Explanation of the Author's Statement: The Chapter on What Has Come Regarding Taking Omens
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
"The Chapter on What Has Come Regarding Taking Omens" He said: And the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-A'raf 7:131]
[Al-An'am 6:37] He said: And His saying.
The Shaykh : Be patient, is it difficult for you? Do you have the text, Isa?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Read.
The reader: "The Chapter on What Has Come Regarding Taking Omens", and His saying, Allah the Exalted:[Al-A'raf 7:131] And His saying: [Ya-Sin 36:19] the verse.
And from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): That the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 2222a
The Shaykh : Nor taking omens
The reader:Sunan Ibn Majah 3539
The Shaykh : Nor the hama (an ill-omened bird)
The reader:Sunan Ibn Majah 3539 They both narrated it, Muslim added: .
The Shaykh : Nor the month of Safar
The reader: Nor the month of Safar nor the ghul (a demon)
The Shaykh : Ghul
The reader: And from both of them from Anas; he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih Muslim 2222a
The Shaykh : Taking omens, nor taking omens
The reader:Sahih al-Bukhari 5776. And for Abu Dawud with a sound chain from 'Uqbah ibn 'Amir; he said:
The Shaykh : Taking omens
The reader:Sunan Abi Dawud 3919Da'if (Al-Albani).
The Shaykh : Except with you
The reader: Except with you
And from Ibn Mas'ud, traced to the Prophet:Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 18:1085
The Shaykh : But Allah
The reader:Sunan Ibn Majah 3538Sahih (Darussalam) Narrated by Abu Dawud.
The Shaykh : He said: "The Chapter on What Has Come Regarding Taking Omens" Taking omens (tatayyur) is a verbal noun (masdar) from the verb tafa''ala, and its origin in the language is derived from birds, the known birds, because the Arabs used to take good or bad omens from them in the ways known to them. They would drive away a bird and then look to see if it went to the right or to the left, - put the book down, Ghanim, stay with us - they would look to see if it went to the right or to the left or something similar. If it went in the direction associated with good omens, they would proceed, or if it was in the direction associated with bad omens, they would hold back and leave it. This was the original meaning. As for the technical term (istilahi), it is broader than the linguistic meaning, because it means taking a bad omen from something seen or heard. This is one of the rare cases, because the general rule is that the language is broader than the technical term. This is the general rule: the technical term adds restrictions to words to specify them. For example, prayer (salah) in the language means supplication, but in the technical sense it is more specific than supplication. Likewise, zakah and others. The general rule is that technical terms are more specific than the linguistic meaning. But sometimes the technical term is broader. Here, the technical term is broader because it means taking a bad omen from something seen or heard, or if you wish, say seen or heard or known, which is broader.
The student: Shaykh, everything... the birds to the right, they used to take good omens
The Shaykh : No, no, they had a technical term for it. Their technical term was that if it went to the right, for example, they would take a good omen; if to the left, they would take a bad omen; if it went in front, if it went behind, according to their technical terms on which they based this taking of omens. The taking of a bad omen can be from something seen, such as seeing a frightening bird and taking a bad omen. For example, he wanted to go out to a place or travel or something similar, and he saw something that frightened him, so he took a bad omen. This is from something seen. Or from something heard, such as he intended to do something, so when he went out and walked in that matter, he heard one person saying to another, "Oh, you are afraid, oh, you are a loser," or he heard someone say, "By Allah, so-and-so has become a disbeliever," or something similar, so he took a bad omen. Here, the taking of a bad omen is from something heard; he heard a sound and took a bad omen from it. Or he takes a bad omen from something known that is neither heard nor seen, such as taking a bad omen from certain days, taking a bad omen from certain months, taking a bad omen from certain years, and so on. All of this is included in taking omens; all of it is included in taking omens. And know that taking omens contradicts the oneness of Allah (tawhid). The way it contradicts it is that the one who takes omens has cut off his reliance (tawakkul) on Allah and attached himself to this cause which has no reality, because this cause has no reality and no connection between hearing something you dislike or seeing something you dislike or being in such-and-such a month or such-and-such a day and events. So now you have attached your heart to something, yes, that has no reality, and you have cut off reliance and dependence on Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). And this undoubtedly undermines the oneness of Allah, because the oneness of Allah is worship and seeking help.[Al-Fatihah 1:5] [Hud 11:123] Reliance is actually the spirit of seeking help. So the result is that this, namely taking omens, contradicts the oneness of Allah from two angles:
The first angle: that the person has cut off his reliance on Allah and relied on other than Him. Second: that he has attached himself to what has no reality; he has attached himself to a matter that has no reality. So what connection is there between this matter and what happens to you? For this reason, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) used to say: And she was the most beloved of women to him. And the Arabs used to say: If a person marries in the month of Shawwal, he will not succeed in his marriage. They took a bad omen from this month, but it has no reality. This has no reality, as you know. Yes.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : No, never...
The questioner : It has no connection
The Shaykh : No, it has no connection. Yes.
The student: Taking omens among the Arabs...
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : Their saying:[Ya-Sin 36:18] before the Arabs.
The Shaykh : Be patient, may Allah bless you. Yes.
The questioner : Right now, the one who is absent in Egypt, the crow passed by and he said... If one who is absent says the absent one is coming.
The Shaykh : Yes, this is of that type, of that type.
So then, the ruling on taking omens is forbidden, and it contradicts the oneness of Allah from two angles, as you have learned. And the one who takes omens is actually not free from two states: either he holds back and responds to this omen and leaves the work, and this is one of the greatest forms of taking bad omens and taking omens. Or he proceeds, but in anxiety, worry, and distress. Who is he afraid of? The bad omen. The one who takes omens is afraid of the effect of this omen on him. And both matters are a deficiency in the oneness of Allah and a harm to the servants. So it is a deficiency in the oneness of Allah and a harm to the servants. Proceed to what you want with an open chest, ease, and reliance on Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Yes, and do not have a bad opinion of your Lord, and do not have a bad opinion of Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
"The Chapter on What Has Come Regarding Taking Omens" He said: And the saying of Allah the Exalted:
Unquestionably, their fortune is with Allah, but most of them do not know.
ألا إنما طائرهم عند الله ولكن أكثرهم لا يعلمونbut most of them do not know."
ولكنّ أكثرهم لا يعلمونThe Shaykh : Be patient, is it difficult for you? Do you have the text, Isa?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Read.
The reader: "The Chapter on What Has Come Regarding Taking Omens", and His saying, Allah the Exalted:
Unquestionably, their fortune is with Allah, but most of them do not know.
ألا إنما طائرهم عند الله ولكن أكثرهم لا يعلمونThey said, "Your omen is with yourselves
قالوا طائركم معكمAnd from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): That the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
There is no transitive disease, no ill omen
لا عدوى ولا طيرةThe Shaykh : Nor taking omens
The reader:
no omen, no Hamah and no Safar
ولا طِيرة ولا هامة ولا صفرThe Shaykh : Nor the hama (an ill-omened bird)
The reader:
no Hamah and no Safar
ولا هامة ولا صفرNor the month of Safar, nor the ghul
ولا نوء ولا غَولThe Shaykh : Nor the month of Safar
The reader: Nor the month of Safar nor the ghul (a demon)
The Shaykh : Ghul
The reader:
and no ghul
ولا غُولThere is no transitive disease, no ill omen
لا عدوى، ولا طَيرةThe Shaykh : Taking omens, nor taking omens
The reader:
nor Tiyara; but I like Fal." They said, "What is the Fal?" He said, "A good word."
ولا طِيرة ويعجبني الفال . قالوا: وما الفالُ ؟ قال : الكلمة الطيبةTiyarat (superstition) was mentioned in the presence of the Messenger of Allah
ذُكرت الطيرة عند رسول اللهThe Shaykh : Taking omens
The reader:
When taking omens was mentioned in the presence of the Prophet (ﷺ), he said: The best type is the good omen, and it does not turn back a Muslim. If one of you sees anything he dislikes, he should say: O Allah, no one brings good things except Thee, and no one averts evil things except Thee and there is no might and power but in Allah.
الطِيرة عند رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال : أحسنُها الفال، ولا ترد مسلما، فإذا رأى أحدكم ما يكره; فليقل: اللهم لا يأتي بالحسنات إلا أنت، ولا يدفعُ السيئات إلا أنت، ولا حول ولا قوة إلا بكThe Shaykh : Except with you
The reader: Except with you
And from Ibn Mas'ud, traced to the Prophet:
Tiyarat (superstition) is shirk (associating partners with Allah), and none of us is free from it, but Allah removes it
الطيرة شرك الطيرة شرك وما منا إلا ولكن الله يذهبهThe Shaykh : But Allah
The reader:
but Allah will dispel it by means of relying upon Him
ولكن الله يذهبه بالتوكلThe Shaykh : He said: "The Chapter on What Has Come Regarding Taking Omens" Taking omens (tatayyur) is a verbal noun (masdar) from the verb tafa''ala, and its origin in the language is derived from birds, the known birds, because the Arabs used to take good or bad omens from them in the ways known to them. They would drive away a bird and then look to see if it went to the right or to the left, - put the book down, Ghanim, stay with us - they would look to see if it went to the right or to the left or something similar. If it went in the direction associated with good omens, they would proceed, or if it was in the direction associated with bad omens, they would hold back and leave it. This was the original meaning. As for the technical term (istilahi), it is broader than the linguistic meaning, because it means taking a bad omen from something seen or heard. This is one of the rare cases, because the general rule is that the language is broader than the technical term. This is the general rule: the technical term adds restrictions to words to specify them. For example, prayer (salah) in the language means supplication, but in the technical sense it is more specific than supplication. Likewise, zakah and others. The general rule is that technical terms are more specific than the linguistic meaning. But sometimes the technical term is broader. Here, the technical term is broader because it means taking a bad omen from something seen or heard, or if you wish, say seen or heard or known, which is broader.
The student: Shaykh, everything... the birds to the right, they used to take good omens
The Shaykh : No, no, they had a technical term for it. Their technical term was that if it went to the right, for example, they would take a good omen; if to the left, they would take a bad omen; if it went in front, if it went behind, according to their technical terms on which they based this taking of omens. The taking of a bad omen can be from something seen, such as seeing a frightening bird and taking a bad omen. For example, he wanted to go out to a place or travel or something similar, and he saw something that frightened him, so he took a bad omen. This is from something seen. Or from something heard, such as he intended to do something, so when he went out and walked in that matter, he heard one person saying to another, "Oh, you are afraid, oh, you are a loser," or he heard someone say, "By Allah, so-and-so has become a disbeliever," or something similar, so he took a bad omen. Here, the taking of a bad omen is from something heard; he heard a sound and took a bad omen from it. Or he takes a bad omen from something known that is neither heard nor seen, such as taking a bad omen from certain days, taking a bad omen from certain months, taking a bad omen from certain years, and so on. All of this is included in taking omens; all of it is included in taking omens. And know that taking omens contradicts the oneness of Allah (tawhid). The way it contradicts it is that the one who takes omens has cut off his reliance (tawakkul) on Allah and attached himself to this cause which has no reality, because this cause has no reality and no connection between hearing something you dislike or seeing something you dislike or being in such-and-such a month or such-and-such a day and events. So now you have attached your heart to something, yes, that has no reality, and you have cut off reliance and dependence on Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). And this undoubtedly undermines the oneness of Allah, because the oneness of Allah is worship and seeking help.
It is You we worship and You we ask for help.
إياك نعبد وإياك نستعينso worship Him and rely upon Him
فاعبده وتوكل عليهThe first angle: that the person has cut off his reliance on Allah and relied on other than Him. Second: that he has attached himself to what has no reality; he has attached himself to a matter that has no reality. So what connection is there between this matter and what happens to you? For this reason, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) used to say:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) married her in Shawwal and consummated the marriage with her in Shawwal, and she was the most favored of his wives with him
إن النبي عليه الصلاة والسلام تزوجها في شوال وبنى بها في شوال وكانت أحظى نسائه إليهThe questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : No, never...
The questioner : It has no connection
The Shaykh : No, it has no connection. Yes.
The student: Taking omens among the Arabs...
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : Their saying:
Indeed, we consider you a bad omen
إنا تطيرنا بكمThe Shaykh : Be patient, may Allah bless you. Yes.
The questioner : Right now, the one who is absent in Egypt, the crow passed by and he said... If one who is absent says the absent one is coming.
The Shaykh : Yes, this is of that type, of that type.
So then, the ruling on taking omens is forbidden, and it contradicts the oneness of Allah from two angles, as you have learned. And the one who takes omens is actually not free from two states: either he holds back and responds to this omen and leaves the work, and this is one of the greatest forms of taking bad omens and taking omens. Or he proceeds, but in anxiety, worry, and distress. Who is he afraid of? The bad omen. The one who takes omens is afraid of the effect of this omen on him. And both matters are a deficiency in the oneness of Allah and a harm to the servants. So it is a deficiency in the oneness of Allah and a harm to the servants. Proceed to what you want with an open chest, ease, and reliance on Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Yes, and do not have a bad opinion of your Lord, and do not have a bad opinion of Allah (Mighty and Majestic).