View of Scholars – Sign of the Eclipses
References of scholars on eclipses in Ramadhan being a sign for the Imam Mahdi – them accepting this as great sign for the Imam Mahdi’s advent. Its sister article is Sign of the Eclipses. This is a compendium, other article is an in-depth analysis.
Introduction
A compendium of Islamic and Christian sources which clearly mention that 2 Ramadhan Eclipses would be signs for the Imam Mahdi and Promised Messiah. It destroys the propaganda from Non-Ahmadis over the past century about these eclipses being no sign, and exposes the opponents.
Many of the scholars repeat the same narrations, but their inclusion of these narrations in their books under “the signs of the Mahdi” are clear proof that they accepted the sign of the eclipses despite the authenticity of each individual narration.
Dates
The scholars of Islam since ancient times recorded that for the Imam Mahdi a lunar and solar eclipse will happen in Ramadhan twice as signs for the Mahdi’s claim. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (a.s) claimed to be the Imam Mahdi and afterwards in 1894AD (1311 Hijri) & 1895 AD two eclipses happened in Ramadhan proving him.
Formatting
Example: [Urdu: Qasida Zahoor Mahdi pg. 47]. For every quote you will see a reference written like this. Langauge & book name. Click on the language to be taken to the full book link. Here you would click on the “[Urdu:”. Click on the book name to be taken to the exact page scan. Here it would be “Qasida Zahoor Mahdi pg. 47”.
Islamic Sources
Translation Note: Bolded and italicized text is there to show the important information of the text. It is not part of the format of the Original Language translated into English (ex. bolded text in Original Urdu bolded in English Translation).
★ Ahl al Makkah Mass Belief in Eclipses (in 1311H)
In 1311H (1894AD), when the Ramadhan eclipses of 1894 AD were going to happen, there was a mass belief in Makkah that the Imam Mahdi’s advent was imminent and these two eclipses would occur as signs for him. After they occurred, at this time, the only one who claimed these specific Ramadhan eclipses for his own truthfulness was the Mahdi claimant Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad al Qadiani(a.s).
مُراسلات مکّہ مُعَظمہ زاد اللّہ شر فھا
مکرمی ایڈیٹر پیسیہ اخبار زاد عنا یتہالسلام علیکم آج کل مکہ معظّمہ میں ایک عجیب ہل چل مچی ہوئی ہے جو لوگ امام مہدی علیہ السلام کے منتظر ہیں اُن کے لیے عجیب دلچسپی کا موقع ہاتھ آیا ہے، کوئی جلسہ، کوئی محفل، کوئی گھر اس تذکرہ سے خالی نہیں جہاں امام مہدی کے ظہور کا اس رمضان میں ذکر نہ ہو۔ جب سے یہ بات محقق ہوگئی ہے کہ اسی سال رمضان میں کسوف و خسوف دونوں ایک ہی مہینے میں ہیں اُس وقت سے اُن کے خیال کو اور بھی زیادہ ترقی ہے اور ہر کس وناکس کی طبیعت میں ایک نیا جوش اور ولولہ ہے۔ بعض منچلوں نے تو اپنے ہتھیار جو برسوں سے پڑے پڑے بیکار اور زنگ آلود ہوگئے تھے، کار آمد کر لیے۔ میں نہایت حیرت کے ساتھ حالات دیکھ رہا ہوں العلم عند اللّہ مین پہر کسی وقت انشاء اللّہ اِسکے متعلق کچھ لکہونگا
“News: Makkah Mu’azzamah May Allah enrich it
[Urdu: Paisa Akhbar (6th April 1894) pg. 8]
Respected Editor Paisa Akhbar, may he be enriched
These days there is a strange uproar in Makkah Mu’azzamah. For those people who were awaiting the Imam Mahdi AS, there is a strange and interesting event at hand. There is no Jalsa, gathering, or house that is empty of the mention of the Imam Mahdi’s advent in Ramadhan since it has been established that in this very year in Ramadhan the lunar and solar eclipse will occur in one month. Since then, their expectation has advanced even more, and the obedience of everyone high and low has a new zeal and fervor. Few bold persons have even started using their age-old weapons which were left unused for many years and which started developing rust. I am looking at this scene with great amazement – All knowledge is with Allah. I, at another time – InshAllah – will write something about this topic!”
This reference refutes all allegations. The status of the initial hadith doesn’t matter, on which dates it occurred in Ramadhan doesn’t matter, and it doesn’t matter how many times eclipses happened in Ramadhan in the past. The majority of the people of Makkah did not make these strange allegations but instead accepted these as signs in 1894!
The eclipses of 1311 Hijri or 1894AD were still accepted as special signs for Imam Mahdi by the people of Makkah, and they were expecting him. The only Mahdi who was present was Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (a.s) of India.
Nur e Afshan (May 11 1894)
A Christian newspaper also confirmed this information. Mockingly addressing Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) the opponent Fatih Masih said that in Makkah there is a lot of excitement that the Mahdi has come due to the recent Ramadhan eclipses (1894), so if you go there with this business of being the Imam Mahdi, they will accept you immediately,
اور الہام کی پوٹ بغل میں داب نگلہ کی راہ لو: گذشتہ رمضان کے مہینہ میں کسوف و خسوف کے وقوع نے واں کے لوگوں کے دلوں میں ایک جوش پیدا کر دیا ہے۔ بس جاتے ہی مہدی بن بیٹھئے
“And take this saddle bag of ‘revelation’ and start your journey on the path to Makkah. The occurance of the lunar and solar eclipse in the previous Ramadhan has caused a great excitement to enter their hearts, so go there and you will immediately be seated there as the Mahdi.”
[Urdu: Nur e Afshan 1894, Vol. 22, no. 19, May 11 1894]
Even though Fatih Masih is a pathetic excuse for an opponent with his extremely disrespectful abuse, this reference confirms the news that the Ramadhan eclipses were greatly accepted in Makkah as the signs for the Mahdi in the year 1894 AD.
Al-Qurtubi (d. 671H)
Well-known renowned classical scholar. In his book al-Tadhkirah, he mentioned narrations on Mahdi’s eclipses under the “sign of the Mahdi’s advent” showing his acceptance,
باب منه في المهدي، ومن أين يخرج، وفي علامة خروجه وأنه يبايع مرتين ويقاتل السفياني ويقتله
ويروى من حديث شريك أنه بلغه أن قبل خروج المهدي تكسف الشمس في رمضان مرتين، والله أعلم….
وذكر الدارقطني في سننه (۱) حدثنا أبو سعيد الأصطخري، حدثنا محمد بن عبد الله بن نوفل، حدثنا عبيد بن يعيش ثنا يونس بن بكير عن عمرو بن شمر عن جابر عن محمد بن علي قال : إن لمهدينا آيتين لم تكونا منذ خلق السموات والأرض ينكسف القمر لأول ليلة من رمضان، وتنكسف الشمس في النصف منه، ولم يكونا منذ خلق الله السموات والأرض
Chapter about the Mahdi, from where he will emerge, and about the sign of his emergence and that he pledges allegiance twice and fights the Sufyani and kills him.
[…] It is narrated from the hadith of Sharik that he heard that before the advent of the Mahdi, the sun would be eclipsed twice in Ramadan, and God knows best.
(And Dar Qutni mentioned in his Sunan: Abu Sa’id Al-Istakhri narrated to us, Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Nufal narrated to us, ‘Ubayd ibn Ya’ish narrated to us, Yunus ibn Bukayr narrated to us, from ‘Amr ibn Shamir, from Jabir, from Muhammad ibn ‘Ali who said: “Surely, For our Mahdi there are two signs that have never occurred since the creation of the heavens and the earth: the moon will eclipse on the first night of Ramadan, and the sun will eclipse in the middle of it. These [signs] have not occurred since Allah created the heavens and the earth.”)
[Arabic: Al-Tadhkirah fī Aḥwāl al-Mawtá wa-Umūr al-Ākhirah pg. 1206, pg. 1208]
Shāh Ni’matullāh Wali (d. 834H)
One of the absolutely renowned saints of India/Persia known in Sunni Islam. His poem concerning the Imam Mahdi based on Divine Revelation gained great fame and was published by many. It was also written by Shah Isma’il Shaheed Dehlawī at the end of his book, Al-Arba’in fi Ahwal-al-Mahdiyin published in 1853 A.D. In this poem, he said based on Divine Revelation that 2 eclipses would happen as signs for the Mahdi & Isa ibn Maryam.
ماه را روسیاه مے نگرم
مهر را دل فگار مے بینم
“I see the face of the moon darkened
And the heart of the sun I see wounded.”
[Arabic/Urdu: Al-Arba’in fi Ahwal-al-Mahdiyin pg. 45]
This couplet was again said based on revelation not narrations.
Mawlavi Fīrūz al-Dīn (d. 1368H)
It was also written by Mawlavi Fīrūz al-Dīn – a known Sunni scholar of the subcontinent, in his book Qasida Zahoor Mahdi. He translated Imam Ni’matullah’s poem into Urdu, and his Urdu translation clarifies the true meaning.
ماه را روسیاه مے نگرم
ہوگا ظاہر اک بڑا چاند گرہن
مهر را دل فگار مے بینم
متصل سورج گرہن کے ایک بار“I see the face of the moon darkened
– A big lunar eclipse will manifestAnd the heart of the sun I see wounded.
[Urdu: Qasida Zahoor Mahdi pg. 47]
– Along with it shall a solar eclipes happen, once”
Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī (d. 911H)
One of the renowned scholars known among all sects of Islam. He was titled Shaykh al-Islām. He is an outstanding scholar accepted by all. He wrote in al-‘Arf al-Wardi fi Akhbar al-Mahdi the narrations about the eclipses in Ramadhan alongside the well-accepted and authentic ones,
٧٤: وأخرج (ك) نعيم بن حماد ، وأبو الحسن الحربي في الأول من الحربيات، عن علي بن عبد الله بن عباس قال: «لا يخرج المهدي حتى تطلع مع الشمس آية
٧٥: وأخرج (ك) الدارقطني في سننه عن محمد بن علي قال : إن لمهدينا آيتين ” لم يكونا منذ خلق الله السموات والأرض ينكسف القمر لأول ليلة من رمضان، وتنكسف الشمس في النصف منه، ولم يكونا منذ خلق الله السموات والأرض
وأخرج نعيم عن شريك قال: بلغني انه قبل خروج المهدي ينكسف القمر في شهر رمضان مرتين :۲۲۸[75] And Nu’aym ibn Hammad, and Abul-Hasan al-Harbi in the first section of al-Harbiyyat, narrated from ‘Ali ibn ‘Abdillah ibn ‘Abbas that he said: “The Mahdi will not come until the sun rises with a sign [ayah].”
[76] And ad-Daraqutni narrated in his Sunan from Muhammad ibn ‘Ali that he said: “For our Mahdi there will be two signs that have never occurred since the creation of the heavens and the earth: The moon will be eclipsed on the first night of Ramadhan, and the sun halfway through it. This has never before occurred since Allah created the heavens and the earth.” […]
[230]1 And Nu’aym narrated from Shurayk that he said “It has reached me that before the coming of the Mahdi, the sun [or moon] will eclipse twice in the month of Ramadhan.”
[English: al-‘Arf al-Wardi fi Akhbar al-Mahdi]
[Arabic: al-‘Arf al-Wardi fi Akhbar al-Mahdi pg. 52-53, pg. 104]
The English Translator has explained that Imam Suyuti (rh) has ordered them from most authentic to least and he discusses the disputed narrations at the end. The eclipses are placed high on the list alongside other known narrations, and nothing provides proof for Imam Suyuti (rh) discarding these narrations. On the other hand, the Hadith in Dar Qutni is placed alongside the authentic narration from Ali bin Abdullah bin Abbas regarding a sign rising from the sun.
He also wrote in his commentary of Sunan Abi Da’ud under the Mahdi being from the lineage of Al-Hasan,
وقال الحافظ عماد الدين بن كثير في تاريخه: الأحاديث دالّة على أنَّ المهدي يكون بعد دولة بني العبَّاس، وأئه يكون من أهل البيت من ذريّة فاطمة رضي الله عنها من ولد الحسن لا الحسين، ويكون ظهوره من بلاد المشرق ويبايع له عند البيت، وروى الدارقطني من طريق عمرو بن شَمِر (١) عن جابر عن محمد بن علي قال: إنَّ لمهديّنا آيتين لم يكونا منذ خلق الله السماوات والأرض، تنكسف الشمس لأوَّل ليلة من رمضان، وتنكسف (١) الشَّمس في النَّصف منه، ولم يكونا منذ خلق الله السماوات والأرض
“And Al-Hafiz Imad al-Din Ibn Kathir said in his Tarikh: The Ahadith indicate that the Mahdi will come after the rule of the Abbasids, and he will be from the family of Fatimah, may Allah be pleased with her, from the offspring of Al-Hasan, not Al-Husayn. His appearance will be from the lands of the East, and people will pledge allegiance (ba’yah) to him near the House (Ka’aba), and its narrated from Dar Qutni from the path of Amru bin Shimr on the authority of Jabir on the authority of Muhammad bin Ali: For our Mahdi are two signs which have have not occured since Allah created the heavens and the earth: the sun2will eclipse on the first night in Ramadhan, and the sun will eclipse in the middle of it, and this has not happened3 since the Allah created the heavens and earth.”
[Arabic: Marqāt us-Ṣaʻūd ilā Sunan Abī Dāwūd Vol 3. pg. 1054-1055]
Ibn Hajar al-Haytami (d. 974H)
In his book on the signs of the awaited Mahdi, under “Sign of the sun”, “Two Signs of the Mahdi”, and “Eclipse of the Moon” he wrote:
:آية الشمس*
.الثانية : لا يخرج حتى تطلع من الشمس آية
:آيتان للمهدي*
…الثالثة : لمهدينا آيتان لم تكونا منذ خلق الله السموات والأرض : ينكسف القمر لأول ليلة من رمضان ، وتنكسف الشمس في النصف منه:انكساف القمر*
.السادسة والأربعون : قبل خروجه ينكسف القمر في رمضان مرتين“Sign of the sun:
The second: The Mahdi will not arrive until a sign rises from the sun
Two Signs of the Mahdi:
The third: For our Mahdi are two signs which have never happened since Allah created the heavens and the earth: the moon will eclipse on the first night in Ramadhan, and the sun will eclipse in the middle of it
Eclipse of the Moon:The Fourty Sixth: Before his advent the moon will eclipse in ramadhan two times.”
[Arabic: Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi Alamāt al-Mahdī al-Muntazar pg. 57, pg. 66]
He also explained in another place about his acceptance of this sign, a group in India emerged in the time of Imam Haytami (the Mahdavia sect) who believed that the Imam Mahdi had emerged. Imam Haytami strictly falsified them and mentioned numerous Ahadith of the signs of the Mahdi to show that since these signs did not happen for the Mahdi of this sect, therefore he isn’t the true Mahdi. Among the signs he mentioned was the eclipse sign,
٢٧ وسئلت عَن طَائِفَة يَعْتَقِدُونَ فِي رجل مَاتَ من مُنْذُ أَرْبَعِينَ سنة أَنه الْمهْدي الْمَوْعُود بظهوره آخر الزَّمَان وَأَن من أنكر كَونه الْمهْدي الْمَذْكُور فقد كفر فَمَا يَتَرَتَّب عَلَيْهِم؟ فأجبت: بِأَن هَذَا اعْتِقَاد بَاطِل وضلالة قبيحة وجهالة شنيعة: أما الأول فلمخالفته لصريح الْأَحَادِيث الَّتِي كَادَت تتواتر بِخِلَافِهِ كَمَا ستملى عَلَيْك
… إِذا تقرر ذَلِك فلنمل عَلَيْك من الْأَحَادِيث المصرحة بتكذيب هَؤُلَاءِ وتضليلهم وتفسيقهم مَا فِيهِ مقنع وكفاية لمن تدبره…
. وَمِمَّا جَاءَ عَن أكَابِر أهل الْبَيْت فِيهِ قَول مُحَمَّد بن عَليّ: لمهدينا آيتان لم يَكُونَا مُنْذُ خلق الله السَّمَوَات وَالْأَرْض: ينكسف الْقَمَر لأوّل لَيْلَة من رَمَضَان، وتنكسف الشَّمْس فِي النّصْف مِنْهُ، وَلم يَكُونَا مُنْذُ خلق الله السَّمَوَات وَالْأَرْض
وَبقيت لَهُ عَلَامَات أخر تعرف من كتابي (القَوْل الْمُخْتَصر فِي عَلَامَات الْمهْدي المنتظر) وَالله تَعَالَى أعلم بِالصَّوَابِ…
“27- It was asked about a group that believes in a man who died forty years ago, claiming he is the awaited Mahdi in the Latter Days. They assert that whoever denies his status as the mentioned Mahdi has committed disbelief. What is the decision for them? I responded: This belief is false, a heinous misguidance, and a dreadful ignorance. As for the first claim, it contradicts the explicit hadiths that are almost unanimously agreed upon, as will be elaborated upon… If that is established, we will provide you with the explicit hadiths that refute these individuals and their misleading and corrupting practices, which should be convincing and sufficient for those who contemplate upon them […] and what was reported from the giants of the Ahlul Bayt, there is the saying of Muhammad bin Ali: For our Mahdi are two signs which have never happened since Allah created the heavens and the earth: the moon will eclipse on the first night in Ramadhan, and the sun will eclipse in the middle of it, and this has not happened since Allah created the heavens and the earth […] And there are other signs left for him that you will know from my book (Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi Alamāt al-Mahdī al-Muntazar), and God Almighty knows best what is correct.”
[Arabic: Al-Fatāwā al-Ḥadīthiyya pg. 37, pg. 42-43]
Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi (d. 975H)
A well-known Imam, and famous writer of Kanzul-Ummal, he is well-respected among scholars, especially for his work on the Imam Mahdi’s signs. He wrote the hadith in Dar Qutni among the signs of the Mahdi under the title “The fourth chapter which deals with the conditions that occur before the advent of the Mahdi (as)”,
وأخرج نعيم بن حماد ، وأبى الحسن الحربى في الأول من الحربيات ، عن على بن عبد الله بن عباس ء رضي الله عنهما – قال : لا يطلع المهدى حتى تطلع من الشمس آية
وأخرج الدارقطني في سننه ، عن محمد بن على ، قال : لمهدينا آيتان ، لم تكونا منذ خلق الله السموات والأرض ، ينكسف القمر لأول ليلة من رمضان ، وتنكسف الشمس فى النصف منه ، ولم يكونا منذ خلق الله السموات والأرض .
و (ع) عن عبد الله بن عباس ء رضي الله عنهما ء قال : لا يخرج المهدى حتى تطلع من الشمس آية . [أخرجه الحافظ أبو بكر بن أحمد بن الحسن البيهقي والحافظ أبو عبد الله نعيم بن حماد]
وعن أبي جعفر محمد بن علي ء رضي الله عنه قال : إذا بلغ العباسي خراسان طلع بالمشرق العراف ذو السنين ، وكان أول ما طلع بهلاك قوم نوح ، حين أغرقهم الله تعالى ، وطلع فى زمن إبراهيم حين ألقوه في النار ، وحين أهلك الله تعالى فرعون ومن معه ، وحين قتل يحيى بن زكريا ، فإذا رأيتم ذلك فاستعيذوا بالله من شر الفتن ، ويكون طلوعه بعد انكساف الشمس والقمر ، لا يلبثون حتى يظهر الأبقع بمصر . [ أخرجه الإمام نعيم بن حماد في كتاب ( الفتن ) ] .
و (ع) عن كثير بن مرة الحضرى قال : آية الحوادث في رمضان علامة في السماء ، بعدها اختلاف في الناس ، فإذا أدركتها فأكثر من الطعام ما استطعت [ أخرجه ابن حماد ]
وأخرج نعيم ، عن شريك قال : بلغني أنه قبل خروج المهدى ينكسف القمر في شهر رمضان مرتين . [ أخرجه نعيم بن حماد في كتاب ( الفتن ) ] .
And Nu’aym bin Hammad and Abu’l Hasan al-Harbi reported in the first of Al-Harbiyyat, on the authority of Ali bin Abdullah bin Abbas (may God be pleased with them both) that he said: The Mahdi will not rise until a sign rises/comes from the sun.
And Dar Qutni reported in his Sunan, on the authority of Muhammad bin Ali that he said: For Our Mahdi are two signs, they have not happened since the creation of the heavens and the earth, the moon will eclipse on the first night in Ramadhan, and the sun will eclipse in the middle of it, and this has not happened since the creation of the heavens and the earth.
And (A’) on the authority of Abdullah bin Abbas (may God be pleased with them both), he said: The Mahdi will not emerge until a sign rises/comes from the sun. [Al Hafiz Abu Bakr bin Ahmad bin al-Hasan al-Bayhaqi and Al Hafiz Abdullah Nu’aym bin Hammad reported this]
And on the authority of Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: When the ‘Abbāsid reached Khurāsān, the Dhul-Sineen Comet appeared in the East. The first time it rose was for the destruction of the people of Noah, when God drowned them, and then it rose during the time of Abraham when they threw him into the Fire. Then when God caused Pharaoh and those with him to perish, and when Yahya son of Zachariah was murdered so when you see it, take refuge in Allah from the evil of the tribulations. Its rising will be after the eclipsing of the sun and the moon, then they will not be long until the Spotted One (al-abqa’) appears in Egypt. [Imam Nu’aym bin Hammad reported it in Kitab ul (Fitn)]
And (A’) on the authority of Kathir bin Murra’ al Haydrami’, he said: The sign of extraordinary events/calamities in Ramadhan is a sign in the sky, after that there will be differences between people, so if you live to see that, prepare as much food as you can. [Ibn Hammad reported this]
And Nu’aym reported, on the authority of Sharik that he said: It has reached me before the advent of the Mahdi, the moon will eclipse twice in the month of Ramadhan. [Nu’aym bin Hammad reported this in Kitab ul (Fitn)]
[Arabic: Al-Burhan fi Alamāt al-Mahdī Aakhir al-Zaman, pg. 45-46]
Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi has brought a plethora of narrations supporting the one in Dar Qutni. They are reported in various sources. By mentioning them together he has shown how supported it is that the Imam Mahdi will have eclipses in Ramadhan as signs for him. All these narrations support each other even if some of them have weak chains of transmission.
Therefore, it is clear Imam Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi accepted the information contained in these narrations among the legitimate signs of the Mahdi!
Mulla ‘Ali Al-Qari (d. 1013H)
Huge Imam of the Hanafis. He elaborated on the Mahdi being from the descendents of Imam Hasan, and refuted Shias, then he mentioned at the end as a sign for the Mahdi the narration in Dar Qutni.
وَأَخْرَجَ الدَّارَقُطْنِيُّ فِي سُنَنِهِ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ قَالَ: إِنَّ لِمَهْدِيِّنَا آيَتَيْنِ، لَمْ تَكُونَا مُنْذُ خَلَقَ اللَّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ: يَنْكَسِفُ الْقَمَرُ لِأَوَّلِ لَيْلَةٍ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ، وَتَنْكَسِفُ الشَّمْسُ فِي النِّصْفِ مِنْهُ، كَذَا فِي الْعُرْفِ الْوَرْدِيِّ فِي أَخْبَارِ الْمَهْدِيِّ لِلْجَلَالِ السُّيُوطِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ.
“...And Dar Qutni recorded in his Sunan on the authority of Muhammad bin Ali: “For our Mahdi there will be two signs that have never occurred since the creation of the heavens and the earth: The moon will be eclipsed on the first night in Ramadhan, and the sun eclipses in the middle of it. (1) As is in al-‘Arf al-Wardi fi Akhbar al-Mahdi of Imam al-Jalāl Suyūṭī (may God have mercy on him)”
[Arabic: Marqat al-Mafatih Sharh Mishkat al-Masabih, Vol 10. pg. 101-102]
He neither criticized this narration like modern-day Sunnis do, nor did he refute it. He mentioned it after explaining the majority view of Imam Mahdi being from the children of Fatima, and recorded this alongside it as proof for it. This shows that he considered this narration as giving accurate information on the signs of the Mahdi.
Baha’ al-din al-‘Amili (d. 1030H)
The well-respected and famous Shia theologian Baha’ al-din al-‘Amili (d. 1030H) recorded 2 couplets from Muhaqiq al-Tusi in his book Kashkūl. He did not specify any date in Ramadhan for the eclipses but specified that this would happen near 1300 Hijri as a sign for the Imam Mahdi.
در الف و ثلاثین دو قرآن میبینم
وز مهدی و دجال نشان میبینم
یا ملک شود خراب یا گردد دین
سریست نهان و من عیان میبینم“In thousand and three hundred (1300 Hijri) years I see two eclipses happen
[Arabic/Farsi: Kashkūl pg. 573]
I see that they are signs for the Mahdi and Dajjal
Governace is destroyed while religion is corrupted
These are hidden matters I see manifestly”
This was said based on revelation not narrations. It is clear this couplet confirms signs of the eclipses as a sign of the Mahdi’s truth. According to some online sources these couplets stem from Shāh Ni’matullāh Wali. This non-Ahmadi website source also confirms the meaning of 1300 Hijri for the words الف و ثلاثین.
Sheikh Marʻee ibn Yūsuf al-Karmī (d. 1033H)
One of the most famous renowned Hanbali scholars of the Arab world. He positively accepted Ramadhan eclipses among the signs of the Imam Mahdi!
فِي عَلَامَاتِ ظُهُوره
أعلم أن لظهور المهدي علامات جاءت بها الآثار ، والأحاديث ، والأخبار، فمن علامات ظهوره على ما ورد كسوف القمر ، والشمس ، ونجم الذنب ، والظلمة ، وسماع الصوت برَمَضَان، وتحارب القبائل بذي القعدة ، وظهور الخسف ، والْفِتَن ،إلى غير ذلك مما سيأتي
ففي سنن الدار قطني بسنده عن جابر ، عن محمد بن علي : «أن لمهدينا آيتين (۲) لم يكونا منذ خلق الله السَّمَاوَات ، والْأَرْضِ ، ينكسف الْقَمَر لأول ليلة من رَمَضَان وتنكسف الشمس في النصف منه (۳) (٤)وقال شريك : كما عند نَعْيم فِي الْفِتَن : بلغني أنَّ الْقَمَر قبل خُرُوجه ينكسف مرتين برَمَضَان» (۱) . وذكر الكسائي (٢) ، عن كعب الأخبار في كلامها الطويل الآتي : أنه ينكسف القمر ثلاث ليال متواليات ؛ ثم يظهر المهدي (۳
“Know that surely for the advent of the Mahdi there have been signs in the Athar, and it has also been reported in the Ahadith and Akhbar. And the signs of his advent include what has been reported on the eclipse of the sun and moon, the appearence of the comet, darkness/corruption, the loud sound in Ramadhan, the clashes between tribes of Dhul Qa’da, earthquakes, and tribulations. So narrated Dar Qutni in his Sunan on the authority of Jabir on the authority of Muhammad bin Ali, “For Our Mahdi (2) there are two signs which have never happened since Allah created the heavens and the earth, the moon will eclipse on the first night in Ramadhan, and the sun will eclipse in the middle of it,” (3) (4) And Sharik said as is Nu’aym’s view in al-Fitn “It has reached that the moon, before his advent, will eclipse twice in Ramadhan”. And al-Kisai mentioned on the authority of Ka’b al Ahbar the moon will eclipse consecutively for three nights then the Mahdi will appear”
[Arabic: Farāʾid Fawāʾid al-Fikr fī al-Imām al-Mahdī al-Muntaẓar pg. 255-256]
Sami al-Ghurayri
A scholar – the writer of the footnotes in Imam Mar’ee’s book quoted above. He has done very honest work regarding these signs, unlike other scholars. His footnotes show an analytical study of the signs of the eclipses under the statement of Imam Mar’ee’s view on eclipses.
In footnote (3), he mentions the reference in Sunan Dar Qutni and says this is a Mursal narration, meaning it’s a Hadith of Hazrat Muhammad (saw) mentioned by Imam Muhammad bin Ali Baqir without mentioning the Sahabi – not a Qawl of Imam Baqir himself. Then he mentions references from a multitude of scholars who have mentioned eclipses in Ramadhan as signs of the Mahdi (many of which are mentioned in this very article!). Then, he concludes in footnote (3),
، ومن الواضح أن كسوف الشمس، وخسوف القمر ، يعود تأريخهما إلى ملايين السنين. والمعروف أن كسوف الشمس يحدث في أواخر الشهر القمري، وخسوف القمر يحدث في أواسط الشهر الْقَمَرِي أيضاً.
هذه القاعدة المتفق عليها تنخرم قبيل قيام المهدي ، فتنكسف الشمس في وسط الشهر، وينخسف القمر في آخره على خلاف المعتاد، والقمر ينكسف في النصف لأن نوره مستفاد من الشمس ، وفي النصف قد تقع الأرض واسطة بين مركزيها فتمنع من وصول الشمس إليه، وعلى هذا فكسوف الشمس في النصف والقمر في الآخرة علامة من علامات قيام المهدي ، ولعل الكسف حينئذ أثر يخلقه الله في جرمهما من غير سبب، ولا ربط كما هو مذهب طائفة في كسوفهما ، أو لأزالة الفلك من مجراه فيدخل الشمس والقمر في البحر الذي بين السماء ، والأرْض فيطمس ضوء هما . والله أعلم.
“[…] It is clear that solar eclipses and lunar eclipses date back millions of years. It is known that solar eclipses occur towards the end of the lunar month, and lunar eclipses occur in the middle of the lunar month as well.
This agreed-upon law will be disrupted before the advent of the Mahdi. The sun will eclipse in the middle of the month, and the moon will eclipse towards the end, contrary to the usual pattern. The moon eclipses in the middle [of the lunar month] because it gains its light from the sun, and in the middle [of the lunar month] the earth comes between the two focal points [sun and earth] and prevents the sun’s rays from reaching it [moon]. So according to this, the solar eclipse occuring in the middle, and the lunar eclipse at the end is a sign among the signs of the rise of the Mahdi. And perhaps at that time, the eclipse will be a sign created by God within the celestial bodies without a cause [in the orbits of the celestial bodies], and without a connection, as some sects believe in their interpretation of eclipses, or the celestial bodies will be removed from their orbit, causing the sun and the moon to enter the sea between the heavens and the earth, thus obliterating their light.
And Allah knows best.”
[Arabic: Farāʾid Fawāʾid al-Fikr fī al-Imām al-Mahdī al-Muntaẓar pg. 255-256 footnote (3)]
Although Sami al-Ghurayri inferred that the eclipse of the sun will happen in the middle, and the eclipse of the moon at the end of Ramadhan, this is only his interpretation and interpretations varied among many scholars (like how others said 1st and 15th of Ramadhan). However, it’s proven clearly that this scholar accepted eclipses in Ramadhan as signs for the Mahdi!
Mujaddid Alf Thani’ Aḥmad al-Fārūqī al-Sirhindī (d. 1034H)
The absolutely revered saint and scholar, known as Imam Rabbani, Imam Aḥmad al-Fārūqī al-Sirhindī, or Mujaddid Alf Thani’, is widely recognized as the Mujaddid of the Second Millennium. He has an immense status. He wrote in one of his Maktubat (letters) regarding the signs of the Mahdi:
اور ایک جماعت نے اپنی بیوقوفی سے ایک ایسے آدمی کو مہدی موعود تسلیم کر لیا ہے ۔ جس نے ہندوستان میں اپنے مہدی ہونے کا دعوی کیا۔ پس ان کے خیال کے مطابق تو مہدی ہو چکا اور فوت ہو گیا ۔ اور کہتے ہیں کہ اسکی قبرہ میں ہے۔ اور صحاح کی احادیث میں جو شہرت کی حد بلکہ معنی تواتر کی حد تک پہنچ چکی ہیں۔ ان کی تکذیب موجود ہے ۔ اس لئے کہ آنحضرت صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے امام مہدی کی علامات بیان کر دی ہیں ۔ اور اس شخص میں جسکو انہوں نے مہدی سمجھ رکھا ہے۔ یہ علامات مفقود ہیں۔ ۔ ۔
اور ان کی سلطنت کے ظہور کے زمانہ میں چودہ رمضان شریف کو سورج گرہن ہوگا۔ اور اس مہینہ کی ابتداء میں چاند گرہن ہو گا۔ اور یہ منجموں کے حساب اور زمانہ کی عادت کے برخلان ہوگا۔
“A group of ignoramus think that someone in India who claimed to be the Mahdi was the promised Mahdi4 Therefore, they think that the Mahdi came and went away, they indicate a grave in Farah as his grave. On the other hand, correct hadiths that have been classified as mashhur or even mutwatir, they prove that that group is lying. Because the signs that the Messenger gave regarding the Mahdi are absent in that claimant. It comes in the hadith of the Prophet (saw)[…] 4. Companions of the cave (ashab-i qahf) would assist Mahdi (as), Hazrat Jesus would come down in his time. And the Mahdi would assist Hazrat Jesus (as) is his battle against the Dajjal. During the reign of Mahdi, there would be solar eclipse on the 14th of Ramadhan, and a lunar eclipse near the 1st, which is abnormal and contradicts astronomical calculations.”
[English: Maktubat of Imam Rabbani Vol 2. pg. 182-183]
[Urdu: Maktubat Imam Rabbani Vol 2. pg. 73 Part VII. Letter 67]
Imam Rabbani not only accepted eclipses in Ramadhan among the signs of the Mahdi (from the narration in Dar Qutni) but he also testified that this narration is a Hadith of the Holy Prophet (saw) that contains the signs of the eclipses. So this reference proves 1) the narration in Dar Qutni being a Hadith and 2) eclipses being a well-accepted sign according to the Imam. This reference completely refutes the claim that old scholars did not believe in this sign.
Imam Rabbani subscribed to the view that the narration in Dar Qutni means the 1st and 14th of Ramadhan against the astronomical calculations. This is his own view and views varied among scholars. The point of showing this reference is to prove that Imam Rabbani certainly accepted the narration in Dar Qutni among the signs of the Mahdi and considered it a Hadith of the Holy Prophet (saw) despite the interpretation he believed!
Imams like Imam Rabbani used eclipses in Ramadhan to refute false claimants of Mahdihood. They used to say since eclipses in Ramadhan did NOT happen for you, you cannot be the Mahdi.
Al-`Ajalouni (d. 1087H)
Known Shafi’ scholar. He accepted the signs of the eclipses and mentioned it alongside the Mahdi being from the Ahlul Bayt.
ومنها ما رواه الدارقطني عن محمد بن علي قال: إن لمهدينا آيتين لم يكونا منذ خلق الله السماوات تنكسف الشمس لأول ليلة من رمضان وتنكسف في النصف منه ولم يكونا منذ خلق الله السماوات والأرض. فمن أراد المزيد فعليه بالتأليفين المذكورين وأمثالهما
“And among them is what Al-Daraqutni narrated from Muhammad bin Ali who said: ‘Surely, for our [Mahdi of the Ahlul Bayt] Mahdi there are two signs that have never occurred since the creation of the heavens and the earth: the moon will eclipse on the first night of Ramadan, and the sun will eclipse in the middle of it. These [signs] have not occurred since Allah created the heavens and the earth.’ Whoever seeks more should refer to the mentioned compilations and similar ones to it.”
[Arabic: Kashfu al-Khafā’ wa Muzīlu al-I’lbas pg. 343-344]
He was mentioning narrations that prove the Mahdi being from the descendants of Fatima, he quoted this narration as further proof for this as Imam Muhammad bin Ali al Baqir says “Our Mahdi” meaning the Mahdi of the Ahlul Bayt has the such and such signs.
This can also be taken the other way, the Mahdi for whom these eclipse signs happen is the true Mahdi who Ahadith say is from the Ahlul Bayt. The person for whom these eclipse signs occur is the Mahdi who is being spoken about in the Ahlul Bayt Ahadith. The eclipses prove him to be the true Mahdi of the Ahlul Bayt!
Muḥammad ibn Rasūl al-Ḥusaynī al-Barzanjī (d. 1103H)
A well-known scholar, he compiled a book on the Signs of the Hour where he mentioned the eclipses in Ramadhan as a sign of the Mahdi’s arrival in multiple places.
: وأما الأمارات الدالة على قرب خروجه
ومنها: أنه ينكسف القمر أول ليلة من رمضان، والشمس ليلة النصف منه، وهذان لم يكونا منذ خلق الله السماوات والأرض.
ومنها: خُسوف القمر مرتين في شهر رمضان، وهذا لا يُنافي الأول؛ كما هو واضح.
“As for the signs indicating his imminent arrival:
And among them: the moon will eclipse on the first night in Ramadhan, and the sun on the middle night of it, and this has not happened since Allah created the heavens and the earth
And among them: The eclipse of the moon twice in the month of Ramadhan and this does not contradict the first [above mentioned sign]; as is evident”
[Arabic: Ishā’āh li-Ashrat as-Sā’ah pg. 183]
…اشتملت قصة المهدي على جُملةٍ من أشراط الساعة، فلنشر إلى عدها وذكر بعض أحاديثها إجمالًا؛ وفاءً بما وعدناه من حفظ الأحاديث على المسلمين.
ومنها: انكساف الشمس والقمر في رمضان (١):
عن الإمام محمد بن علي الباقر قال: “لمهدينا آيتان لم يكونا منذ خلق الله السماوات والأرض: ينكسف القمر لأول ليلة من رمضان، وتنكسف الشمس في النصف منه، ولم تكونا منذ خلق الله السموات والأرض” رواه الدارقطني في “سننه”
وعن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما قال: “لا يخرج المهدي حتى تطلع الشمس آية” رواه البيهقي، ونُعيم بن حماد
.”The topic of the Mahdi includes a series of signs of the Hour. Let’s elaborate on them and mention some of the related Hadiths in general, in fulfillment of our promise to preserving the Ahadith for Muslims…
[Arabic: Ishā’āh li-Ashrat as-Sā’ah pg. 218, pg. 222]
And among them: The eclipse of the sun and the moon in Ramadhan (1)
On the authority of Imam Muhammad bin Ali al-Baqir who said: For Our Mahdi there are two signs which have never happened since Allah created the heavens and the earth, the moon will eclipse on the first night in Ramadhan, and the sun will eclipse in the middle of it, and these [signs] have not happened since Allah created the heavens and the earth, narrates Dar Qutni in his Sunan
On the authority of Ibn Abbas (r.a) who said: The Mahdi will not arrive until the sun rises [or a sign rises] from the sun, narrated by Al-Bayhaqi and Nu’aym bin Hammad”
Imam Barzanji quoted the narration from Imam Baqir (as) which non-Ahmadis continuously weaken (by mentioning the narrators Jabir al Ju’fi and Amru bin Shimr) but it’s clear that Imam Barzanji still accepted the sign mentioned in this narration as other narrations corroborated it (like the one narrated by Al-Bayhaqi from Ibn Abbas (ra) – that narration is authentic).
The footnote (1) tries to say the eclipse of the sun and moon in Ramadhan is not a sign as it has happened many times. They even mention anti-Ahmadi books to prove how eclipses in Ramadhan are not signs. They ignore the fact that even though eclipses have happened in Ramadhan before never has any false Mahdi claimant presented any eclipse to prove himself.
The fact that footnote (1) was even put there by modern-day Sunnis at all proves that Imam Barzanji accepted the narration from Dar Qutni and believed Ramadhan eclipses were among the Mahdi’s signs, the footnote wants to disprove the view of the scholar.
So, the eclipses in Ramadhan still remain a sign and these footnotes do not disprove the fact that Imam Barzanji included eclipses in Ramadhan as a sign for the Imam Mahdi.
Abū al-Ḥasan al-Sindī. (d. 1138H)
Known Sunni scholar of Hadith and Fiqh. He mentioned the majority view of Mahdi being from descendants of Fatima and wrote the narration of eclipses alongside the appearance of the Mahdi.
ويكون ظهوره من بلاد المشرق ويبايع له عند البيت، وقال: وروى الدارقطني من طريق عمرو بن شمر عن جابر عن محمد عن علي قال : إن المهدينا آيتين لم تكونا منذ خلق الله السموات والأرض ؛ تنكسف القمر لأول ليلة من رمضان، وتنكسف الشمس في النصف منه، ولم تكونا منذ خلق الله تعالى السموات والأرض (۲).
“‘And his appearance will be from the lands of the East, and he will be pledged allegiance to in the House [Ka’aba].’ And Dar Qutni narrated from the path of ‘Amr ibn Shamir, from Jabir, from Muhammad ibn ‘Ali who said: “Surely, For our Mahdi there are two signs that have never occurred since the creation of the heavens and the earth: the moon will eclipse on the first night of Ramadan, and the sun will eclipse in the middle of it. These [signs] have not occurred since Allah created the heavens and the earth.”
[Arabic: Fath al-Wudūd fī Sharḥ Sunan Abī Dāwūd Vol. 4. pg. 226-227]
He did not criticize or refute the path of ‘Amr ibn Shamir, from Jabir, (which Sunnis constantly declare weak), on the other hand, he mentioned the narration alongside the accepted view, and used this narration as proof that Imam Mahdi will be from Ahlul Bayt. He also said Mahdi would come in the East.
Shah Waliullah Dehlawi (d. 1176H)
A Scholar that needs no introduction. Illustrious and well-known in every way and place in the Islamic world. He wrote the interpretation of the 13th/27th (28th) in one his pamphlets as quoted by a questioner named Sarfaraz in the inquiries to Rashid Ahmad Gangohi,
اور پنجابی زبان میں ایک رسالہ ہے اور خسوف کی تیرہویں اور کسوف کی ستائیسویں تاریخ لکھی ہے اور سنا جاتا ہے کہ وہ رسالہ شاہ ولی اللہ صاحب کے کسی رسالہ کا ترجمہ ہے
“There is a pamphlet in the Punjabi language in which for the lunar eclipse the thirteenth [13th], and for the solar eclipse the twenty-seventh [27th] is written. And it is heard that that pamphlet is a translation of a pamphlet from Shāh Walīullāh Sahib”
[Urdu: Baqiyat Fatāwā Rashīdiyyah pg. 527]
Interestingly Shah Muhammad Ramzan, another scholar who clearly wrote the interpretation of the 13th/28th studied with the sons of Imam Shah Waliullah, and the son Imam Shāh Muḥammad Rafīʿ al-Dīn Dehlawī didn’t specify any date and simply said eclipses will happen in Ramadhan. This shows that there is some clear connection between the interpretation of the 13th/28th and Imam Shah Waliullah which this questioner Sarfaraz confirms.
Moreover, when answering Rashid Ahmad Gangohi did not deny this information, and instead confirmed its existence as he said, “The dates of the lunar and solar eclipse are known in relation to many places”.
Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad Al-Saffārīnī (d. 1188H)
Renowned Hanbali scholar from Palestine. Quoting another known scholar named Sheikh Mar’ee he made apparent his view on the eclipses in Ramadhan being legitimate signs for the Mahdi,
(الثَّالِثَةُ فِي عَلَامَاتِ ظُهُورِهِ)
قَالَ الْعَلَّامَةُ الشَّيْخُ مَرْعِيٌّ فِي كِتَابِهِ (فَوَائِدُ الْفِكَرِ فِي الْمَهْدِيِّ الْمُنْتَظَرِ) اعْلَمْ أَنَّ لِظُهُورِ الْمَهْدِيِّ عَلَامَاتٍ جَاءَتْ بِهَا الْآثَارُ وَدَلَّتْ عَلَيْهَا الْأَحَادِيثُ وَالْأَخْبَارُ، فَمِنْ عَلَامَاتِ ظُهُورِهِ عَلَى
مَا وَرَدَ كُسُوفُ الشَّمْسِ وَالْقَمَرِ وَنَجْمُ الذَّنَبِ وَالظُّلْمَةُ وَسَمَاعُ الصَّوْتِ بِرَمَضَانَ وَتَحَارُبُ الْقَبَائِلِ بِذِي الْقَعْدَةِ وَظُهُورُ الْخَسْفِ وَالْفِتَنِ
…
وَذَكَرُوا أَنَّهُ يَنْكَسِفُ الْقَمَرُ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ وَالشَّمْسُ لَيْلَةَ النِّصْفِ. وَنَظَرَ فِي هَذَا الشَّيْخُ مَرْعِيٌّ بِأَنَّ الْعَادَةَ انْكِسَافُ الْقَمَرِ لَيَالِيَ الْأَبْدَارِ وَالشَّمْسِ أَيَّامَ الْأَسْرَارِ، وَلَكِنْ مِنَ الْمُمْكِنِ أَنْ يَكُونَ ذَلِكَ آيَةً لِظُهُورِهِ وَفِيهَا خَرْقٌ لِلْعَادَةِ. وَرَوَى أَبُو نُعَيْمٍ فِي الْفِتَنِ قَالَ شَرِيكٌ بَلَغَنِي أَنَّ الْقَمَرَ قَبْلَ خُرُوجِهِ يَنْكَسِفُ مَرَّتَيْنِ بِرَمَضَانَ. وَذَكَرَ الْكِسَائِيُّ عَنْ كَعْبِ الْأَحْبَارِ أَنَّ الْقَمَرَ يَنْكَسِفُ ثَلَاثَ لَيَالٍ مُتَوَالِيَاتٍ
“(Three: on the signs of his advent) Allama Sheikh Mar’ee said in his book (Fawāʾid al fikr fil-mahdī al-muntaẓar): Know that surely for the advent of the Mahdi there have been signs in the Athar, and it has also been reported in the Ahadith and Akhbar. And the signs of his advent include what has been reported on the eclipse of the sun and moon, the appearence of the comet, darkness/corruption, the loud sound in Ramadhan, the clashes between tribes of Dhul Qa’da, earthquakes, and tribulations […] And they mentioned that the moon will eclipse on the first time/date in Ramadhan and the sun on the middle night. Sheikh Mar’ee considered that it is customary for the moon to eclipse on the white nights [Full moon nights] and the sun on the hidden days [New moon nights]. But it is possible that this is a sign of his advent, and it goes against the custom. And Abu Nu’aym in Kitab ul Fitn narrated that Sharik said, “It has reached that the moon, before his advent, will eclipse twice in Ramadhan”. And al-Kisai mentioned on the authority of Ka’b al Ahbar the moon will eclipse consecutively for three nights…”
[Arabic: Lawāmiʻ al-anwār al-bahīyah wa-sawāṭiʻ al-asrār al-atharīyah, Vol 2, pg. 76-77]
Since Al-Saffrani mentioned the view of Sheikh Mar’ee under the subtitle “On the signs of his advent” where this scholar accepts it, it shows Al-Saffārīnī accepted it as well unless it is proven that he rejected this view of Sheikh Mar’ee and quoted him in vain.
Imam Al-Saffārīnī mentions that Imam Marʻee ibn Yūsuf al-Karmī also said these eclipses of the Mahdi may possibly happen against the custom/law of eclipses. This fundamentally proves that Imam Mar’ee (along with Imam Al-Saffārīnī) accepted the sign of eclipses, as instead of refuting this “fabricated sign” like present-day Sunnis they are interpreting and commenting on it.
Imam Marʻee also clearly says it’s possible that it will go against the custom/law of eclipses, but he doesn’t say this is certainly what will happen, unlike Sunnis who say that eclipses on the 1st and 15th is the only interpretation. Imam Mar’ee didn’t show this arrogance as other interpretations are possible.
Muhammad Ibn ‘Uthmān Al-Miknāsī (d. 1202)
A professor Nabil Matar, translated parts from the writings of Muhammad Ibn ‘Uthmān Al-Miknāsī, 1779 AD-1788 AD who was a successful historian and scholar – the advisor to Sultan Moulay Mohammed Ben Abdallah, in the translated portion it is clear that the eclipses were long-awaited signs for the Mahdi,
“the aforementioned Manṣūr ṣ is not the Manṣūr ṣ who will precede him because al-Sufyānī has not appeared who should precede the Mahdi, nor has the army of al-Sufyānī been defeated in the desert, nor has the river Euphrates dried up and revealed a mountain of gold, nor have the black flags arrived from Khurasan, nor has an eclipse occurred twice in Ramadan.(14) All these are signs that should occur before the appearance of the Mahdi, and all still need time to happen.“
[English: An Arab Ambassador in the Mediterranean World: The Travels of Muhammad Ibn ‘Uthmān Al-Miknāsī, 1779-1788 pg. 213-215]
Someone named al-Mansur from Daghistan claimed to be the prophesized minister of the Mahdi named Mansur in Ahadith (Sunan Abi Dawud 4290 b), this passage refutes him by mentioning awaited signs that have not happened for the Mahdi. Among them are the famous eclipses in Ramadhan.
Shāh Muḥammad Rafīʿ al-Dīn Dehlawī (d. 1233H)
A very famous scholar, the son of Imam Shah Waliullah Muhaddith Dhelvi. He didn’t write which specific date the eclipses would happen in Ramadhan, so eclipses on any date in Ramadhan that would be claimed by a Mahdi claimant would be clear signs of his truth according to this reference.
[Farsi]:
و علامت این قصه آنست که پیش از مین ماه رمضان که گذشته باشد در وی دو کسوف شمس و قمر واقعه شده باشد
[Urdu:]
اس زمانہ کے اولیاء کرام اور ابدال حضرت امام مہدی علیہ السلام کی تلاش میں ہوں گے ( کہ انہیں اپنا امیر بنا کر عیسائیوں کا مقابلہ کریں اور اسلام کو غالب کر دیں) مہدی ہونے کے بعض لوگ جھوٹے دعویدار ہو جائیں گے۔ ان حالات میں حضرت امام مہدی علیہ السلام (خانہ کعبہ کے ایک کونے) رکن ( یمانی اور ) مقام ابراہیم کے درمیان والی جگہ تک طواف کرتے ہوئے پہنچیں گے کہ آدمیوں کی ایک جماعت آپ کو پہچان لے گی اور ان کے دل چاہیں یا نہ چاہیں وہ جماعت آپ کے ہاتھ پر بیعت کرے گی۔ اس واقعہ کی ایک نشانی یہ ہے کہ اس سے قبل گزشتہ رمضان المبارک میں چاند سورج دونوں کو گرہن لگ چکا ہوگا اور بیعت کے متعلق آسمان سے یہ ندا آئے گی۔
هَذَا خَلِيفَةُ اللَّهِ المَهْدِي فَاسْتَمِعُوا لَهُ وَأَطِيعُوا.“In this age the holy saints and the servants would be in search of Hazrat Imam Mahdi (a.s) (so that they may appoint him as their Amir and compete with the Christians). Many people who claim Mahdihood would be false claimants. In these circumstances the Mahdi would be circuiting between the Rukn and Maqam e Ibrahim that a Jama’at of men will recognize him, and whether they like it or not they will they would do the pledge of alleigence at his hand. One of the signs of this event is that earlier in the previous blessed Ramadan, both the moon and the sun would have been eclipsed, and regarding the pledge of allegience an announcement will be heard in heaven: This is the Khalifa of Allah the Mahdi, hear him and obey him.”
[Farsi: Qiyāmat Nāma Rafīʿ al-Dīn pg. 4]
[Urdu: Athār-e-Qiyāmat aur Fitnah-e-Dajjāl kī Ḥaqīqat pg. 19]
He clearly accepted Ramadhan eclipses as signs for the Mahdi, despite his other beliefs regarding the matter.
Muhammad ‘Abd-al Aziz Parharvi (d. 1239H)
He was a famous saint and scholar in Multan. He wrote from Divine Revelation that in 1311H (1894 A.D), the Mahdi would appear and 2 eclipses will happen as signs for him.
در سن غاشی ہجری دو قران خواهد بود
از پۓ مهدی و دجال نشان خواهد بود
“In the year 1311 (Gashi) Hijri, two eclipses will manifest
They will constitude as signs for the Mahdi and Dajjal”
[Urdu: Ahwaal o Asaar Abd-al Aziz Parharvi pg. 133-134]
Again, this was said based on revelation not narrations. [غاشی ہجری] Gashi Hijiri means 1311 Hijri because the abjad value of غاشی is 1311. The urdu translators of this couplet in the quoted book have tried to deceive by omitting the Urdu translation of Gashi Hijri, the correct translation is the one given above.
The two eclipses did actually take place in 1311 Hijri (1894 A.D) Ramadhan as signs for Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) who claimed to be the Mahdi, and claimed these eclipses occurred for his truthfulness.
This couplet gained great fame after Imam Parharvi mentioned it. A testimony regarding this couplet, its significance, and its clear fulfillment was written by a non-Ahmadi writer named Ahmad Khan Afghan Khakwani in 1907. It was published in Al Badr. The True Islam Discord Team has translated the entire article testimony into English. Ahmad Khan writes in his testimony:
“Here, I recieved the chance to see the Badr Newspaper and thought that I know of this testimony and am the first man to make it apparent, however the people of the Ahmadi Jama’at have thought of it as a small testimony [1] whereas this is such a testimony for the truthfulness of the Imam of the Era – the Mahdi of the time which has no second and is matchless. It was important to widely publish this testimony once more, so that the pressure of Qiyamat does not remain on [my] neck”
[Al Badr 1907. March. Vol 6. no. 11 pg. 8]
Since this couplet was so clearly fulfilled and widely known, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (a.s) has also quoted and explained it in multiple places like his book Haqiqatul Wahi, Tohfa Golarviyya.
Shah Muhammad Ramzan (d. 1240H)
He was a known respected preacher in the Subcontinent who was martyred even before the birth of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as). He studied with the illustrious sons of Imam Shāh Walīullāh. He wrote in his book Ahkari Gut,
کہیں ہیں کہ اس سال رمضان میں
سورج چاند کی گہن دونوں سنیں
پہلی تیرھویں چاند کا گہن ہو
ستائیسویں گھن سورج کا ہو
“It said that in this year in the month of Ramadhan
Concerning both the solar and lunar eclipses listen
– first, the moon will eclipse on the 13th
on the 27th will the sun eclipse.”
[Urdu: Akhari Gut pg. 29]
It is the interpretation of 13th and 28th, where middle day in Ramadhan has been assumed to be 26, 27, 28, as previously stated.
Maulavi Muhammad Ali
Writer of Athar-e-Mahshar (well-known signs) which is a translation of Maulavi Rafīʿ al-Dīn Sahib Dehlawī’s pamphlet written in Farsi, he recorded in his book published in 1251 Hijri (1835 AD) the following couplets,
پیشتر اس ماجرے کے اے ہمام
ہو گا جو اس سال میں ماہ صیام
اس میں ماہ مہر کا اے با وقوف
ہو گا واقع یک خسوف و یک کسوف
اور یوں آواز آوے گی وہاں
وقت بیعت آسماں سے ناگہاں
یعنی یہ مہدی خلیفہ حق کا ہے
پس سنو تم بات اس کی جو کہے“Before this incident, O Brave man!
In that year during the month of fasting
In it, of the sun and moon – O Unaware one! –Shall happen a lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse
And such a voice will be heard then and there
“Its time for Ba’ait [pledge of alleigence]” shall be heard suddenly from heaven
Meaning the Mahdi is the true Khalifa
So listen to whatever it is that he says!”
[Urdu: Athar-e-Mahshar pg. 10]
Nawab Ṣiddīq Ḥasan Khān (d. 1307H)
One of the most famous Salafi scholars in India. He wrote a long discourse on the eclipses in Ramadhan being signs of the Mahdi giving many supporting narrations from various books.5
واز انجمله کسوف قمر در اول شب از رمضان و خسوف شمس درنیمه رمضان است علی بن عبدالله بن عباس گفته بیرون نیا یر مہدی تا آنکه ظاہر شود از افتاب علامتی اخرجه نعیم بن حماد و ابو الحسن الخیری فی الخبریات و اخرج مثله الحافظ ابو بکر بن احمد بن الحسن و ابن حماد ایضاً عن کثیر بن مره الهضرمی والبهیقی ایضاً و محمد بن علی گفته مہدی را دو آیت است که بنوده از روز یکه خدا اسمانہا و زمین آفرید کسوف گیرو ما ہستاب در شب اول از ماه رمضان و آفتاب در نصف رمضان و اجتماع این ہردو کسوف در ماہی گاہی بنوده مجدد الف ثانی در مجلد ثانی گفته در زمان ظہور سلطنت مہدی چہاردہم رمضان کسوف شمس خواہد شدو در اول آن ماه خسوف قمر خلاف عادت زمان و برخلاف حساب منجمان انتہی گو یم خسوف قمرنزدہل نجوم بتقابل شمس بر سہئت مخصوص میشود و در غیر تاریخ سیزدہم و چہاردہم و پانزدہم اتفاقن نمی افتد و ہمچنین کسوف شمس نزدا اقتران قمر بر شکل خاص در غیر تاریخ بیست و هفتم بیست و هشتم و بست ونہم نمیشود پس و قوع این ہر دو در ماه واحد در غیر تواریخ مزکوره مخالف حساب نجوم ست و غرابت و ارداما از قدرت قادر قدیر ہیچ مستغرب نسیت در رساله حشریه نوشته علامت این قصه آنست که پیش ازیں کہ ماہ رمضان گزشته باشد. دو دے دو کسوف شمس و قمر شده باشد – انتهای و در اشاعت گفته دو بار در رمضان خسوف قمر شود و ہزا لاینا فی الاول کحا ہو واضج واز انجمله ست طلوع قرن ذی السنین امام محمد باقر بن علی بن حسین گفته چون بر سد عباسی در خراسان طلوع کند ذی السنین در مشرق…و طلوع او بعد خسوف شمس و قمر شود …اخرجه نعیم بن حماد و کلام درین ستاره گز شته ا ما این طلوع ورا ی آن طلوع مقارن زمان مہدی علیه السلام با شد وہم وی از شریک روایت کرده که تنکسف شود قمر در رمضان دو بار پیش از خروج مہدی و حسین بن علی غفته چون و بپنید علامتی از اسمان ـ ـ ـ
“And among the signs is the eclipse of the moon in the first night of Ramadhan and the eclipse of the sun in the middle of Ramadhan. Ali ibn Abdullah ibn Abbas said, “The Mahdi will not appear, until a sign emerges from the sun.” This was written by Nu’aym bin Hammad and Abu’l Hasan al-Khayri in al-Kharbiyyat, likewise was written by Abu Bakr ibn Ahmad ibn al-Hasan and Ibn Hammad also cited Kathir ibn Murrah al-Hadhrami and al-Bayhaqi [recorded the like] as well. And Muhammad ibn Ali said that there are two signs for the Mahdi which have not happened from the day when Allah created the heavens and the earth and the eclipse of the moon shall happen on the first night of the month of Ramadan, and the eclipse of the sun in the middle of Ramadan – the conjunction of these two eclipses in one month is a sign. And Mujaddid Alf Thani stated in the second volume that during the time of the Mahdi’s reign on the fourteenth of Ramadan, there will be a solar eclipse, and on the first of that month, there will be a lunar eclipse contrary to the usual time and contrary to the calculation of astronomers. The lunar eclipse occurs when the moon is near the sun, facing it directly, and does not happen except on the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth. Similarly, the solar eclipse does not occur except during the conjunction of the moon in a specific form, and it does not happen outside the dates of the twenty-seventh, twenty-eighth, and twenty-ninth. Therefore, the occurrence of both in one month outside the mentioned dates contradicts the calculation of the stars and is astonishing and unprecedented. In the Risalah Hashriyyah, it is written that the sign of this event is that before the ending of Ramadhan two lunar and solar eclipses will have happened. And in the publication its stated that there will be two lunar eclipses in Ramadhan. Among them is the rising of the Dhul-Sineen Comet. Imam Muhammad Baqir bin Ali bin Hussain stated when the Abbasids reached Khurāsān, the Dhul-Sineen Comet appeared in the East…. and its rising will be after the solar and lunar eclipses.This was reported by Nu’aym ibn Hammad, and the discourse regarding this star has been mentioned, that its rising is synchronous with advent of the Mahdi (as). It has been narrated from Sharik that the moon will eclipse twice in Ramadan before the advent of the Mahdi and Hussain bin Ali stated, a sign in the sky…”
[Farsi: Hujuj ul Kiramah pg. 344]
He believed in the interpretation of the 1st and 15th of Ramadhan which are impossible dates, and also outlined the law of eclipses. Meaning the moon only eclipses on the 13th, 14th, 15th of the lunar month, and the sun only eclipses on the 27th, 28th, 29th. The sign can either be interpreted to be on impossible dates (1st and 15th) or within the law of eclipses, meaning the first of the lunar eclipse days (13th), and “middle” of the days of the solar eclipse (28th).
It’s quite obvious he believed in the signs of the eclipses in Ramadhan and did not call this a fabricated sign which will never happen like the liars today. As for the interpretation, this is the interpretation he subscribed to but they varied among Ulema as previously stated, and the point of showing this reference and the like is to prove that the majority of Ulema accepted eclipses in Ramadhan would happen as signs for the Mahdi regardless of their interpretations of the hadith which may be wrong!
Hāfiẓ Muḥammad ibn Barakallāh Lakhnawī (d. 1311H)
He was a huge Imam of the Ahl-Hadith in the Subcontinent, he wrote clearly on the signs of the Mahdi in Ramadhan,
تیرھویں چند ستیہویں سورج گرہن ہوسی اُس سالے
اندر ماہ رمضانے لکھیا یہ ہک روایت والے
“On the 13th does the moon, on the 27th does the sun, eclipse in that year-
In the month of Ramadhan; a recorder of narrations writes this.”
[Punjabi: Ahwaal ul Akikrat pg. 23]
[Punjabi: Audio Part 3 1:19 – 1:36]
![Ahwaal ul Akikrat pg. 23]](https://whiteminaret.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Ahwaal-ul-Akikrat-pg.-23.jpg){kind=link}
By, ” لکھیا یہ ہک روایت والے – a recorder of narrations writes this” it means Imam Dar Qutni, as only the Hadith (from Imam Baqir) he recorded in his book can be interpreted or translated this way! To sum up it says Imam Dar Qutni has written that in the month of Ramadhan the moon will eclipse on 13th, and the sun on the 27th.
This couplet is so clear and so obvious. Maulvi Sahib clearly believed in the same interpretation as Ahmadis who say the Mahdi’s sign is on the 13th and 28th. He also says that this information on eclipses “writes a narrator”. This proves that he was not mentioning a random prophecy but an interpretation of a hadith, and thats why he said “writes a narrator” meaning either Imam Dar Qutni or Imam Muhammad bin Ali Baqir!
The reason why – he along with some scholars – accidentally wrote 27th instead of 28th is because they assumed that the eclipse dates for the sun are 26th, 27th, 28th making the middle day in Ramadhan the 27th, whereas the actual eclipse dates are 27th, 28th, 29th. But since he has clearly written “writes a recorder of narrations” proving that this is an interpretation of a hadith, this mistake can be easily caught. What a clear reference! The Promised Messiah (as) has also quoted it in several places to shut the mouths of the liars and Dajjals!
Hazrat Mawlavi Ghulam Rasool Rajeki (r.a) a companion of the Promised Messiah (as) actually met this Mawlavi Sahib right before he passed away. The narration is amazing and Mawlavi Sahib seems to have come to believe in Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) before death as eclipses happened on the 13th and 28th for his (as) truth like the Mawlavi Sahib wrote in his book. The Ahl-Hadith still revere Mawlavi Lakhnavi and they are unaware of this narration or reject it. However, Mawlavi Rajeki (r.a) was an extremely truthful man and extremely close to God to which countless people alive today are witnesses, therefore it cannot be a lie,
حضرت مولوی غلام رسول صاحب بیان فرماتے ہیں کہ ’’1894ء میں جب سورج گرہن اور چاند گرہن ہوا اس وقت میں لاہور میں مولوی حافظ عبدالمنان صاحب سے ترمذی شریف پڑھتا تھا۔ علماء کی پریشانی اور گھبراہٹ نے میرے دل پر اثر کیا۔ گو علماء لوگوں کو طفل تسلیاں دے رہے تھے مگر دل میں سخت خائف تھے کہ اس سچے نشان کی وجہ سے لوگوں کا بڑی تیزی سے حضرت اقدس کی طرف رجوع ہو گا۔ ان دنوں حافظ محمد صاحب لکھوکے والے پتھری کا آپریشن کروانے کے لئے لاہور آئے ہوئے تھے۔ میں بھی ان کی خدمت میں حاضر ہوا۔ ان سے جب عوام نے دریافت کیا کہ یہ نشان آپ نے اپنی کتاب ’احوال الاٰخرۃ‘ میں واضح طور پر لکھا ہے اور مدّعی حضرت مرزا صاحب بھی موجود ہیں اور اس نشان کو اپنا مؤید قرار دے رہے ہیں۔ آپ اس بارے میں کیا مسلک اختیار فرماتے ہیں۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ میں بیمار اور سخت کمزور ہوں۔ صحت کی درستی کے بعد کچھ کہہ سکوں گا۔ البتہ اپنے لڑکے عبدالرحمن محی الدین کو حضرت مرزا صاحب کی مخالفت سے روکتا ہوں کہ اللہ تعالیٰ کے راز عجیب ہوتے ہیں۔ لیکن (بہرحال) وہ زندہ نہ رہ سکے اور جلد ہی راہیٔ ملک عدم ہو گئے۔ (یہ لکھنے والے کہتے ہیں ) ان باتوں سے گو میرا دل حضرت اقدس کی سچائی کے بارے میں مطمئن ہو چکا تھا لیکن علم حدیث کی تکمیل کی خاطر امرتسر چلا گیا اور وہاں دو تین سال رہ کر دورۂ حدیث سے فراغت حاصل کر کے میں دارالامان میں حاضر ہو کر حضرت اقدس کی بیعت سے مشرف ہوا۔‘‘ (ماخوذ از اصحاب احمد جلد 10صفحہ 178روایت حضرت مولوی غلام رسول صاحبؓ)
“Hazrat Maulvi Ghulam Rasul Sahib says that “In 1894, when the solar eclipse and lunar eclipse happened, at this time I was learning Tirmidhi Sharif in Lahore from Maulvi Hafiz Abd al Manan Sahib. My heart was affected by the stress and worry of the Ulema [regarding the eclipses]. Though the Ulema were giving consolation to people, in their hearts they were extremely afraid that due this true sign people will swiftly turn to Hazrat Aqdas [Promised Messiah]. In those days, Hafiz Muhammad Sahib of Lakhu had come to Lahore to undergo an operation for kidney stones. I also presented myself in his service. When the public asked him ‘that this sign which you have clearly written in your book, “Ahwaal ul Akhirat” and the claimant Hazrat Mirza Sahib also being present, and he is presenting this sign as his witness, so what view do you take regarding this matter?’ He replied that I am sick and really weak, after I get better health I will able to say something regarding this, although I stop my son Abd ul Rahman Muhydeen from opposing Hazrat Mirza Sahib – that Allah Almighty’s secrets are strange. But anyways, he could not stay alive and soon died. (the writer says) Though my heart had already been content about the truth of Hazrat Aqdas, but for the completion of the study of Hadith, I went to Amritsar and after spending two to three years there, I left the study of hadith, and then presented myself in Darul Aman (Qadian) to Hazrat Aqdas and was honoured with the Ba’ait (pledge of allegience)”
[Urdu: Ashab e Ahmad. Vol 10. pg 178, narration of Maulana Ghulam Rasool Sahib]
Khwaja Ghulam Farid (d. 1319H)
The greatly revered Chisti saint of Multan. Respected and revered to this day by non-Ahmadis. He testified in truth of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) due to the eclipses,
“After this he [Khwaja Ghulam Farid] mentioned that Mirza Sahib has related many signs of him being the Mahdi, among which two signs which he mentioned himself in his book – they are, for his claim of being the Mahdi Maud, very high ranked among the strong proofs. One among these is this that he said:
It is written in Ahadith Sharif that:
قال النبي صلى الله عليه وَسَلم يخرج المهدي من قرية يقال لها كدعه ويصدقه الله تعالٰى ويجمع اصحابه من اقصٰى البلاد على عدة اهل بدر بثلاثِ مائةٍ وثلاثة عشر رجلا ومعه صحيفة مختومة(اى مطبوعة) فيها عدد اصحابه باسمائهم وبلادهم وخلال
[The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him) said: The Mahdi will come from a village called Kad’ah and Allah Ta’la will attest for his truth, and will gather has companions from far and wide whose number will be the same as Ahl e Badr – 313 men. And their names will be written in a published book along with their residences and characteristics.]
Meaning the Holy Prophet (saw) said the Mahdi will emerge from a village which is called Kad’ah. Kad’ah is in reality an abbreviation of Kadiyan. The second sign is that he said Dar Qutni has mentioned a narration on the authority of Imam Muhammad al Baqir (rh) that:
اِنَّ لِمَهْدِيَّنَا آيَتَيْنِ لَمْ تَكُوْنَا مُنْذُ خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ، تَنْكَسِفُ الْقَمَرُ لأَوَّلِ لَيْلَةٍ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ، وَ تَنْكَسِفُ الشَّمْسُ فِي النِّصْفِ مِنْهُ
[For our Mahdi there are two signs which have never appeared before since the creation of the Heavens and the Earth, namely the Moon will be eclipsed on the first night in Ramadan and the Sun will be eclipsed on the middle of it.]
When the sun and moon were eclipsed on 6th April 1894, Mirza Sahib – to complete the argument – sent this annoucment everywhere in the world that what the Holy Prophet (saw) said in regard to the advent of the Mahdi has now been fulfilled. The confession and acceptence of my being the Mahdi is now important. So at this, the Maulvis started asking child-like questions, that the meaning of the Hadith Sharif is that the lunar eclipse will happen on the first night of Ramadhan and in that same Ramadhan the sun will also eclipse, however this [lunar] eclipse happened on the 13th and the solar eclipse happened on the 28th of Ramadhan – and this is against the hadith. And the lunar and solar eclipse that will happen for the true Mahdi will be another one that will occur in another era.
After this Khwaja Ghulam Farid said: SubhanAllah, now listen to the meaning that Mirza Sahib has related and with which he answered to the Maulvis which rejected. Mirza Sahib said that the meaning of the Hadith is this that to testify for and in support of Our Mahdi two signs have been fixed – since the Heavens and Earth were created these signs have not manifested in the time of any other claiment and these two signs are this:
The Moon will eclipse on the first night of the 3, among the 3 nights on which the moon eclipses meaning the 13th of Ramadhan, and the Sun will eclipse on this day that will be the middle of the 3 days of the [solar] eclipse, meaning the 27th date of Ramadhan
After this Hudhur [Khwaja Ghulam Farid] related: Indeed the meaning of the hadith is this which Mirza Sahib has said. Because the moon always eclipses on the 13th, 14th, and 15th, and the sun always eclipses on the 27th, 28th, and 29th. And like that the lunar eclipse which happened on April 6th 1894 [Khwaja Ghulam Farid RH is mistaken, this is the date of the solar eclipse not lunar, lunar happened on March 21th 1894] was the 13th date which is the first among the days a lunar eclipse occurs, and the solar eclipse which occured was on the middle of the days on which a solar eclipse can take place.”
[Note: Everything above is from the literal Urdu and Farsi, in the square brackets are explanatory notes or added words for clarification]
[Farsi: Isharat-e-Fridi pg. 70-72]
[Urdu: Hanfiyyat wa Mirzayyat pg. 109-110, pg. 114]
[English Translation from Urdu PDF]
The reference is clear as day. Khwaja Sahib believed and testified in Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as). It is also important to note Khwaja Sahib wrote by mistake that the eclipse of the sun happened on 27th of Ramadhan for Hazrat Masih Maud (as), he wrote, “and the Sun will eclipse on this day that will be the middle of the 3 days of the [solar] eclipse, meaning the 27th date of Ramadhan”. The actual date was 28th of Ramadhan. This clearly proves that 13th/27th of Ramadhan is the same interpretation as 13th/28th. The numbers 27 & 28 are easy to mistake for each other, but the interpretation is clear!
Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (d. 1323H)
Huge Imam of the Deobandis, his name is revered in the sub-continent. In Baaqiyat Fatawa Rashidiyya he said,
(۹۱۷) سورج چاند گرہن کے متعلق دار قطنی کی ایک حدیث کی تحقیق: سوال : حامداً و
مصلياً و مسلماً اما بعد! عرض یہ ہے کہ سرفراز نامہ پہنچا، چند مسائل میں بشتر جواب شافی کا امید دار ہوں:
اول یہ کہ مولوی رفیع الدین صاحب دہلوی اور بعض علماء نے رمضان کے کسوف اور خسوف میں تاریخیں معین نہیں کی ہیں اور پنجابی زبان میں ایک رسالہ ہے اور خسوف کی تیرہویں اور کسوف کی ستائیسویں تاریخ لکھی ہے اور سنا جاتا ہے کہ وہ رسالہ شاہ ولی اللہ صاحب کے کسی رسالہ کا ترجمہ ہے اور نواب صدیق حسن خاں مرحوم کے کسی رسالہ میں پہلی اور پندرھویں کی ایک روایت نقل کر کے مضمون لکھا ہ کہ شیخ مرغی [کذا ؟] نے اس تعین کا انکار کیا ہے، فقط ۔
ان وجوہ سے یہ امر ضرور قابل تحقیق معلوم ہوتا ہے کہ وہ حدیث دار قطنی کی صحیح ہے یا ضعیف ، اور اگر ضعیف ہے، تو ضعیف کسی وجہ سے ہے، اور تیر ہوئیں اور ستائیسویں بھی کسی حدیث سے ثابت ہے، یا نہیں؟
جواب: از بنده رشید احمد عفی عنه السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
کسوف و خسوف کی تاریخ بعض جگہ سے مطلق معلوم ہوتی ہے، اور دارقطنی سے معین معلوم ہوتی ہے، جیسا کہ (نواب ) صدیق حسن نے لکھا ہے۔ اس روایت کی تضعیف بندہ نے کہیں نہیں سنی۔ واللہ اعلم (۱)
( مکتوب بنام مولا نا نظیر حسین )“(918) Regarding the Solar & Lunar Eclipse, investigation of a hadith in Dar Qutni: Question: Praising and praying, and as a Muslim, after that! The submission is that [a question] from someone named Sarfaraz has reached us, I hope for a satisfactory answer in several matters,
Firstly, its this that Maulavi Rafīʿ al-Dīn Sahib Dehlawī and some Ulema have not exactified the dates of the solar and lunar eclipses in Ramadan and there is a pamphlet in the Punjabi language in which for the lunar eclipse the thirteenth [13th], and for the solar eclipse the twenty-seventh [27th] is written. And it is heard that that pamphlet is a translation of a pamphlet from Shāh Walīullāh Sahib, And in a pamphlet by the deceased Nawab Siddiq Hasan Khan a narration with the first [1st] and fifteenth [15th] [dates] is copied with the subject that Sheikh Margee (kaza?) has denied this dates.
Due to this, its understood this matter is worthy of research, is that hadith of Dar Qutni Sahih or Da’if, and if its Da’if, that for what reason is it Da’if, and are the thirteenth and twenty-seventh proven from any hadith, or not?
Answer: From Rashid Ahmad (may he be protected), Al-Salāmu ʿalaykum wa raḥmatu Allahi wa barakātuh,
The dates of the lunar and solar eclipse are known in relation to many places, and the fixed [dates] are known from Dar Qutni, as (Nawab) Siddiq Hasan has written, I have never heard of this narration being rendered weak. And God knows best. (Maktoob binām Maulāna Naẓīr Ḥusain.)”
[Urdu: Baqiyat Fatāwā Rashīdiyyah pg. 527]
The reference is clear. Rashid Ahmad accepted and considered the hadith in Dar Qutni to be true.
The footnote (1) tries to disprove this view of Rashid Ahmad as it exposes the Sunni lies against the Dar Qutni hadith. The footnote mentions how Jabir al Ju’fi and Amru bin Shimr are both very weak narrators so this Hadith in Dar Qutni is fabricated. They fail to understand that regardless of the weakness of these narrators, giants among the Ulema like Rashid Ahmad still accepted and affirmed this hadith in Dar Qutni.
Rashid Ahmad was a contemporary of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), but he still didn’t accept him, as he affirmed the meaning of 1st and 15th instead of 13th and 28th (or 27th 6 ). However, it is clearly proven from this reference that both interpretations were published among Sunni Ulema and this reference attributes the interpretation of the 13th & 28th to Imam Shāh Walīullāh! The fact that the interpretation of 13th and 28th was fulfilled for Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), but Rashid Ahmad still didn’t accept him despite knowing this was a legitimate interpretation shows his immense hypocrisy.
It is clear that these Sunni Ulema accepted this Hadith in Dar Qutni and none of them rendered this narration weak until this sign was fulfilled in 1894 for Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) with the interpretation of the 13th and 28th.
Nūrul Ḥasan Khān (d. 1335H)
The famous and well-known religious leader of the Ahl-e-Hadith (Salafi), Nawab Siddiq Hassan Khan’s son, Nūrul Hassan Khan Ṣāḥib, who was also a prominent Islāmic scholar of his time states in his book, Iqtirab al-Sa’ah in 1884 under the title “Chapter explaining those signs which are evidence of his [Mahdi’s] advent being near” and later on in the book,
۔۲ پہلی رات رمضان کی چاند گہن پندر یبوین رات سورج گہن ہو گا اسطرح کا گہن جب سے خدا نے آسمان زمین کو بنا یا ہے کبھی آجتک نہیں ہوا
۔۳ ایک رمضان مین دو بار چاند گہن ہو گا یہ کچھہ مخالف اول کے نہین ہے ۔۔۔
۔ ۸ رمضان میں سورج چاند کو گہن لگنا یہ روایت امام محمد بن علی باقر سے ہے انہوں نے کہا ہمارے مہدی کے لئے دو نشانیاں ہیں کہ جب سے خدا نے آسمان زمین کو پیدا کیا ہے آجتک نہیں ہوئین ایک یہ کہ پہلی رات رمضان کو کسوف قمر کا ہو گا دوسرے نصف رمضان میں سورج کو گہن لگیگا . رواه الدار قطني في سننه وعن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما قال لا يخرج المهدى حتى تطلع من الشمس اية رواه البيهقي ونعيم بن حماد ۔
۔ ۱۱ گہن ہونا چاند کا دوبار رمضان مین عن شريك قال بلغنى ان قبل خروج المهدى ينكسف القمر في شهر رمضان مرتين رواہ نعیم
“2. On the first night of Ramadhan the lunar eclipse, on the 15th night the solar eclipse will happen, eclipses like these have not happened since the creation of the Heavens and the Earth.
3. In one Ramadhan a lunar eclipse will happen twice, this is not against the previous [sign] […]
8. The eclipse of the sun and moon in Ramadhan, this narration is from Imam Muhammad bin Ali Baqir, he stated for our Mahdi are two signs which have not occured since God created the skies and earth have not happened to this day, the first is that on the first night in Ramadhan a lunar eclipse will happen, and the second that in the middle of Ramadhan a solar eclipse will take place, narrated Dar Qutni in his Sunan, and Ibn Abbas (ra) said: The Mahdi will not emerge until a sign comes from the sun, narrated al-Bayhaqi and Nu’aym bin Hammad.
11. The eclipse of the moon twice in Ramadhan, on the authority of Sharik who said, it has reached me that before the advent of the Mahdi the moon will eclipse twice in the month of Ramadhan, narrated Nu’aym.”
[Urdu: Iqtirab al-Sa’ah pg. 66-67, pg. 106-107]
He also clearly connected the Hadith about the sign rising from the sun for the Mahdi to the Hadith in Dar Qutni showing that it’s mentioning the same sign. Many other scholars also did this in this article.
Dar Qutni Narration is a Hadith
On pg. 106-107, Nur ul Hasan Khan listed 5 different accepted narrations regarding the different signs of the Mahdi, included in this was the Dar Qutni hadith (and another eclipse narration) as translated above (“8. The eclipse…“), the narrations he listed were from different Imams of the Ahlul Bayt, he clarified at the end regarding ALL of these narrations,
مہدی اولاد فاطمہ میں ہونگے اسلئے ائمہ اہلبیت کو زیادہ تر اعتناء اونکی علامات ظہور سے رہا کیا ہے یہ روایات اگر چه آثار ہین لکن حکم مرفوع میں ہین اسلئے کہ اجتہاد کو ایسے احوال مین کچه دخل و مجال نہیں ہے
“The Mahdi will be from the children of Fatima, this is why there is greater attention from the Imams of the Ahlul Bayt regarding the signs of his advent, these narrations – although they are athar7– their hukm (rank) is Marfu’ (hadith directly attributed to the Prophet Muhammad SAW), due to the fact that Ijtihad (personal opinion) has no place or power over these matters (prophecies)”
[Urdu: Iqtirab al-Sa’ah 106-107]
Therefore the scholar has explicitly clarified that the narration narrated on the authority of Imam Baqir (as) in Dar Qutni, is actually a Marfu’ Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (saw), as no other than a prophet can make prophecies – this is a general ruling applied to all such narrations.
Abdul Ḥaq Ḥaqqani Dehlvi (d. 1336H)
Known scholar of the subcontinent. He has also generally mentioned eclipses in Ramadhan as signs for Mahdi without mentioning any specific date, so any eclipse in Ramadhan that happened for a Mahdi claimant would be signs of his truth according to this reference.
اسی طرح اکبر کے عہد میں سید محمد جونپوری نے مہدی ہونے کا دعویٰ کیا تھا جن کے مرید اب تک دکن میں موجود ہیں ان کا مہدی بھی وہ مہدی نہیں کیونکہ جس قدر علامات امام مہدی کے ہیں ان میں سے کوئی بھی محمد جونپوری میں نہ پائی گئی نہ ان کے عہد میں دجال موجود تھانہ نصاری سے مقابلہ ہوا نہ اشاعت دین ہوئی نہ اس مہینے دو بار کسوف و خسوف ہوا نہ مکہ میں ان لوگوں نے بعیت کی بلکہ کل علما ئے مکہ نے ان کے پیروں کے قتل کا فتوی دیا اور اصرار پر ان کا قتل کرنا واجب ٹھیرای اسی طرح اور بہت سے لوگوں نے مہد دیت کا دعویٰ کیا تھا ۔۔۔
اور دوسری علامت یہ ہوگی کہ اس سال جو رمضان ہو گا اس میں چاند اور سورج کا گہن ہو گا کذا ذکرہ مولانا رفیع الدین حمہ اللہ تعالی ابدال و عصائب آکران سے بعیت کریں گے“Just like this during the rule of Akbar Syed Muhammad Jaunpuri claimed to be the Mahdi whose followers are still present in Deccan and their Mahdi is not that Mahdi as the signs of the Imam Mahdi – none of them are found in Muhammad Jaunpuri and during his era neither was the Dajjal present, nor was there a competition with the Christians, nor was their great publicaition of the Religion [Islam], neither in that month did a solar and lunar eclipse happen twice, neither did those people pledge their allegience in Makkah. On the other hand, the city gave the fatwa to kill his followers, declaring it wajib to kill them upon insistence. Many others have similarly claimed to be the Mahdi…
And the second sign is that in that year, in that Ramadhan a lunar and solar eclipse will happen as mentioned by Maulavi Rafīʿ al-Dīn Sahib Dehlawī (rh), the saintly men will come and pledge their allegience to him…“
[Urdu: Ḥaqqānī ʿAqāʾid al-Islām pg. 182-183]
He mentioned eclipses in response to the false sect of the Mahdvia, saying that since eclipses in Ramadhan did not happen for Jaunpuri, therefore, he isn’t the Mahdi.
Syed Zawar Ḥussain Shah (d. 1400H)
Great Naqshbandi Hanafi scholar, which deobandis have on their websites, he wrote under “Greater Signs (Alamat-e-Kubra)“
…:حضرت امام مہدی رضی اللہ عنہ کے ظہور سے نفحِ صور تک مندرجہ ذیل علامتیں ظاہر ہوں گی
۔۲۔ اس سال ماہ رمضان میں تیرہویں تاریخ کو چاند اور ستائیسویں تاریخ کو سورج گہن ہوگا
“From the advent of the Imam Mahdi (may God be pleased with him) up till the blowing of the trumpet the following signs will manifest:[…]
2. In this year [when people do Ba’yah to Mahdi in Mecca] in the month of Ramadhan, on the 13th a lunar eclipse, and on the 27th date a solar eclipse will happen.“
[Urdu: Zubdul-ul-Fiqh pg. 43]
Again, it is the interpretation of 13th and 28th, where middle day in Ramadhan has been assumed to be 26, 27, 28, as previously stated.
Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri (present)
Absolutely huge scholar among modern-day Sunnis. Well known by everyone. He wrote in his book on recognizing the awaited Mahdi, under “circumstances surrounding Imam Mahdi’s arrival“
“Sharīk (ra) has related: I was informed that before the appearance of Mahdī there will be lunar eclipse twice in the month of Ramadān.”
[English: The Awaited Imam Mahdi pg. 54]
He included this as he accepted this narration among legitimate signs of the Awaited Mahdi.
Biblical Sources
The Holy Prophets of Israel also prophecized eclipses in relation to Qiyamah and the Messiah in several places. They are so many prophets and books saying the same thing, and they are so redundant across the Bible that it is deceit for a Muslim to call it a fabrication among the fabrications of the Bible. Since Islamic sources say similar information, a Muslim must accept these biblical sources as true too.
Prophet Jesus (as)
Matthew
He prophesied that during the 2nd coming of the Messiah, the sign of eclipses will happen, to show the true Messiah.
27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.
28 For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken,
30 and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and with great glory.
[Matthew 24:29-30]
The chapter outlines the prophecy of the Dajjal (Antichrist) being set up in those days, and many false prophets rising. Then the Messiah will come as lightning comes from the East shining unto the West. It’s obvious this means the Messiah will come from or in the East.
And it says after the discord of those days, the sun and moon will darken (eclipse) – and this is the sign of the Messiah in heaven, due to which people will mourn (or beat their chests in Urdu). It is specifically written they will mourn whereas the Messiah is a tiding of happiness. This shows that the Messiah along with this sign in heaven will be rejected and people will mourn over its occurrence and the Messiah’s appearance, as happened with Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) in 1894. By mentioning the lunar and solar eclipse as a pair, it also clarifies that it will happen in a single month.
It should be known this is the Bible, so non-Ahmadis can not use the argument that this text says he will literally descend from the sky according to this quoted prophecy. According to the style and history of the Bible, when it says “descend from Heaven in a chariot or clouds” or “2nd coming” it clearly means that another in the spirit or power of that prophet will be born, like it happened with John son of Zachariah.
Elijah (as) was literally supposed to come from the sky in his 2nd coming, but God fulfilled this prophecy through another person being born in the likeness of Elijah (as) who was John the Baptist.
17 And he [John] shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
[Luke 1:17]
12 And He answered and told them, “Elijah verily cometh first and restoreth all things, and how it is written of the Son of Man that He must suffer many things and be set at nought.
13 But I say unto you that Elijah has indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they pleased, as it is written of him.”
[Mark 9:12-13]
So according to the text of Matthew when it says Jesus will come from the clouds in glory, it can only mean that another man will be born as the Messiah who will come in the spirit of power of Jesus – this is the only meaning.
So to sum it all up, the initial prophecy of Matthew is this (after we have understood the prose of the Bible): After tribulations manifest in the world, another man from the East will claim to come in the spirit and likeness of Jesus and he will be the truthful Messiah. The sign for his truth is that in the sky, the sun and moon will eclipse in one month, and after this sign manifests people will be mourning at the coming of the Messiah and will not accept him.
This isn’t some confirmation bias that has been fabricated in support of Ahmadiyya, this can be deduced from the explicit words of the Bible as explained earlier when each part of the prophecy was dissected!
Mark
24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, ‘the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
25 and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.’
26 And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
[Mark 13:24-26]
Same incident as Matthew.
Luke
11 and great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines and pestilences. And fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
25 “And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars; and upon the earth distress among nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring.
26 Men’s hearts will fail them for fear and for looking upon those things which are coming on the earth; for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
27 And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
[Luke 21:11, 25-27]
Same incident as Matthew
Acts
Peter quotes Prophet Joel (as) who prophecies about eclipses and signs in heaven. However, he is quoting this passage to show that the prophecy’s words where it says men, women, and children is being fulfilled in that moment,
16 but this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.
18 And on My servants and on My handmaidens I will pour out in those days My Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath — blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood before that great and notable Day of the Lord come.
21 And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
[Acts 2:16-21]
Peter quoted the whole prophecy which includes eclipses but his point was that “and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy” was being fulfilled then at that moment in time. This reference is still useful as to prove that people were aware of these ancient prophecies from ancient Prophets (and this prophecy he quotes mentions eclipses as Signs of Qiyamah).
Prophet Joel (as)
30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth— blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.
32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.
[Joel 2:30-32]
He has said that the sun and moon will eclipse before the Day of Judgement. These eclipses would be a sign of the Day of Judgement. (Since the Messiah is also a sign of the Day of Judgement, the eclipses become signs for him).
14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision; for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
16 The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth shall shake; but the Lord will be the hope of His people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
[Joel 3:14-16]
This mentions that the Day of the Lord (Qiyamat) is in the valley of decision, and a sign for this is that the sun and moon will eclipse, and a sign will happen with the stars. These verses can be understood in light of the Holy Quran:
So when the stars are made to lose their light, And when the heaven is rent asunder, And when the mountains are blown away, And when the Messengers are made to appear at the appointed time — For what day has the time of these happenings been appointed? For the Day of Decision. And what should make thee know what the Day of Decision is! — Woe on that day unto those who reject the truth!
[Holy Quran 77:9-16]
This meaning of this has been elucidated by Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad (rh) in the Khutbah of 1994 Jalsa. Just like Prophet Joel (as) said the Quran mentions signs in the stars, and heaven being rent asunder. Prophet Joel (as) also mentioned a sign of eclipses along with this. But all of them are supposed to be signs of the Day of Decision.
The Quran explains that the Day of Decision is when all the Messengers are raised up/sent to the world at their appointed time. Commentators think this is talking about what will happen on the Day of Judgement. But this interpretation is not appropriate as the text says ‘Woe on that day unto those who reject the truth!’. How can anyone reject the truth on the Day of Judgement? On that day the rejectors will cry out accepting the Prophets. So it means that this will happen before the Day of Judgement in the latter days, which is a lesser Day of Judgement.
The meaning of this is that all the Messengers will be sent to the world in the last age (called the Day of Decision) in the form of one person, meaning the Imam Mahdi and Promised Messiah. And this was among the claims of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) that he was the 2nd coming of all Prophets, meaning he metaphorically possessed characteristics of all Prophets, and due to this claim all Prophets were symbolically sent to the world in the form of a humble servant of Hazrat Muhammad (saw). That is why he was called ‘Jariullahi fi hulil Anbiya – The Champion of Allah in the mantle of the Prophets.’
Now the Bible’s passage makes complete sense due to the Holy Quran. The Bible further says eclipses of the sun and moon would happen as signs at that time.
Prophet Solomon (as)
He said to remember Allah before tribulations come and the sun and moon eclipse and other signs take place,
12 1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh when thou shalt say, “I have no pleasure in them”;
2 while neither the sun nor the light, nor the moon nor the stars be darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain;
[Ecclesiastes 12:1-2]
Prophet Ezekiel (as)
Signs of Judgement Day,
6 I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimmest, even to the mountains; and the rivers shall be full of thee.
7 And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.
[Ezekiel 32:6-7]
Prophet Isaiah (as)
9 Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel, both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and He shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11 “And I will punish the world for their evil and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
[Isaiah 13:9-10]
This reference is amazing, it even gives the time of day for the solar eclipse. It says that a sign of Qiyamah is that the sun will be darkened in its going forth – meaning as it rises up before reaching its zenith at noon. This is evident from other translations (CJB, NIV, Urdu). And the moon will also eclipse. At the time of Hazrat Masih Maud (as) in 1894, the moon eclipsed on the 13th Ramadhan. And the sun eclipsed as it rose up and reached noon, between the times of 9-12 AM on the 28th of Ramadhan! And this Messiah/Mahdi claimant said these are signs for his truth. Even the exact time of the solar eclipse was fulfilled.
Book of Revelation
A sign of nearing Judgement Day are two eclipses,
12 And I beheld when He had opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
13 and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken by a mighty wind.
17 For the great Day of His wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?”
[Revelation 6:12-13, 17]
Orientalist Sources
Stephanie Zehnle (present)
In her book, “A Geography of Jihad Sokoto Jihadism and the Islamic Frontier in West Africa” she wrote about Uthman dan Fodio’s writing about Imam Muttaqi al Hindi and his investigation of the the Mahdi Jaunpuri (Mahdvia sect),
The Indian scholar Al-Muttaqi Al-Hindi (d. 1567) said, (129) he had <<traveled widely in the Indian region and discussed the matter with the ulama of the land but enquiries came to nothing.>>(130) The Indian scholar Al-Hindi, who was also studied by Uthman dan Fodio, claimed that the false Mahdi was an Indian who had died in the Persian town Farah (Afghanistan). After debating the issue with scholars in Mecca and Medina he finally rejected this Mahdi. Uthman dan Fodio considered it necessary to quote some legal judgments (fatawa) which Al-Muttaqi Al-Hindi had collected from Meccan jurists on the Indian Mahdi claim. The idea of an Indian Mahdi was categorically denied by the Meccan scholars,(131) who stressed that the real Mahdi must necessarily be from among the offspring of the Prophet, that he would rule the world and kill the Antichrist. Other Muslim authorities consulted by the Indian scholar had added as obvious signs for the time of the Mahdi two lunar eclipses and a solar eclipse during Ramadan, as well as upheavals or chaos (fitna).
[English: A Geography of Jihad Sokoto Jihadism and the Islamic Frontier in West Africa pg. 322-323]
Mahdi Jaunpur was not rejected for being Indian as his ethnicity in fact he was Afghanistani but he was rejected because he could not produce the signs of the Mahdi as stipulated in the books of the Ahadith. This doesn’t refute Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) as the decisive signs of the eclipses mentioned by the Meccan scholars occurred for him, this heavenly sign would serve as the arbitrator about the true place the Mahdi would emerge from. The heavenly sign trumps all other signs being expected by the Muslims which are based on conjecture.
Ignaz Goldziher (d. 1921 AD)
An absolute GIANT in Islamic oriental scholarship, and a contemporary of Hazrat Masih Maud (as). He wrote concerning him (as),
“The occurence of a solar and a lunar eclipse in the Ramadan of 1894 served to prove that he was the Mahdi, for according to Islamic tradition the appearance of the Mahdi will be heralded by such celestial phenomena. But the office of Mahdi he lays claim to differs from that of the standard Islamic idea, for his mission is of a peaceful character.”
[English: Introduction to Islamic Theology and Law (Modern Classics in Near Eastern Studies) pg. 264-265]
Summary
For the Islamic sources:
- The majority of the people of Makkah accepted the signs of 1894 as signs of the Mahdi when Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) claimed these for his truth
- Total 27 scholars who accepted the sign of the eclipse over the ages as legitimate signs of the Mahdi
- Among the 27, two saints received direct revelation from Allah Ta’ala about the eclipses being signs of the Mahdi
- revealed couplets of Shāh Ni’matullāh Wali (d. 834H) recorded by Baha’ al-din al-‘Amili (d. 1030H) & others
- revealed couplet of Muhammad ‘Abd-al Aziz Parharvi (d. 1239H)
- Among the 27, seven scholars generally related eclipses in Ramadhan would be sign of the Mahdi without saying exact interpretation, majority of the 27 can be included here as many scholars simply recorded the narrations of eclipses among the true signs of the Mahdi without mentioning the exact interpretation, but these seven are the ones who wrote even more generally,
- Shāh Muḥammad Rafīʿ al-Dīn Dehlawī (d. 1233H)
- Mawlavi Muhammad Ali
- Shāh Ni’matullāh Wali (d. 834H)
- Baha’ al-din al-‘Amili (d. 1030H)
- Muhammad ‘Abd-al Aziz Parharvi (d. 1239H)
- Abdul Ḥaq Ḥaqqani Dehlvi (d. 1336H)
- Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri (present)
- Muhammad Ibn ‘Uthmān Al-Miknāsī (d. 1202H)
- Among the 27, six/seven scholars & and a city clearly believed the eclipses of 1894 (either clarifying it meant 13th and 27/28th of Ramadhan, or by mentioning the exact year) as the true signs
- Majority of Makkah in 1311H (1894 AD), their acceptance showed they accepted the 13th and 28th interpretation
- Shah Muhammad Ramzan (d. 1240H)
- Hāfiẓ Muḥammad ibn Barakallāh Lakhnawī (d. 1310H)
- Khwaja Ghulam Farid (d. 1319H)
- Syed Zawar Ḥussain Shah (d. 1400H)
- Baha’ al-din al-‘Amili (d. 1030H) – said exact year group
- Muhammad ‘Abd-al Aziz Parharvi (d. 1239H)- said exact year
- Shah Waliullah Dehlawi (d. 1176H) – found in Rashid Ahmad Ganoghi’s ref
- Among the 27, six clearly believed in 1st and 15th of Ramadhan or other impossible dates, but they still obviously accepted eclipses among Mahdi signs and dared not the reject it or the Dar Qutni hadith
- Sami al-Ghurayri
- Mujaddid Alf Thani’ Aḥmad al-Fārūqī al-Sirhindī (d. 1034H)
- Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad Al-Saffārīnī (d. 1188H)
- Nawab Ṣiddīq Ḥasan Khān (d. 1307H)
- Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (d. 1323H)
- Nūrul Ḥasan Khān (d. 1335H)
For the Christian/Orientalist sources:
- 5 Biblical Prophets and the writer of Revelation clearly wrote eclipses as signs for Qiyamah or the Messiah’s 2nd coming
- It is dishonesty for a Muslim to call these bible passages fabricated in this case as our sources mention the same thing, and so many different biblical references say the same thing
- 3 orientalists (Nabil Matar, translator of Ibn Uthman’s writing also included) elucidated that eclipses in Ramadhan are accepted as signs for the Mahdi, and the greatest among the 3 (Ignaz Goldziher) mentioned that the eclipses were fulfilled for Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) in 1894 in fulfillment of Islamic tradition
Conclusion
No seeker of the truth can deny the Ramadhan eclipses were legitimate Mahdi signs. Can someone accept their own egotistical and baseless thoughts or believe in the view of the majority of the People of Makkah, 30 scholars, 5/6 Anbiya, and even orientalists? No one can deny these signs. If they do they are the worst of liars.
References
- 228 is written in Arabic
- miswritten by Imam Suyuti, moon eclipses first night…
- should be تكونا not يكونا, another misprint
- Mahdawi sect
- There may be some minor mistakes in the transcribed text as its computerized from the manuscript which is hard to see, and some minor mistakes in translation. The view of the scholar is however clearly shown.
- The possible dates of solar eclipses in the lunar month are the 27th, 28th, and 29th days, placing the “middle of it” for a solar eclipse on the 28th of Ramadan instead of the 27th, as written. This error stemmed from the assumption that the days were the 26th, 27th, and 28th. However, regardless of this mistake, it indicates that Ulema recognized the occurrence of eclipses for the Mahdi on days possible within Ramadan rather than exclusively on the impossible dates of 1st and 15th.
- Traditions/narrations from from Sahaba, Tabi’een and the first generations of Muslims