Is taking an omen as a bad sign minor shirk (associating partners with Allah) or major shirk?
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The student: O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: Is taking an omen as a bad sign considered minor shirk (associating partners with Allah) or major shirk?
The Shaykh : No. It is minor shirk, provided one does not believe that it has an effect in itself. If it does have an effect in itself, it becomes major shirk. I think we have mentioned this rule before: whoever affirms a cause...
The student: That is not prescribed by the Shari'ah.
The Shaykh : Illegitimate.
The student: Or that is not part of the divine decree.
The Shaykh : Or that is not part of the divine decree—meaning, what is not required by the Shari'ah nor by the divine decree—then he is a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah), but it is minor shirk that leads to major shirk. As for what is required by the Shari'ah or what is required by the divine decree: what is required by the Shari'ah is that it is known through the Shari'ah that this is a cause for that, yes. For example, reciting al-Fatihah (Surat al-Fatihah) for a sick person is a cause for healing. Is this by the Shari'ah or by the divine decree?
The student: By the Shari'ah.
The Shaykh : Meaning: the Shari'ah brought it. The experiments conducted on some plants and some medicines, through which their effect is known—is this a cause?
The student: By the divine decree.
The Shaykh : By the divine decree; the divine decree brought it. Things that are not indicated by the Shari'ah nor by the divine decree: it is not permissible for you to say that they are causes. For example, a person ties a string around his neck and says, "This is to ward off the evil eye," believing that once the string is tied, the evil eye will no longer affect him. This is not a cause; it is not correct. Where is the Shari'ah that indicates this? And where is the divine decree that indicates this? How many people are afflicted by the evil eye while wearing this string?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: Is taking an omen as a bad sign considered minor shirk (associating partners with Allah) or major shirk?
The Shaykh : No. It is minor shirk, provided one does not believe that it has an effect in itself. If it does have an effect in itself, it becomes major shirk. I think we have mentioned this rule before: whoever affirms a cause...
The student: That is not prescribed by the Shari'ah.
The Shaykh : Illegitimate.
The student: Or that is not part of the divine decree.
The Shaykh : Or that is not part of the divine decree—meaning, what is not required by the Shari'ah nor by the divine decree—then he is a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah), but it is minor shirk that leads to major shirk. As for what is required by the Shari'ah or what is required by the divine decree: what is required by the Shari'ah is that it is known through the Shari'ah that this is a cause for that, yes. For example, reciting al-Fatihah (Surat al-Fatihah) for a sick person is a cause for healing. Is this by the Shari'ah or by the divine decree?
The student: By the Shari'ah.
The Shaykh : Meaning: the Shari'ah brought it. The experiments conducted on some plants and some medicines, through which their effect is known—is this a cause?
The student: By the divine decree.
The Shaykh : By the divine decree; the divine decree brought it. Things that are not indicated by the Shari'ah nor by the divine decree: it is not permissible for you to say that they are causes. For example, a person ties a string around his neck and says, "This is to ward off the evil eye," believing that once the string is tied, the evil eye will no longer affect him. This is not a cause; it is not correct. Where is the Shari'ah that indicates this? And where is the divine decree that indicates this? How many people are afflicted by the evil eye while wearing this string?