On Wednesday, 2006 March 29, a total eclipse of the Sun was visible from within a narrow corridor which traverses half the Earth. The path of the Moon’s umbral shadow begun in Brazil and extended across the Atlantic, northern Africa, and central Asia where it ended at sunset in western Mongolia. You can read more on this topic at the website of guys who maybe visited Moon’s surface in the late 1960’s. 🙂

Anyway, I searched a little on this topic and I found an interesting article regarding solar and lunar eclipses and how Islam treats them. Although of a Muslim heritage, I did not know Muslims have special prayer recommended for a time of an eclipse (salatul-kusuf).

According to Muslims, an eclipse is a reminder of the Day of Judgment:

The sun eclipsed and the Prophet got up, being afraid that it might be the Hour (i.e. Day of Judgment). He went to the Mosque and offered a prayer with the longest Qiyam, bowing and prostration that I had ever seen him doing. Then he said, “These signs which Allah sends do not occur because of the life or death of somebody, but Allah makes His worshipers afraid by them. So when you see anything thereof, proceed to remember Allah, invoke Him and ask for His forgiveness.”