"We shall show them Our portents on the horizons and within themselves until it will be manifest unto them that it is the Truth. Doth not thy Lord suffice, since He is Witness over all things?" (Quran 41:53)

"Nay, I swear by the places of the stars - And lo! that verily is a tremendous oath, if ye but knew - That (this) is indeed a noble Qur'an in a Book kept hidden which none toucheth save the purified, A revelation from the Lord of the Worlds." (Quran 56:74-87)
 

Through an amazing coincidence in geometry, every once in a while the Moon blocks out the Sun creating a solar eclipse. The Sun is exactly 400 times the size of the Moon, and by an amazing coincidence it just so happens that it is also 400 times further away from us than the Moon. For this reason they appear to be the same size when viewed from Earth thus giving us an opportunity to observe a 'Total Solar Eclipse'. Had the Moon been smaller or larger, the Sun smaller or larger, or the distances slightly different we would in no way be able to witness this arguably most spectacular show in astronomy, which takes place frequently.

Ancient cultural interpretations of eclipses

Before the world had mastered science and reason, people from all parts of the globe had various myths and legends concerning eclipses. Different cultures interpreted the natural phenomenon in different ways. Many believed that an eclipse warned of a natural disaster or the death of a ruler. Other myths involved demons who devoured the sun leaving darkness. In order to ward off the evil spirits during an eclipse, many cultures adopted superstitions which they believed would protect them. But, not all myths explain an eclipse as a bad omen. In Arctic America, the Eskimos, Aleuts and Tlingits believe that the sun and moon have left their places to check that everything is going well on Earth.

In Japan people would cover wells to prevent demons from dropping poison into them. The Chinese believed that an eclipse of the Sun occurred because a dragon was eating the Sun. As a result, the Chinese would produce great noise such as drumming and banging on pans to frighten the dragon away and to bring back the sunlight. Ancient Babylonians believed that an eclipse was a display of the moon's wrath, and that famine, disease, or natural disasters would follow. Ancient Hawaiians believed that an eclipse foreshadowed the death of a chief or of an upcoming war. They also believed that an eclipse of the moon was considered to be a war between the sun and the moon. Pagans believed that an eclipse of the sun was a seriously BAD omen. The Greeks believed that an eclipse occurred at the deaths of some of their gods.

Yet in 7^th century Arabia, a man who held no ability to read or write was given the divine wisdom to make the following statements:

Volume 2, Book 18, Number 151:

Narrated Abu Masud:

The Prophet said, "The sun and the moon do not eclipse because of the death of someone from the people but they are two signs amongst the signs of Allah. When you see them stand up and pray."

Volume 2, Book 18, Number 152:

Narrated Ibn 'Umar:

The Prophet said, "The sun and the moon do not eclipse because of the death or life (i.e. birth) of someone but they are two signs amongst the signs of Allah. When you see them offer the prayer."

Volume 2, Book 18, Number 153:

Narrated Al-Mughira bin Shu'ba:

"The sun eclipsed in the life-time of Allah's Apostle on the day when (his son) Ibrahim died. So the people said that the sun had eclipsed because of the death of Ibrahim. Allah's Apostle said, "The sun and the moon do not eclipse because of the death or life (i.e. birth) of some-one. When you see the eclipse pray and invoke Allah."

Volume 2, Book 18, Number 165:

Narrated Abu Masud:

Allah's Apostle said, "The sun and the moon do not eclipse because of someone's death or life but they are two signs amongst the signs of Allah, so pray whenever you see them."

Volume 2, Book 18, Number 168:

Narrated Al-Mughira bin Shu'ba :

On the day of Ibrahim's death, the sun eclipsed and the people said that the eclipse was due to the death of Ibrahim (the son of the Prophet). Allah's Apostle said, "The sun and the moon are two signs amongst the signs of Allah. They do not eclipse because of someone's death or life. So when you see them, invoke Allah and pray till the eclipse is clear."

The Prophet totally ignored the beliefs of the culture in which he was brought up in (and indeed much of the worlds peoples views), to make the claim that solar eclipses were not related to deaths and natural disasters in anyway. The ancient superstitions were so easily overlooked by the Prophet to the point that he didn't even mention them with the same breath. On one such day the sun eclipsed on the death of his own son. The followers immediately claimed that it had eclipsed because the Prophets son had died, obviously trying to mix ancient superstition with Islam, yet even so, the Prophet criticized such comments, saying that they were in no way related to his sons death but were just two amongst the many signs of our Creator. Had he wanted to elevate himself, surely he would've made the claim that the eclipse was related to his sons death, but he did no such thing. The Prophet told the followers that when they see such a marvel in the sky they should all praise their creator. It is an amazing thing simply because for a 'Total solar eclipse' to occur the sun has to be n times larger than the moon and be n times further from the Earth than the moon, n must be a constant. We find that this number n is 400 - This is no simple coincidence!

"Nay, I swear by the places of the stars - And lo! that verily is a tremendous oath, if ye but knew"