laws, Ruling Nos: 1473 to 1494. (3rd Edition published by WFED.).
1473. When a phenomenon occurs for which Salat al-Ayaat is obligatory, only the people of the area in which the phenomenon occurred must perform Salat al-Ayaat . It is not obligatory on people in other areas.
1474. The time for performing Salat al-Ayaat for a solar or a lunar eclipse commences from the moment the eclipse begins, and it continues until the sun or the moon goes back to its normal state (although it is better not to delay the prayer until the eclipse starts to reverse). However, completing Salat al-Ayaat can be delayed until after the eclipse is over.
1478.If a person does not know about occurrence of an eclipse and after the eclipse is over he realizes that there was a total eclipse, he must make up the Salat al-Ayaat. However, if he realizes that it was a partial eclipse, then making it up is not obligatory on him.
1486. Salat al-Ayaat consists of two Rak'ahs, and in each rak’ah there are five Rukus. The method of performing the prayer is as follows: After one has made the intention [of performing the prayer] he says takbir, recites one Surat al-Hamd and one other complete surah, goes into ruku, and then raises his head from ruku; then he again recites one Surat al-Hamd and one other complete surah, goes into ruku again, and so on until he has done this a total of five times. After getting up from the fifth Ruku, he performs two Sajdahs, stands up, and proceeds to perform the second Rak'ah in the same way as the first; he then says tashahhud and the salam of the prayers.
1487. A shorter method of performimg Salat al-Ayaat is as follows:
After one has made the intention [of offering the prayer] he says takbir and recites Surat al-Hamd; then, he can divide the verses of the other Surah into five parts, and recite one verse or more or even less, provided that-based on obligatory precaution- it is a complete sentence. He must start from the beginning of the surah and must not suffice with reciting bismillah [on its own and count that as one verse]. Then, he goes into Ruku, raises his head, and without reciting Surat al-Hamd he recites the second part of the other surah. He then goes into ruku again, and so on until he completes the other sura before he goes into the fifth Ruku. For example, if the other surah is Surat al-Falaq, he first says: Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim Qul a’udhu bi rabbil falaq, and goes into Ruku [for the first time];he then stands up and says: Min sharri ma khalaq, and goes into Ruku again [for the second time];he then stands up and says: Wa min sharri ghaasiqin idha waqab, and goes into Ruku again [for the third time]; he then stands up and says : Wa min sharrin naffathaati fil uqad, and goes into Ruku again [for the fourth time]; he then stands up and says: Wa min sharri haasidin idha hasad, and goes into Ruku for the fifth time. He then stands up, performs two Sajdahs and then proceeds to perform the second Rak'ah, in the same way as the first. And after the second sajdah [of the second rak’ah] he says tashahhud and the salam of the prayer. Furthermore, it is permitted for one to divide a Surah into less than five parts, but whenever he completes the surah, it is necessary that he recites Surat al-Hamd before performing the next Ruku.
1488. There is no problem if a a person recites Surat al-Hamd and the other sura five times in one rak’ah of Salat al-Ayaat, and in the other rak’ah he recites one Surat al-Hamd and divides the other Surah into five parts.
1489. Those things which are obligatory and recommended in the daily prayers are also obligatory and recommended in Salat al-Ayaat. However, if Salat al-Ayaat is performed in congregation, one can say 'As-salaah' three times instead of Adhan and Iqamah with the intention of raja; this does not apply if the prayer is not performed in congregation. The legality for performing Salat al-Ayaat in congregation for phenomena other than solar or lunar eclipses is not established [i.e. it must not be performed in congregation for other than these phenomena].
1490. It is recommended that one says takbir before and after Ruku, but saying takbir after the fifth and tenth Ruku is not recommended; rather it is recommended that one says: Sami'allahu liman hamidah.
1491. It is recommended that one performs qunut before the second, fourth, sixth, eighth and tenth Ruku; and if one performs qunut after only the tenth Ruku, it is sufficient.
Note, that Salat al-Ayaat is not required upon a woman who is in her menses (haydh) or postpartum bleeding (nifas), nor would she be required to make-up the prayer (qadha).
Iltimasi dua.
Shukran
With salams and duas,
Fazle Abbas
Sheikh Fazle Abbas Datoo
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Resident Alim
Wessex Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat