39. Omens

39. Omens

chapter 406. Someone’s words, “We have been given rain by the rising of such-and-such and such-and-such (a star)”

907. Zayd ibn Khalid al-Juhani said, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, led us in the Subh prayer at Hudaybiyya after it had rained on us during the night. When he finished, he faced the people and said, ‘Do you know what your Lord has said?’ They replied, ‘Allah and His Messenger know best.’ He said, ‘This morning My slaves have become divided up into believers and unbelievers. Those who said, “We had rain by the favour and mercy of Allah,” believe in Me and reject the stars. Those who said that it was because of a certain star, disbelieve in Me and believe in the stars.”‘”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: To believe that rainfall is actually caused and controlled basically by a particular star is disbelief that takes a person out of the fold of Islam. However, if a person makes such a statement believing that rainfall is by the favour and mercy of Allah and that the rising of a particular star is usually a sign of rainfall, then such is not disbelief. The hadeeth exhorts towards watching our statements so that we do not unknowingly make statements of disbelief. We seek Allah’s refuge from disbelief.

chapter 407. What someone says when he sees clouds

908. ‘A’isha said, “When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saw a cloud in the sky, he would get up and down and walk to and fro, and his face would change colour. When it rained, that would leave him.” When A’isha commented on that, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “I do not know. Perhaps it will be as Allah Almighty says: ‘When they saw it as a storm cloud advancing on their valleys…’ (46:24)”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: See hadeeth no. 251 and comment on no. 686.

909. ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Paying attention to the bad omen (tayyara ) is association (shirk). It has nothing to do with us. Allah will remove it by reliance on Him.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: At-Tiyara is so called because during the days of Ignorance, when a person intends to travel or do something and comes out of his house, he may find some birds (sing. Tayr) flying towards the right – which in their thoughts was good omen, or to the left – which they held to mean evil omen! So, the Sharee’ah prohibited this superstition. 2. The expression, wamaa minnaa (lit. ‘and there is not any of us’, but translated here as, ‘one who follows it is not one of us’) according to Imam Ibn al-Atheer, “has been reported like that, disconnected, without mentioning the exemption: ‘except that superstition comes over him and disapproval (for superstition) quickly comes to his mind’. However, it is omitted for summary hoping that the listener already understands the intent.” 3. Tiyara is from the aspects of Shirk, joining partners with Allah, because it involves belief that if they followed the implications of the direction of the flight of the birds, it will basically bring them fortune or prevent evil. 4. However, by Allah’s guiding the servant to rely on Him the Exalted, he takes away such superstitious notions.

chapter 408. The bad omen (tayyâra )

910. Abu Hurayra heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, “Bad omens. The best of that is the good omen. They asked, “What is the good omen?” “A good word which one of you hears,” he replied.
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: At-Tafaa’ul is for example, that a sick person hears been referred to as, ‘Salim (One who is well)’. So he regards it as a good sign of what will happen to him soon. It is connected to Tiyara because they are both notions but is different because it involves having good opinion about Allah, hopeful of His favours.

chapter 409. The excellence of someone who does not take note of omens

911. ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “The nations were presented to me on the Festival in the days of hajj, and I was astonished at the great number of my community. They filled the plains and mountains.” They said, “Muhammad, are you content?” “Yes, O Lord!” he said. He said, “In addition to these people there are seventy thousand who will enter the Garden without any reckoning. They are those who do not use charms nor cauterise themselves nor seek omens and who rely on their Lord.” ‘Ukkasha exclaimed, “Ask Allah to place me among them!” Then another man said, “Ask Allah to put me among them!” The Prophet said, “‘Ukkasha has beaten you to it.”
Grade: Hasan (Sound) and Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: The hadeeth discourages the use of charms, making cauterization and having evil omens. It also shows the favour of Allah upon this Ummah, and the virtue of the companion, ‘Ukasha . However, the point of reference in this hadeeth vis-a-vis the chapter heading is the virtue of not having ill omens.

chapter 410. Bad omens taken from the jinn

912. ‘Alqama reported that ‘A’isha used to go to children when they were born and make supplication for them. She came to a child and removed its pillow and found a straight razor under his head. She asked about the razor and they said, “We put it there against the jinn. She took the razor, threw it away and forbade them to use it. She said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, disliked and hated seeing bad omens in things. She forbade doing that.
Grade: Da’eef (Weak)

chapter 411. Good Omens

913. Anas reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “There is no infection and there are no bad omens, although I am pleased by a good omen a good word.”
Commentary: ‘Adwaa (translated as ‘contagion’) is the belief during the times of Ignorance that, for example, a camel infected by scabbies would be kept away from other camels so that the scabbies does not get transmitted to them thinking that the disease can by itself infect. Islam rejected this belief and affirms that sickness and cure are by Allah’s Will and what He ordinarily allows. See hadeeth no. 909 and 910.

914. Hiba at-Tamimi related from his father that he heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “There is no avenging spirit (hama*), and the most truthful of omens is the good omen. The Evil Eye is a reality.” [Hama : a superstitious belief of the pre-Islamic Arabs, that the unavenged spirit of a murdered person took the form of a night bird.]]
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Hāma is a night bird, usually an owl, said to embody the spirit of the dead calling for vengeance. People in Jāhiliyya used to believe in this but Islam rejected it.

chapter 412. Seeing blessing in a good name

915. ‘Abdullah ibn as-Sa’ib reported that in the year of al-Hudaybiyya, when ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan told the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that Suhayl had been sent to him by his people to make a truce with them on the basis that, provided that he leave them this year, they would leave Makka empty for him for three days. When ‘Uthman came and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was told, “Suhayl has come,” he said, “Allah has made our business easy (sahhala).”
Grade: Hasan (Sound)

chapter 413. Bad luck in horses

916. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Bad luck can be found in houses, women and horses.”
Grade: Da’eef (Weak)

917. Sahl ibn Sa’d said, “If there is bad luck in anything, it is in houses, women and horses.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: The Prophetﷺ rejected ill omen in authentic narrations as cited earlier. Here, he also rejected it and mentioned the things about which the people easily and widely opine evil omen. However, as mentioned ealier, heﷺ said, “…Allah removes it through reliance (on Him).” See hadeeth no. 918.

918. Anas ibn Malik said, “A man said, ‘Messenger of Allah, we were in a house and there were a large number of us and we had a lot of property in it. Then we moved to another house and our numbers decreased and our property became less in it (the new house).’ The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Go back to it (the first house) or leave it (the second house) it is bad.'”
Grade: Hasan (Sound)