The Light of Truth — Page 347
THE HOLY QURAN ON THE ECLIPSES 347 As for a detailed exposition at this juncture, know, O people of Islam and followers of the Best of Creation, that the Sign which you were granted as a promise in the Book of Allah the All-Knowing, and which was given to you as a glad tiding by the Chief of Messengers, who is the Light of Allah and eradicator of darkness, by which I mean the eclipse of the two luminous bodies in the holy month of Ramadan- during which the Quran was revealed—has appeared in our land by the grace of Allah the Beneficent. And so, the moon and the sun were indeed eclipsed and the two Signs were manifested. So praise Allah and fall down in prostration before Him. You are all well aware that Allah the Exalted made known this grand prophecy in His Holy Book, For the purpose of teaching and understanding, He said: فَإِذَا بَرِقَ الْبَصَرُ وَخَسَفَ الْقَمَرُ وَجُمِعَ الشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ يَقُولُ الْإِنْسَانُ يَوْمَينِ أَيْنَ الْمَفَرُّ Ponder over this Sign with a most meek and pure heart, for it is among the Signs foreshadowing al-Qiyāmah [the Day of Judgement]-and not among the events to take place on the Day of Judgement-which is clear and obvious to the people of intelligence. For, al-Qiyāmah is a term used to convey the breaking apart of this lesser world's system and the creation of the greater world. How then-in such a state of disso- lution-can such eclipses occur, whose causes and reasons you know with certainty and without doubt, and whose times and gateways you 1. When the eye is dazzled, and the moon is eclipsed, and the sun and the moon are brought together, on that day man will say, 'Whither to escape?' (Sūrah al-Qiyāmah, 75:8-11) [Publisher]