Miracle 73: The Returning of the Sun (Radd al-Shams) for the First Time
Amongst the dazzling signs and miracles manifested by Ameerul Momineen is the returning of the sun. The sun returned for Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) twice, once during the lifetime of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and once after his martyrdom.
With regards to the first instance, we present the below narration which is narrated by Umm Salma, the virtuous wife of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), Asma binte Umais, Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari and Abu Saeed al-Khudri, amongst other companions. It is reported,
One day the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) was in his house and Ali (a.s.) was in front of him, when Jibrael (a.s.) came whispering to him with a revelation from Allah, the Almighty. When the revelation overcame him, he (s.a.w.a.) slept on the lap of Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) and did not raise his head till the sun had set.
Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) became restless due to that, to pray Salat al-Asr, so Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) prayed being seated and performed Ruku and Sujood through gesturing. When he (s.a.w.a) awoke, he asked Ameerul Momineen (a.s.): ‘Did you pray Salat al-Asr?
He (a.s.) said: ‘I was not able to pray it standing due to your position, and the state which you were in due to listening to the revelation’.
He (s.a.w.a.) said to: ‘Supplicate to Allah that He returns the sun for you, so that you pray it standing during its timing, for Allah the Almighty loves you, due to your obedience to Allah and His Messenger’.
Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) prayed to Allah for returning of the sun, so He returned the sun until it came to be in its place in the sky signifying the time of Salat al-Asr. Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) prayed Salat al-Asr while standing, in its timing, then the sun set again’.
Asma said, ‘By Allah, we had heard a grinding for it during its setting like the grinding of a saw in the wood’.1
In another narration from Asma binte Umais, she said, “The sun emerged and there did not remain any mountain, nor any land, except the sun shone on it. Then Ali (a.s.) stood up, performed wuzu and prayed his Salat, then it set again’’.2