OMENS & SUPERSTITIOUS BELIEFS

Bad omens & superstitious beliefs are unlawful & were greatly condemned by the Holy Prophet of Islam (sallallahu alaihi wasallam). The Pre-Islamic Arabs were a greatly superstitious people, but the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) abolished all these beliefs, ideas & established pure monotheism in the Arabian Peninsula. A people engrossed in the worst idolatry & superstitions were turned suddenly into a band of Angels as if by the touch of a magic wand.

It is unlawful to take bad omens from the sound of animals & from knockings of doors. Had there been any bad omen, it would have been in houses, horses & woman that are the objects of taste for man.

The following are some of the superstitions of the pagans that were abolished by the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam):

1. Hamah is the name of an animal or bird. The Pre-Islamic Arabs believed that the soul of a man who was killed by another takes the form of a bird & cries over the grave of the dead man saying: "Give me drink (of blood)." It remains crying for days & nights till man of his family & tribe avenge the blood of the dead man. The Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) abolished this superstitious belief.
2. Safar is also a superstitious belief, which the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) abolished like the former one. The pagans believed that after the month of Muharram calamities & disasters befall on man. Some say that the Pre-Islamic Arabs believed that there are worms in bellies, which bite man & produce jaundice.
3. The Pre-Islamic Arabs believed that owing to the change of stars, rain falls down. Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) abolished this belief & said that rain is not dependent on change of stars or moon but it is the decree of Almighty Allah. Therefore, the Almighty Allah is to be praised for rain & not stars.
4. When a Pre-Islamic Arab cherished an intention to get an object & was unable to get it, he would not enter into his house by the front door, but enter it by the back door & continue in doing so for a year. There is a reference to this in the Holy Quraan: "But righteousness is this that one should guard against evil & go into the house by their doors." (2:189)
5. When a Pre-Islamic Arab desired to make a journey or to take a wife, or to engage in a warfare, or to undertake other important tasks, he used to draw out arrows, on one of which was written, "My Lord has commended me," on another, "My Lord has forbidden me," while a third arrow remained blank. The Holy Quraan speaks of such superstitions: "& that which has been slaughtered on the altars & that you seek a division by means of the divining arrows: all that is an abomination." (5:3)
6. The Pre-Islamic Arabs used to set free certain animals in honour of their idols believing that they would get prosperity by such liberation. The Holy Quraan speaks of such practice: "Allah has not ordained (the making of) Bahirah or a Saibah or a Hami" (5:103) Bahirah is a she-camel having her ear slit. Saibah signifies any beast which having brought forth females at 10 successive births was set at liberty to pasture where she liked & was not used for riding, nor was her milk taken. Hami is a stallion camel that was considered unlawful for riding or being used as a beast of burden.
7. The Arabs had faith in the existence of evil spirit's whom they would conjure up in solitary places. To these spirit's, they attributed certain kinds of diseases. They said that the Queen Sheba's mother was a Jinn & the father of Alexander was a Jinn. Those who believed in a life after death would tie a camel at a tomb & starve it to death, thinking that the deceased would mount on it's back on the Day of Resurrection.
8. They believed in sooth-sayers & fortune-tellers & had implicit faith in their utterances.
9. It was a superstitious belief of the Arabs that whenever they would be going out intending a work, they used to taken omen by sending birds to fly. If it flew by the right side, it was a good omen; if by the left side, it was a bad omen.
10. The Arabs used to attribute particular supernatural powers to their respective idols, which were stationed within the Holy Ka'bah. They thought that the Almighty God entrusted the discharge of the various functions of the universe to different gods & goddesses & idols. Therefore, they invoked blessings of idols, especially of those that were stationed in the Holy Ka'bah. There were 360 idols within this ancient shrine belonging to different tribes. The Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) broke these idols to pieces & abolished idolatry attendant with superstitious beliefs from the soil of Arabia within the short period of 23 years & planted in it's place the doctrine of pure monotheism.

Superstitious belief or omen is disallowed in Islam. If it had been lawful, a good omen would have been lawful too because it cheers up the mind & helps towards the onward progress of actions. Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (radi Allahu anhu) reported: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) say, "There is no bad omen & the best of it is good omen." They enquired, "What is good omen?" He replied, "The good talk which one of you hears." (Agreed)

The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: "There is no contagious disease, no bad omen, no "Hamah" & no "Safar." & flee away from leprosy as you flee away from a lion." (Bukhari) No disease is caught by touch, but there are epidemics prevailing widely in a locality. None should go out the locality in which such diseases are prevalent & none from outside should come within it.

Sayyiduna Jaabir (radi Allahu anhu) reported that the Glorious Prophet of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: "There is no contagious disease, no "Safar" & no ghost." (Muslim) Ghost is a kind of Jinn & Shaitaan called ghosts take sometimes the form of man & woman & lead man astray to the wrong path & thus, destroy them. Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) abolished this superstitious belief of ghosts though, he told, there is existence of Jinn.

The Beloved Habib (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) abolished the superstitious beliefs in sounds of animals like lizards, crows & brays of ass, etc. Evil omens still prevail mostly in India.

Sayyiduna Qutn Ibn-e-Qubaysa (radi Allahu anhu) reported from his father that the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: "To take bad omen from sounds & knocking of doors at night & are acts of Shaitaan." (Abu Dawood)

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ood (radi Allahu anhu) reported from Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam): "Taking bad omen is polytheism (He repeated it thrice). & there is nothing for us, but Allah removes it by virtue of resignation." (Tirmizi & Abu Dawood)

Sayyiduna Jaabir (radi Allahu anhu) reported that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) caught hold of the hand of a man having leprosy & placed it with his hand in a plate (to take food) & said: "Take food with firm belief in Allah & resignation to Him." (Ibn-e-Majah)

The Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: "Bad luck is in three things & house, woman & horse." The meaning of this Hadees is that there is no omen in anything. Had it been existent, these objects which people love dearly would have been subjects of bad omen.

Sayyiduna Buraydah (radi Allahu anhu) reported that Rasoolullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) did not take bad omen from anything. When he sent a Governor, he used to ask his name. When his name pleased him, he became glad with him & it's good news was noticed in his face. When his name was not agreeable, his disliking was manifested in his face. When he entered any village, he asked it's name. If it's name pleased him, he became glad with it & it's good news was seen in his face & if it's name displeased him, the disliking was seen in his face. (Abu Dawood) It appears from this Hadees that people should give better names to their sons & daughters, as bad names excite dislike in man.

Sayyiduna Anas (radi Allahu anhu) reported that a man asked: "O Rasoolullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam)! We were in a house where we were many in number & our wealth increased. Afterwards we shifted to a house wherein our number became less (by death) & our wealth diminished." The Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: "Leave it as not agreeable." (Abu Dawood) This is not on account of superstitious belief, but owing to sanitary & hygienic point of view. This may be due to this fact that by change of residence the man would be free from his polytheistic belief.

Sayyiduna Qitadah (radi Allahu anhu) reported that Almighty Allah created these stars for three reasons: He created them as adornment of the sky & as shots for the Shaitaan & as signs to be guided therewith. Whoever attributes things other than these is indeed wrong & destroys his fortune & takes trouble for what he does not know. (Bukhari)

Sayyiduna Ibn-e-Abbas (radi Allahu anhu) reported that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: "Whoever acquires a branch of the science of astrology for a purpose other than that for which Allah  mentioned, has indeed acquired a branch of sorcery. An astrologer is a soothsayer & a soothsayer is a sorcerer & a sorcerer is an unbeliever." (Khaazin)

Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (radi Allahu anhu) reported that the Prophet of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: "Whoever comes to a foreteller & believes him in what he says, or comes to a menstruating woman (for intercourse), or comes to a woman from her back, he has indeed become displeased with what was revealed upon Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wasallam)." (Abu Dawood & Ahmad)