The Qadiani cult present the following narration from Dar Qutni and claim that in it the Prophet (peace be upon him) said that when Imam Mahdi appears, during his time a lunar eclipse will occur on the 13th of Ramadan and a solar eclipse on the 27th (of Ramadan). They argue that the year Mirza qadiani claimed to be Imam Mahdi, in the same year both lunar and solar eclipses took place during the month of Ramadan and present this (incorrectly) as a proof of Mirza being the true Imam Mahdi.
Let us first examine the narration and its translation, and then provide a scholarly refutation.
The Narration (Hadith)
"حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو سَعِيدٍ الْإِصْطَخْرِيُّ , ثنا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ نَوْفَلٍ , ثنا عُبَيْدُ بْنُ يَعِيشَ , ثنا يُونُسُ بْنُ بُكَيْرٍ , عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ شِمْرٍ , عَنْ جَابِرٍ , عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ , قَالَ: «إِنَّ لَمَهْدِيِّنَا آيَتَيْنِ لَمْ تَكُونَا مُنْذُ خَلَقَ اللَّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ , يَنْخَسِفُ الْقَمَرُ لَأَوَّلِ لَيْلَةٍ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ , وَتَنْكَسِفُ الشَّمْسُ فِي النِّصْفِ مِنْهُ , وَلَمْ تَكُونَا مُنْذُ خَلَقَ اللَّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ» "
Translation:
Abu Sa'id al-Istakhri narrated to us, Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Nawfal narrated to us, 'Ubayd ibn Ya'ish narrated to us, Yunus ibn Bukayr narrated to us, on the authority of 'Amr ibn Shimr, on the authority of Jabir, on the authority of Muhammad ibn 'Ali, who said: "Our Mahdi will have two signs that have not occurred since God created the heavens and the earth: the moon will be eclipsed on the first night of Ramadan, and the sun will be eclipsed in the middle of it, and they have not been in this position since God created the heavens and the earth".
(Sunan al-Dar Qutni, Vol. 2, pp. 419–420)
There are three points to be noted here:
(1) A lunar eclipse will occur on the first night of Ramadan
(2) A solar eclipse will occur in the middle of Ramadan
(3) These two eclipses have never occurred (during the month of Ramadan) since the creation of the Heavens and the Earth.
Mirza Qadiani’s Statements About This Narration
Mirza Kadiani made following claims about this narration:
- So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) informed that the solar eclipse would occur during the appearance of the Mahdi, specifically on the 28th day of Ramadan at midday, i.e. on the twenty-eighth of Ramadan at noon. (Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 8, p. 209)
- O ignorant and foolish people! Know that this is a hadith of the Seal of the Prophets and the Best of the Messengers (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) which was written by Darqutni, compiled more than a thousand years ago. (Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 8, p. 353)
- The meaning of the entire hadith is that there are two signs for our Mahdi AND since the foundation of the Earth and the Heavens was laid, these sign have not appeared for any person appointed (by Allah), messenger or prophet. (Ruhani Khazain Vol. 17, p. 132)
- This hadith does not mean that the two eclipses have never coincided in the month of Ramadan, rather it means that these two eclipses have never coincided during the time of any claimant to prophethood or messengership, as the explicit words of the hadith indicate. If someone claims that the two eclipses have ever coincided in Ramadan during the time of any claimant to prophethood or messengership, then it is his duty to provide evidence for it. (Ruhani Khazain Vol. 22, p. 203)
From Mirza Kadiani’s writings, the following conclusions can be drawn
- The narration in Dar Qutni is a Hadith – saying of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
- If these eclipses occur during someone who claims to be Imam Mahdi, a prophet or messenger or someone appointed by Allah, that person is true.
- Before Mirza Kadiani, these eclipses never happened during the time of a person who claimed to be Imam Mahdi, a prophet or a messenger.
- The lunar eclipse will occurr on the 13th and the solar eclipse on the 28th of the month of Ramada.
Refuting the false Kadiani Claims
These false Qadiani arguments can be refuted in many ways as presented below.
1. This Is Not a Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
Mirza Kadiani claimed that above narration is a Hadith of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)” and his followers, the Mirzaiyya community, even to this day, boldly claims that it is a Hadith of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). However, no authentic book on Hadith has attributed this saying to the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
Even the Sunan of Dar Qutni itself, from which Kadianis cite this (false) narration, does not call this narration a saying of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The truth of the matter is that this tradition is not at all a Hadith of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), but rather a saying attributed to a person named “Muhammad bin Ali”.
The Mirzaiyya community claims this “Muhammad bin Ali” to be Imam Baqir (may Allah be pleased with him) the son of Imam Zainul-Abidin (may Allah be pleased with him).
If, for argument’s sake, we do temporarily assume that Dar Qutni quoted a saying of Imam Baqir, this saying still cannot be considered a Hadith of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Further, Imam Baqir was not a companion of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), so it cannot be assumed that he heard this directly from the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
Therefore, the claim that this saying is a hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), is pure ignorance.
2. Contradiction in Mirza Kadiani’s Own Statements
Mirza Qadiani himself has written:
- Any narration that contradicts Bukhari is unacceptable. (Ruhani Khazain Vol. 17, p. 119-120)
- I, too, state that all narrations about the Promised Mahdi are weak and unreliable and not a single one of them is authentic. (Ruhani Khazain Vol. 21, p. 356)
So, when this narration does not exist in either Bukhari or Muslim and according to Mirza Kadiani himself, all traditions about the Promised Mahdi are false and unreliable, how can this particular one be considered authentic?
3. The Eclipses on Specified Dates Have Occurred Many Times
The combination of eclipses on the specified dates (13th and 28th of Ramadan) has occurred about 60 times in the past 1300 years. Therefore, it is not unique to Mirza Kadiani and cannot be used as proof of his truthfulness. (Hadaiq-ul-Nujoom p. 702-707)
4. Claimants Before Mirza Kadiani
From the statements of Mirza Qadiani, it is understood that this sign of lunar and solar eclipses has never occured at a time when there was a person claiming to be appointed by Allah, a messenger, or a prophet. However, looking at the original Arabic text of the narration it can be seen that it mentions twice that “such an event has never occurred since the creation of the Earth and the Heavens” but it does not say anything about a claimant claiming to be Imam Mahdi or a prophet or messenger.
And just as the lunar and solar eclipses occured during the month of Ramadan in Mirza’s life, it has happened before him as well and will continue to happen until the end of times.
In Iran, Mirza Muhammad Ali Bab claimed to be the Mahdi in 1260 AH. Seven years later, in 1267 AH, a lunar eclipse occurred on the 13th of Ramadan and a solar eclipse on the 28th. So, if these eclipses prove the veracity of a person claiming to be Imam Mahdi, why not accept the claim of Mirza Muhammad Ali Bab?
- (Astronomy by Joseph Norman Lockyer, page 102)
- (Views of the Globes, pages 263 to 276)
- (Hadaiq-ul-Nujoom p. 702-707)
Another thing to note here is that during the time of these eclipses (1894), Mirza had only claimed to be the Mahdi and had not yet made his (false) claim of being a messenger and a prophet of Allah. This can be confirmed by an advertisement Mirza published in newspapers in 1897 in which he stated that he curses anybody who claims to be a prophet and beleived in the Finality of Prophethood of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). (Majmooa-e-Ishtaharat Vol. 2, p. 2)
In short, Mirza’s own words prove him to be a liar since this eclipse event took place in 1894 whereas until 1897, Mirza was rejecting that he made any claim to prophethood and was cursing anybody who made such a claim.
5. These Eclipse Days Are Normal, Nothing Extraordinary
Eclipses on the 13th and 28th are a normal occurrence and not something extraordinary or unprecedented as the narration claims. So for Mirza to fulfil the conditions stated in the narration, it is necessary that the lunar eclipse should occur on a day other than its normal occurrence of the 12th, 13th, or 14th and the solar eclipse should occur on a day other than its normal occurrence of the 27th, 28th, or 29th of a lunar month. However, since that did not happen, it shows that Mirza Kadiani does not meet the criteria of truth stated in the said narration.
6. Misinterpretation of “First Night” and “Middle” of the Month
The narration clearly states:
- Lunar eclipse on the first night of Ramadan
- Solar eclipse in the middle of it (i.e. month of Ramadan)
The wording indicates literal meanings:
- First night = beginning of Ramadan
- Middle = halfway point (not a range of days)
But during Mirza Kadiani’s time, these eclipses occurred on the 13th and 28th respectively which proves Mirza wrong once again.
7. Kadiani Wordplay of “Qamar” vs “Hilal”
The Kadianis argue that in Arabic the name for first night’s moon is “Hilal” whereas the narration uses the word “Qamar” hence it cannot refer to the first night’s moon.
This is just a wordplay and anybody who is familar with the Arabic language knows very well that “Qamar” is the generic name of the Moon and it is referred to as “Qamar” throughout the month. It does not matter what phase it is in.
Just as in English language the name “Moon” is used regardless of whether it is a crescent or a full moon, in Arabic language, the name “Qamar قمر” can be used to refer to a “Hilal ہلال” (crescent) or “Badr بدر” (full moon). So the Kadiani claim based on this wordplay is proved unfounded and invalid.
8. The Narration Is Weak and Fabricated
This narration is considered weak and fabricated as its chain of authenticity (Isnād) is unreliable and includes at least two unreliable narrators:
- Amr bin Shimar – declared weak, liar, fabricator
- Jabir al-Ju‘fi – widely considered weak or unreliable
Both of the above mentioned narrators have been rejected by many known and famous scholars. Therefore, the narration does not pass the rule of reliability and truthfulness of a Hadith and thus is not trustworthy and reliable. It is widely accepted that the narration under discussion was crafted by Amr bin Shimar and falsely attributed to one “Muhammad bin Ali” as almost all major scholars of Hadith consider him a fabricator of Hadith and a liar.
9. Chronological Error by Mirza Kadiani
Mirza claimed that Dar Qutni’s book was over 1000 years old during his time (1311 AH). However, Imam Dar Qutni was born in 306 AH which makes him five year old at the time of writing his book Sunan Dar Qutni — making the claim historically inaccurate and once again proving Mirza wrong. (Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 8, p. 353)
Additional Questions and Answers
Q: Why did Dar Qutni include a false narration in his book?
Hadith collectors compile narrations with chains; authenticity is determined later by scholars and experts of the science of Hadith or Ilm al-Hadith (علم الحديث).
Inclusion does not mean authenticity.
Q: Is it even possible for lunar eclipse to to occur on first night of a lunar month and solar eclipse in the middle of it?
No. This suggests the narration itself is fabricated, as it describes impossible or extremely unusual events.
Q: Does fulfillment of the claim prove the narration true?
No. The actual conditions described in the narration were never fulfilled. As mentioned multiple time before, the narration clearly mentions first night and middle of the month which has never happened and is not even possible naturally.
Final Conclusion
- The eclipse narration is weak and fabricated.
- It does not match actual events.
- It has occurred many times before.
- Even by Mirza Kadiani’s own criteria, his claim fails.
Therefore, the argument that these eclipses prove Mirza Kadiani as Imam Mahdi is invalid.