The Need for the Imam — Page 65
D ar u rat-ul-Imam 65 would be eclipsed on the first of the nights during which lunar eclipse can possibly take place, i. e. , 13 th night of the moon, and the sun would be eclipsed on the middle one of the days in which it can possibly take place, i. e. , the 28 th. 60 After hearing the correct meaning of the Hadith, the ignorant Maulaw i s were greatly embarrassed, and came up with yet another excuse saying that one of the narrators of this Hadith was unreliable. It was then pointed out to them that since the prophecy contained in the Hadith had already been fulfilled, any criticism based on mere presumption was of no consequence against the actual facts, which provide a strong proof in favour of the authenticity of the Hadith. In other words, the fulfilment of the prophecy testifies that it is the word of the truthful one. To allege now that he is not truthful but a liar amounts to denying self- 60 According to the laws of nature, lunar eclipse takes place on one of the three appointed nights: The 13 th , 14th and 15 th [night of the moon]. Eclipse of the moon always takes place on one of these three nights. Thus, in keeping this sequence, the 13 th is the first night of the lunar eclipse, to which the Hadith points. As for solar eclipse, the dates are the 27 th , 28th and 29 th of the [lunar] month. And by this sequence the 28 th is the middle one of the dates, and the eclipses took place on these very dates. [Author]