Mbostrom2's Blog

The darkest lunar eclipse in 100 years will be June 15, 2011 and will be seen over the Middle East countries that are in turmoil.  I was curious about what the Muslim views of Lunar eclipse so I did a study. (Islamic study is not my strongest area so please bear with me)

The Islamic holy book, the Koran (Quran) says in Fussilat 41:37, ” Allaah causes eclipses to happen to these two mighty signs, the sun and the moon, to teach His slaves and show them that these things are created and are subject to imperfections and changes just like any other created entities. Thus He shows them His perfect ability and that He alone is deserving of worship, as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And from among His Signs are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. Prostrate yourselves not to the sun” nor to the moon, but prostrate yourselves

As they prostrate themselves they have a special prayer during the time of the eclipse. “The essence of this prayer lies in the fact that a Muslim seeks protection from his Creator (Allah), while offering this service from his spiritually-luminant soul (symbolised by the bright sun/moon) from becoming enwrapped in the spiritual-darkness (symbolised by the eclipsed sun/moon) of evilness, misconception and sinfulness.”

There is also a belief that the Mahdi will come during a double eclipse at the time of Ramadan, the month of Islam fasting during the day.  (2011 Ramadan will be August 1-30- NASA shows no expected eclipse). 

What is a Mahdi? I’m glad you asked. The Mahdi is believed to be Islam’s final prophet . Mahdi traslates ‘the rightly-guided one’.

• There are two divisions of Islam: Sunni & Shi’ite. (Iran is mostly Shi’ite)
• Many of Muslims are families that seem to be living a normal family life, but there is a large sect that is apocalyptic (anticipating the Last Days, End Times)
• Historian Timothy Furnish has written,”The major difference is that for Shi’ite is he (Mahdi) has already been here, and will return from hiding; for Sunnis he has yet to emerge into history: a comeback v. a coming out, if you will.”
• Shi’ites, for example, believe that their Twelfth Imam will reappear after a Ramadan double-eclipse.
• Many Shi’ite Iranians have a teaching called the Doctrine of the Twelvers: The belief is that eleven of the twelve leaders of Islam from the Shi’ite branch were poisoned or killed by the Sunni. The twelfth imam was the 12-year-old son of the eleventh imam. At age twelve, this young boy, destined to be chosen imam of the Shi’ite branch, disappeared off the street in this city and was never hear again. Since the grave of this 12^th was never discovered, tradition states the twelfth caliph has been supernaturally protected by God for the past 1,200 years. According to Islamic tradition, the Mahdi will be a military expert who will bring the world under control of Islamic law and justice. (They believe he will come forth when there is a double eclipse during the month of Ramadan that he is waiting for that sign from Allah)
• “At length, when the sight is dazed, and the moon is buried in darkness,
  and the sun and moon are joined together – the Day of That will Man say: ‘Where
  is the refuge?'” Qur’an, Sura 75:7-10. Allah gives a sign that Mahdi will be among us when a double eclipse occurs in the month of Ramadan.
• “It has been reported from Abu Ja’far that the event of the Mahdi’s appearance shall be attended by two clear signs which will carry with them the weight of ten strong signs. These are the solar and the lunar eclipses; and a similar sign has never happened ever since Adam came upon this planet.”
• November 9 & 28, 2003 there were double eclipses on Ramadan. From the readings I have found regarding this event, the Muslim writers say it never happened before on Ramadan and will not happen again for a long time. Therefore, many belief that the Mahdi is already here.

NOTE: January 27, 632 AD, there was a recorded solar eclipse when Mohammad’s son Ibrahim died.

My Summary: I don’t know what they are expecting or what prophecies they may be interpreting regarding next Wednesday’s blood moon over the Middle East. If anyone has any knowledge I would appreciate your comments.