Thread by @aaolomi

Eclipses like the ones coming up on 11/30 and 12/14 were of great importance to medieval Muslim astrologers. They featured in dire predictions and were used to time major events like wars.

A thread on eclipses and their history in a great rebellion

Accordingly, to Mashallah, Abu Ma’shar, and Sahl which sign an eclipse or Kusuf appears in and what sign is ascendant reveals its effects.

In Aries it spells the ruination of kings from war

In Taurus scarcity of crops and food is likely.

In Gemini a solar eclipse portends bloodshed among the people and danger in roads.

A lunar eclipse like the one on 11/30 warns of hot winds and storms.

An eclipse in Cancer warns of war between Muslim rulers and deception among brothers.

An eclipse in Leo portends of rebellion against kings and fear in the land

An eclipse in Virgo signifies famine and disruption of trade.

In Libra disease and corruption, particularly among the wealthy

Whereas in Scorpio unexpected deaths and violence in the lands of Arabia

An eclipse in Sagittarius like the one on 12/14 is danger for unruly kings and his courtiers.

In modern parlance it may spell the firing or purging of government officials

In Capricorn an uprising against kings is nigh

If in Aquarius danger will come from strangers to the people living in ports and those living in East Africa

Finally, if an eclipse happens in Pisces the great foundations will shake

The significations draw from the basic meaning of the signs are likely from Ptolemy who uses the different categorization of signs to explain the effects of an eclipse.

Ibn Ridwan’s writing on eclipses for example summarizes Ptolemy entirely on interpretation and duration.

As an example of the influence it's said eclipses in the bestial signs (Aries, Taurus, Leo, and Capricorn) would indicate danger to and from wild animals.

Visibility of the eclipse could warn where the effects would take place, but so too could the placement in the signs.

Aquarius for example would be danger for East Africa.

Astrologers also noted the placement of the malefics (Saturn and Mars); in hard aspects, or angular or in the stakes could amplify the danger whereas the benefics (Jupiter and Venus) could soften them.

The duration of the effects were hotly debated.

Some noted an eclipse’s effect starts 30 days before and lasts 30 days after, other’s say 3 months before, and 3 months after, and other’s say the duration is 1 month for every minute the eclipse lasts.

For Lunar eclipses, astrologers noted which mansion it was located in.

For example the lunar eclipse on 11/30 is in the 21st mansion Al Balda which denotes deadly poisons, deception, enmity, violence in Iran and Iraq, and crumbling foundations.

Eclipses were one of the five core techniques of medieval Muslim astrologers for political and world astrology.

They also took special note of eclipses in birth charts, interpreting them particularly on the angles as the sign of an ascending monarch or usurper.

In Islamic history, eclipses were commonly linked to significant events. When Muhammad’s young son died, mourners claimed an eclipse signified the mourning of the stars, an idea rejected thoroughly by the prophet.

Muslims do perform special prayers during eclipses.

In the 9th century the great Zanj rebellion against the Abbasids placed astrology and eclipses right in the center of the conflict.

Led by the charismatic Ali ibn Muhammad, the Zanj rebellion was an African slave revolt against the caliphate which lasted for 15 years.

The conflict included astrologers on both sides working as advisers, but also as propogandists using astrology to legitimize and justify

According to Tabari, In 871 CE Ali ibn Muhammad and his astrologers calculated the timing of an upcoming lunar eclipse in September. They took the eclipse as an auspicious time to attack the caliphate and launched the siege of Basra.

They were successful, attacking on multiple fronts.

After days of brutal fighting, the city surrendered, but was massacred by the rebels.

The success at Basra bolstered the Zanj and the Abbasids continued to lose ground to them—they came very close to Baghdad at one point.

The two sides continued to rely on astrologers with Abu Ma’shar consulting Caliph Al Muwaffaq.

The Abbasids were eventually successful.

The writing of Muslim astrologers on eclipses reveals a fascinating intellectual tradition engaged with Hellenic thinkers, translation projects, and the politics of knowledge.

It is also a reminder that contrary to the dismissal of astrology, it was an exacting science in the premodern world.

Al Biruni’s calculations draw heavily on his Indian counterparts and Sahl and Mashallah’s interpretation include complex examinations of horoscopic degrees.

There is a whole complicated interpretive technique using bounds which involves precise degree-based calculations.

For those interested in more solar things, I just posted a solar talisman for victory on my patreon where I also have podcasts on astrology, magic, and jinn in the Islamic world

patreon.com/headonhistory

I'll cover more astrology from the Islamic world in future threads