Explanation of the Hadith: “There is no ‘adwa (contagion) and no tiyarah (superstition)”

Question:
I heard a hadith about superstition, which says, to the effect of: I hope you will recite the hadith in full and explain the words in it that I do not understand.

Answer:
It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: , and the meaning is the invalidation of what the people of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance believed, namely that things transmit disease by their nature. So he informed them (peace and blessings be upon him) that this matter is invalid, and that the One who controls the universe is Allah alone. So some of those present said to him (peace and blessings be upon him): “O Messenger of Allah, the camels are in the desert as if they were gazelles, and then a scabby camel enters among them and they become scabby.” So he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: , and the meaning is: the One who caused the scab in the first camel is the One who caused it in the second. Then he explained to them (peace and blessings be upon him) that mixing can be a cause for the transfer of disease from the healthy to the sick, by the permission of Allah ; for this reason he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: , and the meaning is: the prohibition of bringing sick camels and the like, with scab and the like, into the company of healthy camels; because this mixing may cause the transfer of the disease from the sick to the healthy by the permission of Allah. And from this is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): ; because mixing with him may cause the transfer of the disease from him to others. And it is established from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that the transfer of leprosy from the sick to the healthy only happens by the permission of Allah, and it is not something inevitable.
In summary: the hadiths in this chapter indicate that there is no contagion in the sense that the pre-Islamic people believed, namely that diseases transmit by their nature. Rather, the matter is in the hand of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He); if He wills, the disease transfers from the sick to the healthy, and if He wills (Glorified and Exalted is He), it does not happen.
But Muslims are commanded to take the beneficial means and to leave what may lead to evil.
As for his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): , its meaning is: the invalidation of what the people of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance believed regarding taking omens from things seen and heard that they dislike and that deter them from their needs. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) invalidated it, and he said in another hadith: .
It is narrated from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: .
As for the hama: it is a bird called the owl. The people of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance claimed that if it hooted over one of their houses, that house would die. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) invalidated that.
As for his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): , it is the well-known month. Some of the people of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance took omens from it, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) invalidated that, and he clarified (peace and blessings be upon him) that it is like the other months and contains nothing that necessitates taking omens.
And some of the scholars said: it is a creature that is in the belly called Safar. Some of the people of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance believed that it transmits disease, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) invalidated that.
As for , it is one of the naw’ (stars). The naw’ are the stars, and some of the people of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance took omens from some of the stars, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) invalidated that.
Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has clarified in the great Qur’an that He created the stars as adornment for the sky, as missiles for the Shayatins (devils), and as signs by which people find their way in the land and the sea. As Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: [Al-Mulk:5], and He said (Glorified and Exalted is He): [Al-An’am:97], and He said (Glorified and Exalted is He): [An-Nahl:16].
As for : it is a type of jinn that confronts people in the desert, misleads them from the paths, and frightens them. Some of the people of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance believed in them and that they act by their own power, so Allah invalidated that. And it is narrated from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: , and the meaning is that the remembrance of Allah drives them away. Likewise, seeking refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of what He created protects from their evil and the evil of others, while taking the means that Allah has made causes for protection from all evil.
As for : it is when a person hears a good word that pleases him, but it does not deter him from his need. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explained fal (good omen) by this, and he said (peace and blessings be upon him): They said: “O Messenger of Allah, what is fal?” He said: End of quote.
An example of this is when a sick person hears someone say: “O healthy one, O free from illness,” and that pleases him. Likewise, if he hears someone seeking a lost item say: “O finder,” or: “O successful one,” or: “O fortunate one,” that pleases him and he takes a good omen from it.
And success is from Allah.