How do we reconcile the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibition of taking omens with his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): "There is no bad omen except in three things"?
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The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon the noblest of the prophets and messengers.
O Shaykh, may Allah preserve you: How do we reconcile the hadith prohibiting the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from taking omens with his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):?
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : How do we reconcile the hadith prohibiting the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from taking omens with his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):?
The Shaykh : Taking omens is taking a bad sign from something seen, heard, or a specific time. For example, one might take a bad sign from marrying in Shawwal, as the people of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance did, or hear a sound that contradicts what one desires and take a bad sign from it, or see a bird flying or something similar and take a bad sign from it. Taking omens is prohibited because it leads to having a bad opinion of Allah, to not proceeding with what is in the servant's interest, to wavering in one's affairs, and it may lead to obsessive thoughts that result in mental illness. Therefore, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited it.
As forSunan Ibn Majah 1995, the hadith regarding this came in two forms: one form is: .
And another form is:Riyad as-Salihin 1675.
The meaning of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is that these things themselves may contain a bad omen. For example, a person may move into a house and from the moment he enters, his chest becomes tight, he becomes anxious, and he feels pain. Or a vehicle may have many accidents; for example, from the moment he bought this car, it has had many accidents and defects, so he takes a bad sign from it and sells it. A woman is the same; a man may marry a woman who is sharp-tongued and foul-mouthed, and she makes him very sad and very anxious. This is the bad omen mentioned in these three things that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned:. This is not the prohibited bad omen that has no basis, but rather it necessitates for the person the harms we mentioned.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon the noblest of the prophets and messengers.
O Shaykh, may Allah preserve you: How do we reconcile the hadith prohibiting the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from taking omens with his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
There is no bad omen except in three things: a woman, a mount, and a house
لا تشاؤم إلا في ثلاث: المرأة والدابة والدارThe Shaykh : What?
The questioner : How do we reconcile the hadith prohibiting the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from taking omens with his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
There is no bad omen except in three things: a mount, a house, and a wife
لا تشاؤم إلا في ثلاث: الدابة والدار والزوجةThe Shaykh : Taking omens is taking a bad sign from something seen, heard, or a specific time. For example, one might take a bad sign from marrying in Shawwal, as the people of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance did, or hear a sound that contradicts what one desires and take a bad sign from it, or see a bird flying or something similar and take a bad sign from it. Taking omens is prohibited because it leads to having a bad opinion of Allah, to not proceeding with what is in the servant's interest, to wavering in one's affairs, and it may lead to obsessive thoughts that result in mental illness. Therefore, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited it.
As for
Omens are only to be found in three things: a horse, a woman and a house.
الشؤم في ثلاثة: في الفرس والمرأة والدارMisfortune is in three things
الشؤم في ثلاثAnd another form is:
but if there is anything (that may be a source of trouble) then it could be a house, a horse, and a woman
إن كان الشؤم في شيء ففي ثلاثةThe meaning of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is that these things themselves may contain a bad omen. For example, a person may move into a house and from the moment he enters, his chest becomes tight, he becomes anxious, and he feels pain. Or a vehicle may have many accidents; for example, from the moment he bought this car, it has had many accidents and defects, so he takes a bad sign from it and sells it. A woman is the same; a man may marry a woman who is sharp-tongued and foul-mouthed, and she makes him very sad and very anxious. This is the bad omen mentioned in these three things that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned: