What is Sunan Abu Dawud 1194 about?

This hadith from Sunan Abu Dawud (Book of The Book Of The Prayer For Rain (Kitab al-Istisqa')), narrated by Narrated An-Nu'man ibn Bashir:, states: "There was an eclipse of the sun in the time of the Prophet (ﷺ). He began to pray a series of pairs of rak'ahs enquiring about the sun (at the end of them) till it became clear."

Is this hadith authentic?

This hadith is graded Hasan. Hasan hadiths are considered good and acceptable in hadith classification.

Which collection is this hadith from?

This hadith is from Sunan Abu Dawud, which contains 5,276 hadiths across 43 books. It is hadith number 1194 in the Book of The Book Of The Prayer For Rain (Kitab al-Istisqa').

I searched for a different number — is this the right hadith?

Hadith numbering varies across editions and translations (USC-MSA, Dar as-Salam, Fath al-Bari, and others). If you followed a link citing a different number but landed here, you may have been redirected to the canonical version in our library. If you were looking for a different hadith entirely, use the search bar to find it by text.

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Sunan Abu Dawud

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Sunan Abu Dawud #1194

The Book Of The Prayer For Rain (Kitab al-Istisqa')

Hasan

The Arabic includes the chain of narration (sanad) and the collector's commentary; the English translation shows the Prophet's words only.

حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ أَبِي شُعَيْبٍ الْحَرَّانِيُّ، حَدَّثَنِي الْحَارِثُ بْنُ عُمَيْرٍ الْبَصْرِيُّ، عَنْ أَيُّوبَ السَّخْتِيَانِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي قِلاَبَةَ، عَنِ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ، قَالَ كُسِفَتِ الشَّمْسُ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَجَعَلَ يُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَيَسْأَلُ عَنْهَا حَتَّى انْجَلَتْ ‏.‏

There was an eclipse of the sun in the time of the Prophet (ﷺ). He began to pray a series of pairs of rak'ahs enquiring about the sun (at the end of them) till it became clear.

Narrated by Narrated An-Nu'man ibn Bashir:

Context

During a solar eclipse, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ led the community in prayer, performing multiple rak'ahs while inquiring about the sun. This event illustrates the Prophet's ﷺ responsiveness to natural phenomena and his commitment to communal worship during significant occurrences.

Modern Application

This hadith serves as a reminder for Muslims to remain engaged in prayer during extraordinary events. It encourages individuals to turn to their faith and community in times of uncertainty or awe.

Topics

This hadith is tagged with Prayer and Divine Signs because it highlights the importance of prayer in response to natural events and the recognition of Allah's signs.

Prayer Divine Signs