The Secret of the Solar Eclipse

The Secret of the Solar Eclipse

BY: Ubaid

“Grandpa! There’s going to be a solar eclipse today!” Yahya announced excitedly as his grandfather sat in the drawing room reading the newspaper.

“Oh really? And what’s that?” Grandpa asked, pretending not to know.

“It’s when a planet comes in front of the sun, and the sun disappears!” Yahya explained proudly, showing off his science knowledge.

“Grandpa! It’s going to get dark soon — just like nighttime!” said Warisha in excitement. “And the sky will turn red!”

At that moment, Abdul Bari, Zahra, and Abdul Wasi entered the room, their faces filled with a mix of curiosity and fear.

“Grandpa, Wasi is going outside! If he looks directly at the sun, his eyes will get damaged,” Zahra said wisely.

“You’re right, my dear,” Grandpa nodded. “It’s dangerous to look at the sun during an eclipse without protection. But do you know why a solar eclipse actually happens?”

He folded the newspaper and leaned forward.

“Because Allah gets angry and hides the sun!” Warisha answered quickly.

Grandpa smiled gently. “No, my dear. Allah never gets angry like that. The solar eclipse is one of the many signs of His power. It reminds us of how magnificent the universe is.”

“But Grandpa,” Zahra interrupted, “some people say it’s unlucky.”

“That’s what people used to believe in the old days,” Grandpa said. “But now science has explained everything. Scientists travel long distances to study eclipses and find out the truth about them.”

“Then tell us the truth, Grandpa!” Abdul Bari demanded eagerly.

“Yes, my children,” Grandpa said. “We should always seek the truth. The fact is, in some religions, people still think an eclipse is a bad omen or a sign of divine anger. But in Islam, it’s simply one of the natural events created by Allah. The Quran tells us that the sun and moon follow fixed paths, moving exactly as Allah has commanded.”

He paused, then continued. “Science confirms this too. The sun and moon both orbit in their paths. A solar eclipse happens when the moon, during its orbit, passes exactly between the sun and the earth. Then the sunlight is blocked either partially or completely, and we see the sun darken. Because the moon is about 400 times closer to Earth than the sun, it appears to cover the sun, even though it’s much smaller. However, an eclipse isn’t visible from every part of the world.”

The children listened silently, their eyes wide with interest.

Grandpa went on, “When our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) witnessed a solar eclipse, he advised us to perform Salat al-Kusoof — the prayer during an eclipse — as a reminder of Allah’s greatness. For a lunar eclipse, however, there’s no special prayer required.”

“Grandpa, what are the different kinds of eclipses?” Wasi asked curiously.

“There are several types,” Grandpa replied. “Sometimes the eclipse is total, sometimes partial, sometimes mixed, and sometimes annular — which means ring-shaped.”

“What’s a total solar eclipse?” Wasi asked again.

“When the moon is just the right distance from Earth,” Grandpa explained, “it completely covers the sun, and daylight suddenly turns to darkness. The stars even become visible in the daytime. This total eclipse can last up to seven minutes and forty seconds — though usually it’s shorter. And here’s something fascinating — the same place on Earth sees a total eclipse only once every 340 years!”

“Wow!” the children exclaimed in unison.

“And what about an annular eclipse?” Zahra asked.

“That happens,” said Grandpa, “when the moon is farther away from Earth. It still passes in front of the sun, but because it looks smaller, it can’t cover the sun completely. So we see a bright ring of sunlight around the moon — like a shining circle in the sky. Sometimes, in different parts of the world, an eclipse may look total in one region and annular in another. That’s called a mixed eclipse. The ring in those cases is very thin.”

“Do you know,” Grandpa added proudly, “the longest solar eclipse ever observed in modern history was in 1999, over Europe. It lasted longer than any other recorded eclipse.”

“Grandpa, if the sun can have an eclipse, does the moon have one too?” Warisha asked softly.

“Yes, dear,” Grandpa replied warmly. “That’s called a lunar eclipse. It happens when the Earth moves between the sun and the moon, and the Earth’s shadow falls on the moon’s surface. The moon appears dark or reddish during that time. You see, both the Earth and the moon get their light from the sun. When their paths cross in such a way that Earth’s shadow covers the moon, we call it a lunar eclipse. And when the moon’s shadow covers the Earth, it’s a solar eclipse.”

The children nodded, finally understanding the mystery of eclipses.

“So, you see,” Grandpa said with a smile, “these are not signs of anger or bad luck. They are wonderful reminders of how perfectly Allah has created everything — the sun, the moon, and the Earth — each moving in its own orbit, following the rules of the universe.”

He looked at his watch. “Now, enough science talk for one morning. Come on, everyone, let’s go have breakfast before it gets cold.”

The children laughed, their fears gone, replaced by wonder and excitement about the marvelous world beyond their window — a world where even the shadows told stories of light.