Explanation of Riyad al-Salihin-88a

The reader: 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 our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Chapter on the Prohibition of Taking Omens
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

No 'Adwa nor Tiyara; but I like Fal." They said, "What is the Fal?" He said, "A good word."

لا عدوى ولا طيرة ويعجبني الفأل قالوا وما الفأل قال كلمة طيبة

Sahih al-Bukhari 5776

Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim
And Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

There is no infection and no evil omen; but if there is anything (that may be a source of trouble) then it could be a house, a horse, and a woman.

لا عدوى ولا طيرة وإن كان الشؤم في شيء ففي الدار والمرأة والفرس

Riyad as-Salihin 1675

Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim
And Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him)

The Prophet never took ill omens.

أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم كان لا يتطير

Riyad as-Salihin 1676

Narrated by Abu Dawud with a sound chain
And 'Urwah ibn al-'Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

Tiyarah was mentioned in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he said: The best of it is the fa'l, and it does not turn back a Muslim. If one of you sees something he dislikes, let him say: O Allah, none brings about good except You, none averts evil except You, and there is no power and no strength except by You.

ذكرت الطيرة عند رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال أحسنها الفأل ولا ترد مسلما فإذا رأى أحدكم فليقل اللهم لا يأتي بالحسنات إلا أنت ولا يدفع السيئات إلا أنت ولا حول ولا قوة إلا بك

A sound hadith, narrated by Abu Dawud with a sound chain "

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his book *Riyad al-Salihin*: "Chapter on Taking Omens"
Tiyarah is taking a bad omen from something seen or heard, or from a time or a place. This is tiyarah: a person taking a bad omen from something. It was called tiyarah because the Arabs in the pre-Islamic age of ignorance (jahiliyyah) took bad omens from birds, so the name became dominant for all bad omens. Some of the Arabs would take bad omens from birds when the bird cawed or was disturbed and flew away. If it flew to the left, they took a bad omen. If it returned to them, they would abandon what they intended to do. If it flew in front of them, they would resolve to carry out what they intended. If it flew to their right, they would say, "This is an auspicious and blessed deed." So they took bad omens from birds. Also, birds in the sky, perhaps they would take bad omens from them. The crow, they would take a bad omen from it. The owl, they would take a bad omen from it. And some other birds.
And some of the Arabs would take bad omens from time. It became widespread among them that if a woman married in Shawwal, she would not be successful and her husband would not love her. This is false because they claim that if a woman marries in this month, she will not be successful in her marriage. And this also has no basis.
And some of them would take bad omens from traveling on Wednesday. They say if a person travels on Wednesday, an accident must happen, or a loss, or a calamity. And this also has no truth. Wednesday, Thursday, Tuesday, and the others are all the same.
And some of them would take bad omens from the month of Safar. Safar, which is after Muharram. And they say if a person does any deed in it, whether marriage, or a child is born to him in it, or he travels in it, he will not be successful. And this is also false. The month has no effect in taking a good omen or a bad omen.
For this reason, some people counter an innovation with an innovation. They call Safar "Safar al-Khayr" (Safar of Goodness). And this is also not permissible. Safar is like Muharram, like Rabi' al-Awwal, and like the other months. There is no bad omen in it, nor a good omen. And it is not permissible for us to treat an innovation with an innovation. This is what some people do on the day of 'Ashura. The Rafidah (Twelver Shi'ah) make the day of 'Ashura a day of mourning. They strike their cheeks, tear their clothes, pull out their hair, and perhaps they wound themselves with daggers and other things. And they believe that whoever dies on this night dies a martyr, may Allah protect us from that. Some people say, "On this day which the Rafidah have made a day of mourning, we make it a day of joy. We feed people, we buy clothes for the children, and we show joy and happiness." This is also a mistake. This is from the innovations, and innovations are not repelled by innovations. Only the Sunnah kills the innovation. Hold fast to the Sunnah, and the innovation will be destroyed.
Then he mentioned hadiths in this matter that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited tiyarah. And it is established from him that he said: For the good word brings joy to the soul and expands the chest. And from that, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was in the expedition of al-Hudaybiyyah. Quraysh were sending messages to him. They sent to him, "How many are you?" In the end, they sent Suhayl ibn 'Amr. When he approached, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: or a word to that effect. He took a good omen from the name. He took a good omen from the name. For taking a good omen is better, because it expands the chest, rejoices the heart, energizes the person, and resolves him to do good. As for taking a bad omen, it is the opposite of that. But if something of bad omen befalls you, turn away from it. Turn away from all of this and say: meaning that the matter is entirely in Your hand, and there is no god but You.
And as for the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): The meaning is that these three are the things most often in close contact with a person. The woman is his wife, the house is his home, and the horse is his mount. These three things sometimes contain bad luck. Sometimes a woman enters a man's life, he marries her, and he finds nothing but annoyance, fatigue, and problems from her. Also, he moves into a house and there is bad luck in it; his chest becomes narrow and he does not feel at ease, and he gets tired of it. Also, the horse. The horse is not our mount now, but our mount is cars now. Some cars have bad luck; their accidents and breakdowns are frequent, and the person gets tired of them. So if a person is afflicted with something like this, let him seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan, and let him say: "O Allah, there is no omen except Your omen, there is no good except Your good, and there is no god but You." And Allah will remove from his heart what is of bad luck. And success is from Allah.