Commentary on the hadeeth “Bad omens are to be found in a woman, a house and a horse”

 

What is the meaning of the hadith of the Prophet (saaw) which states that there is an evil omen in the woman and the horse? Does it mean, that in general women and horses are evil?.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

What is proven in the Sunnah is that it is
forbidden to believe in bad omens (tatayyur) or warn others about them, and that this is a kind of shirk. For example, al-Bukhaari (5776) and
Muslim (2224) narrated from Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “There is no ‘adwa (transmission of infectious disease without the permission of Allaah)
and no tiyarah (superstitious belief in bird omens), but I like optimism.” They said, “What is optimism?” He said, “A good word.” 

Ahmad (4194), Abu Dawood
(3910), al-Tirmidhi (1614) and Ibn Maajah (3538) narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “Tiyarah (belief in evil omens) is shirk.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood. 

Ahmad (7045) and
al-Tabaraani narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever lets
tiyarah stop him from doing something is guilty of shirk.” They said, “What is the kafaarah for that?” He said, “To say: Allaahumma la khayra
illaa khayruka wa laa tayra illaa tayruka wa laa ilaaha ghayruka (O Allaah, there is no good except Your good, no birds (omens) except from
You, and there is no god beside You).” [Classed as hasan by al-Arna’oot and as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 6264]

Al-Tabaraani narrated in
al-Kabeer from ‘Imraan ibn Husayn that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “He is not one of us who
practices augury [seeking omens in birds] or has that done for him, or who practices divination or has that done for him, or who practices
witchcraft or has that done for him.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 5435. 

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah
have mercy on him) said in Sharh Muslim, no. 2224:  

Tatayyur (belief in bad omens) is pessimism, and is based
on something disliked, be it a word or action or something seen… They used to startle birds to make them move; if they went to the right they
would regard that as a good omen and go ahead with their journeys or other plans, but if they went to the left they would cancel their journeys
and plans, and regard that as a bad omen. So it would often prevent them from doing things that were in their interests. Islam cancelled out all
that and forbade it, and said that it had no effect, whether good or bad. This is what is meant by the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him): “There is no tiyarah (superstitious belief in bird omens),” and in another hadeeth, “Tiyarah is shirk” – i.e., the belief
that it can bring benefit or harm, if they act upon it believing that it has any effect, then this is shirk, because they think that it has an
effect on what one does or that it can make things happen. 

This is the basic principle regarding bad omens (tatayyur).
But there are ahaadeeth which indicate that a bad omen may be in a woman, a house or a horse.

Al-Bukhaari (5093) and Muslim (2252) narrated from
‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Bad omens are in a woman, a house and a horse.”

Al-Bukhaari (5094) and Muslim, (2252) narrated that Ibn
‘Umar said: Mention of bad omens was made in the presence of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If bad omens are to be found in anything, it is in a house, a woman and a horse.”

Abu Dawood (3924) narrated that Anas ibn Maalik said: A man
said: “O Messenger of Allaah, we were in a house and our numbers and wealth were great, then we moved to another house where our numbers and
wealth decreased.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Leave it, it is bad.” This hadeeth was classed
as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood. 

The scholars differed concerning these ahaadeeth and how to
reconcile them with the ahaadeeth that forbid tatayyur. Some of them interpreted them as they appear to be, and said that this is an exception
from the ruling on tatayyur, i.e., that tatayyur is forbidden unless a person has a house which he does not want to live in, or a wife whom he
does not want to keep company with, or a horse or servant, all of which he should get rid of by selling them, or by divorcing the wife.

Others said that a house may be regarded as a bad omen when
it is too small, or there are bad neighbours who cause trouble; a woman may be regarded as a bad omen when she does not produce children, or she
has a sharp tongue, or she behaves in a suspicious manner; a horse may be regarded as a bad omen when it is not used in jihad, or it was said,
when it is difficult to handle or it is too expensive; and a servant may be regarded as a bad omen when he has a bad attitude or is not
trustworthy or reliable.

Sharh al-Nawawi ‘ala Muslim.

The correct view is that all types of belief in bad omens
are condemned, and that no kinds of women, houses or animals can cause harm or bring benefit except by Allaah’s leave. Allaah is the Creator of
both good and evil. A person may be tested with a wife who has a bad attitude, or a house in which there is a lot of problems, in which case it is
prescribed for him to rid himself of these things, fleeing from the decree of Allaah to the decree of Allaah, and so as to avoid falling into
pessimism and belief in bad omens which is forbidden.

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

“Another group said:
regarding these three as bad omens only affects those who believe in that. Whoever puts his trust in Allaah and does not believe in omens and
superstition, that does not affect him. They said: this is indicated by the hadeeth of Anas, ‘A bad omen only affects the one who believes in it.’
If a person believes in bad omens, Allaah may make that the cause of bad things happening to him, just as He may make trust in Him and making Him
alone the focus of one's fear and hope one of the main causes of warding off evil that people may superstitiously expect.

The reason for that is
that tiyarah (superstitious belief in omens) implies shirk or associating others with Allaah, fearing others besides Him and not putting one’s
trust in Him. The superstitious person attracts evil to himself, so the superstition affects him more, because he did not protect himself with
belief in Allaah alone and trust in Allaah. If a person fears something other than Allaah, it gains control over him and he is tormented by it; if
he loves something else as well as Allaah, he will be tormented by it; if he puts his hope in something alongside Allaah he will be let down by
it. These matters are well known from real life and there is no need to provide further evidence. Everyone inevitably feels superstitious but the
strong believer wards off those superstitious feelings by putting his trust in Allaah. Whoever puts his trust in Allaah, He will suffice him and
he will have no need of anyone or anything else. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“So when you want to
recite the Qur’aan, seek refuge with Allaah from Shaytaan (Satan), the outcast (the cursed one).

Verily, he has no
power over those who believe and put their trust only in their Lord (Allaah).

His power is only over those who obey and follow him (Satan), and those who join partners
with Him (Allaah, i.e. those who are Mushrikoon, i.e., polytheists)”

[al-Nahl 16:98]

Hence Ibn Mas’ood said:
“All of us sometimes feel superstitious, but Allaah causes it to disappear when we put our trust in Him.” They said: superstition with regard to
houses, women and horses may affect only those who believe in it; as for the one who puts his trust in Allaah and fears Him alone, and does not
believe in bad omens, then horses, women and houses cannot be bad omens for him.

Then he said:

Whoever believes that
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) attributed a superstitious effect to anything in the sense that it may
have an effect in and of itself independently of Allaah is telling a serious lie against Allaah and His Messenger and has gone far astray. His
speaking of bad omens existing in these three things does not constitute proof of what he had denied before. All it means is that Allaah may a
superstitious effect in objects for those who come near them or live in them, and there may be some blessing in some objects, and anyone who comes
nears them is not affected by bad omens or anything bad. This is like when Allaah gives parents a blessed child and they experience goodness
because of him, whilst He gives others a mean child and they experience bad things because of him. This applies to what may Allaah may bestow on
His slave of houses, wives and horses. Allaah is the Creator of good and evil, good luck and bad luck. So some of these things may be “lucky” and
blessed and bring happiness for those who come into contact with them, so they are blessed; and some of them may be “unlucky” and bring “bad luck”
to those who come into contact with them, all by the will and decree of Allaah, just as He has created all other causes and effects which may
vary. So He has created musk and other fragrant substances, which give delight to all those who come into contact with them, and He has created
their opposites which cause disgust to all those who come into contact with them. The difference between the two types is known from experience.
The same applies to houses, women and horses. This is one thing, and the shirki belief in bad omens is something else altogether.

He said concerning the
Prophet’s command to that family to leave that house, as mentioned in the hadeeth quoted above:

This is not the kind of
superstition that is forbidden. Rather he told them to leave it when they started to think along these lines, in order to achieve two aims and two
benefits:

1 – It was so that they
would leave a place that they disliked and felt scared in because of what had happened to them there, so that they might find relief from the
panic, grief and depression that assailed them there, because Allaah has made it man’s nature to hate that which causes him harm even though it is
not the fault of that thing, and to love that which brings him happiness, even though the thing itself does not intend to do good. So he commanded
them to leave that which they disliked, because Allaah sent him as a mercy, and did not send him as a torment. He sent him to make things easy,
not to make things hard. So how could he have told them to stay in a place where they were unhappy and felt scared to stay because of the great
losses they had suffered there, when that would serve no purpose of worship or increase their piety or guidance, especially when they had stayed
there for so long after they had begun to feel uncomfortable there which made them superstitious. So this protected them from two serious things:

1 – Committing shirk

2 – Protecting them from
something bad happening to them because of their superstition, which usually affects those who believe in it. So he protected them because of his
great mercy and kindness from these two disliked things, by telling them to leave that house and move to another without any harm coming to them
with regard to either their worldly or religious interests. 

Miftaah Daar
al-Sa’aadah, 2/258 

And Allaah knows best.

What did the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) mean by “No contagion (‘adwa)”?

 

What is the original text of the hadeeth “There is no ‘adwa in religion” and what is meant by that?.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

There are several versions of this hadeeth. Al-Bukhaari
(5776) and Muslim (2224) narrated from Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be
pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “There is no ‘adwa (transmission of infectious
disease without the permission of Allaah) and no tiyarah
(superstitious belief in bird omens), but I like good omens.” They said:
What is a good omen?” He said: “A good word.” 

Al-Bukhaari (5316)
narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no ‘adwaa
[contagion, transmission of infectious disease without the permission of
Allaah], no tiyarah [superstitious belief in bird omens], no haamah [refers
to a Jaahili Arab tradition described variously as: a worm which infests the
grave of a murder victim until he is avenged; an owl; or the bones of a dead
person turned into a bird that could fly], and no Safar [the month of Safar
was regarded as “unlucky” during the Jaahiliyyah].” 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:  

The words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) “There is no ‘adwa” are general in meaning, thus the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) states that there is no
contagion (without the permission of Allaah). 

‘Adwa (contagion) refers to the spread of a disease from a
sick person to a healthy one. What happens in the case of physical diseases
may also happen in the case of psychological diseases. Hence the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that a bad companion
is the like one who operates the bellows: Either he will burn your clothes,
or you will notice a bad smell from him. 

The words “there is no ‘adwa” include both physical and
psychological diseases, even though it is more apparent with regard to
physical disease. 

The words “no tiyarah (lit. superstitious belief in bird
omens)” refers to feeling superstitious because of something that you see,
hear or know.. 

With regard to the words
“no haamah”, haamah is interpreted in two ways: 

1 – That it is a bird similar to an owl, or an owl. The Arabs
believed that if a person was killed, his bones became a haamah that could
fly and shriek until he was avenged. Some of them believed that the haamah
was the soul of the slain person. 

2 – Some of the Arabs said that the haamah was a particular
bird, which they regarded as a bad omen. If it landed on the house of one of
them and made a sound, they said that it was predicting a death. They
believed that this was a sign that that person would die soon. All of these
are undoubtedly false beliefs. 

The words “No Safar” refers to the month of Safar, which the
Arabs used to regard as inauspicious, especially for marriage. 

And it was said that it was a stomach disease that affected
camels and was transmitted from one camel to another; based on this,
mentioning it after ‘adwa (contagion) comes under the heading of mentioning
something specific after something general. 

It is more likely that what is meant by Safar here is the
month, and that what is meant by saying “No Safar” is that it is not to be
regarded as inauspicious, rather it is like any other time, during which
good or bad things may be decreed. 

This does not mean that these things do not happen, because
they do happen. Rather it is a statement that they do not have any effect.
The One Who causes things to happen is Allaah. If any of these things has a
known effect then that is valid and real; if any of them is imagined to have
an effect, then that is invalid and false. Thus the hadeeth demonstrates
that if there is a valid effect, it cannot be attributed to that thing
itself (rather the One Who causes it to happen is Allaah). If the effect is
merely imagined, then this hadeeth is stating that it has no effect in the
first place. 

With regard to the words “no contagion (‘adwa)”: contagion is
something that happens, as is indicated by the words of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “Do not put a sick one with a
healthy one” i.e., the owner of a sick camel should not bring it to the
owner of a healthy camel, lest the contagion be transmitted. 

And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “Flee from the leper as you would flee from a lion.” Leprosy is a
serious disease that is transmitted quickly and kills the one who catches
it. It was even said that it is a plague. Hence the command to flee from the
leper so that the disease will not be transmitted from him to you. This is
an affirmation of the effect of contagion, but its effect is not inevitable
in such a way that it affects people by itself. The command of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to flee and not to bring
sick camels to where healthy camels are comes under the heading of avoiding
the means (that lead to sickness), not attributing the effect to the means
themselves. The means do not affect anything themselves, but we should avoid
the things that may be a cause of calamity, because Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): 

“and do not throw yourselves into destruction”

[al-Baqarah 2:195] 

We cannot say that the
Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was denying the
effect of contagion, because contagion is something that is proven to exist
in real life and is mentioned in other ahaadeeth. 

When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said “there is no ‘adwa”, a man said: “O Messenger of Allaah, the
camels may be healthy like deer, then a mangy camel comes and mixes with
them and they all get the mange.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “And who infected the first one?” meaning that the
disease came to the first one with no contagion, rather it came from Allaah.
By the same token, if it was transmitted by contagion, then it was
transmitted by the command of Allaah. A thing may have a known cause or it
may not have a known cause. The mange of the first one does not have a known
cause, apart from the fact that it happened by the will and decree of
Allaah, and the mange that came after it does have a known cause. But if
Allaah wills the camel will not become mangy. Hence sometimes a camel may
get the mange but then it recovers and does not die. The same happens with
the plague and cholera; they may enter a house and some may get sick and
die, while others are not affected at all.

 We have to put our trust in Allaah and depend on Him. It was
narrated that a leper came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) and he took him by the hand and said, “Eat,” i.e., eat
of the food that the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) was eating– because of the strength of his trust in Allaah. This trust
counteracts the causes of contagion. 

What we have referred to above is the best way of reconciling
between the ahaadeeth. 

End quote from Sharh Kitaab al-Tawheed, 2/80 

Based on this, what is meant by the words of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) “no ‘adwa (contagion)” is that
disease is not transmitted from a sick person to a healthy one by itself,
rather it is transmitted by the will and decree of Allaah. If a sick person
mixes with healthy ones this is one of the causes of the transmission of
disease. But this does not mean that it will inevitably happen, rather it
only happens if Allaah wills it. Hence we often see a sick mother give birth
to a healthy child, but the disease is not transmitted to the infant. 

And Allaah knows best.

She predicts things that are almost true and they think that she has knowledge of the unseen

 

There is a woman who claims to worship Allaah sincerely, and that whilst she is asleep she is visited by a man wearing a white gown who walks around her, then the next morning she predicts things that are almost true. The people know of her and they have started to visit her and they say that she has knowledge of the unseen, but no one knows the unseen except Allaah. What is the ruling on this woman? What do you advise us to do?.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

It is not permissible for anyone to claim to have knowledge
of the unseen. The one who makes such a claim is a kaafir. And it is not
permissible to believe that anyone has knowledge of the unseen. The one who
believes that is also a kaafir. 

Allaah has told us that the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) does not have knowledge of the unseen, and that the
jinn do not have knowledge of the unseen. 

What we are referring to here is the unseen in absolute
terms, which no one knows except Allaah. As for the relative unseen – which
some people know and others do not – some people may find a way to know
this, so we have to find out how they know it; some may find out by spying
and some may find out through the jinn. Both are ways which it is forbidden
for us to use. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was
asked: 

Do the jinn have knowledge of the unseen? 

He replied: 

The jinn do not have knowledge of the unseen because Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Say: None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghaib
(Unseen) except Allaah”

[al-Naml 27:65] 

“Then when We decreed
death for him [Sulaymaan (Solomon)], nothing informed them (jinn) of his
death except a little worm of the earth which kept (slowly) gnawing away at
his stick. So when he fell down, the jinn saw clearly that if they had known
the Unseen, they would not have stayed in the humiliating torment”

[Saba’ 34:14] 

So whoever claims to have knowledge of the unseen is a
kaafir, and whoever believes the one who claims to have knowledge of the
unseen is also a kaafir, because Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning): 

“Say: None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghaib
(Unseen) except Allaah”

[al-Naml 27:65] 

No one knows what is unseen in the heavens and the earth
except Allaah alone. Those who claim to have knowledge of the unseen future
are all fortunetellers, and it is proven that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever goes to a fortuneteller and
asks him (about anything), his prayer will not be accepted from him for
forty days.” And if he believes him then he is a kaafir because if he
believes that he has knowledge of the unseen, then he has disbelieved in the
words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Say: None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghaib
(Unseen) except Allaah”

[al-Naml 27:65]. 

Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen,
1 Shawwaal, no. 115. 

And Shaykh Ibn
‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about the ruling on one
who claims to have knowledge of the unseen. He replied: 

The ruling on one who claims to have knowledge of the unseen
is that he is a kaafir, because he has disbelieved in Allaah. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): 

“Say: None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghaib
(Unseen) except Allaah, nor can they perceive when they shall be
resurrected”

[al-Naml 27:65] 

If Allaah has commanded His Prophet Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) to proclaim to all that no one in the
heavens or on earth has knowledge of the unseen except Allaah, then whoever
claims to have knowledge of the unseen has denied what Allaah has told us
here. 

We say to them: How can you possibly have knowledge of the
unseen when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did
not have knowledge of the unseen? Are you better or the Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)? If they say, “We are better
than the Messenger” then they become kaafirs by saying that. If they say,
“He is better,” then why was the unseen concealed from him but you have
knowledge of it?? Allaah says of Himself (interpretation of the meaning): 

“(He Alone is) the All‑Knower of the Ghayb (Unseen), and
He reveals to none His Ghayb (Unseen).

27. Except to a Messenger (from mankind) whom He has
chosen (He informs him of the Unseen as much as He likes), and then He makes
a band of watching guards (angels) to march before him and behind him.”

[al-Jinn 72:26] 

The second verse attests
to the kufr of the one who claims to have knowledge of the unseen. And
Allaah commanded His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) to announce to all (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Say (O Muhammad): I don’t tell you that with me are the
treasures of Allaah, nor (that) I know the Unseen; nor I tell you that I am
an angel. I but follow what is revealed to me”

[al-An’aam 6:50] 

Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 1 Shawwaal, no.
22. 

The one who predicts the
future is called a kaahin (fortuneteller, soothsayer), and it is not
permissible to ask questions of such a person or to go to him or her. If
their predictions are sometimes correct, that is either a coincidence or
because the jinn have intercepted the news and conveyed it to the
fortuneteller, but they add a hundred lies to it. 

It was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with
her) said: Some people asked the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) about fortunetellers. He said: “They are
nothing.” They said: “O Messenger of Allaah, sometimes they tell us
something and it is true.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: “That is a word of the truth that they learn
from the jinni which he whispers into the ear of his familiar, but they mix
a hundred lies with it.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5429; Muslim, 2228. 

Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said: 

Al-Qurtubi said: During the Jaahiliyyah they used to consult
the fortunetellers about events and rulings, and follow what they said. Then
the fortunetellers stopped when the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) was sent. But there are still some who resemble them. It
is forbidden to go to them, so it is not permissible to go to them or to
believe them. 

In the version narrated by Yoonus the phrase “sometimes they
tell us something and it is true” appears as “they tell something and it
turns out to be true.” This phrase has confused the questioner because of
the general meaning of the phrase “They are nothing”, which he has
understood to mean that they never get anything right. But the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commented that although they
sometimes coincidentally get things right, it is never completely right for
it is always contaminated with many lies.  

Al-Khattaabi said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) explained that the reason why the fortuneteller
sometimes gets it right is that the jinni tells him of something that he has
heard by eavesdropping on the angels, and he adds lies to that to embellish
what he heard. So occasionally he gets it right but usually it is wrong.
Fath al-Baari, 10.219, 220. 

With regard to what is
mentioned in the question of what this woman sees in her dreams, such dreams
are not to be taken as evidence concerning rulings of sharee’ah, let alone
whatever they may indicate that goes against any matter of ‘aqeedah (belief)
that is confirmed in the texts of Islam. Whatever she sees in her dreams is
to be regarded as the Shaytaan’s toying with her and taking advantage of her
ignorance. 

For more information on the rulings on what is seen in
dreams, please see questions no.
25768,
6537 and
23367. 

And Allaah knows best.

Ruling on regarding twitching of the eye as an unlucky sign

 

My right eye has been twitching for more than a week. Some people have told me that this is a bad omen. What do you advise me?.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

There is no connection between what you have mentioned about
your eye twitching and bad luck. Rather this is a kind of superstition which
the Muslim must beware of, because it is one of the actions of Jaahiliyyah.
It was proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) forbade superstitious belief in bad omens and he said that this is a
form of minor shirk that is contrary to the Tawheed in which we must
believe, because superstition is a trick by means of which the Shaytaan
seeks to cause fear and whisper into people’s hearts. What is meant by
superstition here is regarding something that one sees, hears or knows as a
bad omen. 

The Prophet’s prohibition of superstition is mentioned in
more than one hadeeth, for example: 

The hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him)
who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “There is no ‘adawa (contagion except by the will of Allaah)
and no tiyarah (superstitious belief in bird omens).” Narrated by
al-Bukhaari, 5757; Muslim, 102. 

Abu Dawood (3910) and al-Tirmidhi (1614) narrated, in a
report that was classed as saheeh by al-Tirmidhi, that Ibn Mas’ood (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Tiyarah is shirk, tiyarah is shirk,’
but there is none of us who… but Allaah takes it away by means of trust in
Him (tawakkul).” The words “there is none of us who…” are the words of Ibn
Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him), not of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him). What this means is that there is no one
among us who does not experience some kind of tiyarah and superstition in
his heart, but Allaah takes that away from the heart by means of the person
putting his trust in Him and delegating his affairs to Him. 

Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“There is no ‘adawa and no tiyarah, but I like optimism.” They said: “What
is optimism?” He said: A good word.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5756; Muslim,
2220.  

These ahaadeeth clearly indicate that superstition is haraam
and warn against it, because it involves the heart being attached to
something other than Allaah, and because everyone who believes that some
things may have an effect of bringing benefits or causing harm when Allaah
has not caused them to be so, has committed the sin of minor shirk, and has
opened the door to the Shaytaan to make him afraid and cause him mental,
physical or financial harm. Hence the Lawgiver forbids superstition and
declares it to be false, and tells us that it has no effect of either
bringing benefits or warding off harm. 

Once you have understood this, then if any such thoughts
occur to you, you must fear Allaah and put your trust in Him and seek His
help. You should not pay any attention to these bad thoughts and false
notions. The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has
told us the remedy for superstition, which was narrated by Imam Ahmad in his
Musnad (2/220) and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Saheehah
(1065), from the hadeeth of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas (may Allaah be
pleased with him) who said: “If tiyarah stops a man from doing what he needs
to, then he has committed shirk.” They said: “What is the expiation for
that?’ He said: “To say: ‘Allaahumma laa khayra illa khayruka wa laa
tayra illa tayruka, wa laa ilaaha ghayruka (O Allaah, there is no
goodness except Your goodness, and no birds except Your birds, and no god
except You).” [Translator’s note: birds are mentioned here because the Arabs
of the Jaahiliyyah had a superstitious belief in bird omens and would make
decisions based on observations of bird movements] 

The believer should not be pessimistic or superstitious,
rather he should always be optimistic and think well of His Lord. If he
hears something or sees something he should hope for the best, even if it
seems to be otherwise. He should hope for good from his Lord in all
circumstances. This is how the believer is, for all his affairs are good, as
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “How
wonderful is the affair of the believer, for his affairs are all good, and
that does not apply for anyone except the believer. If something good
happens to him he gives thanks, and that is good for him; if something bad
happens to him he bears it with patience, and that is good for him.”
Saheeh Muslim, 2999. Thus the believer is always in a state of
contentment and peace of mind, putting his trust in Allaah and far removed
from worries and distress which the Shaytaan, who loves to cause grief to
the believers although he cannot do them any harm, tries to whisper into his
heart. We ask Allaah to keep us and you safe and sound from all bad things.
And Allaah knows best. 

For more information, please see Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn
‘Uthaymeen, 2/210.

He is asking about selling pictures and statues

 

Is selling pictures and statues of animals haraam?.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

We have already explained that it is haraam to manufacture
these statues, and that there is a stern warning concerning that and that we
are commanded to destroy them. See the answer to question no.
7222. This ruling
applies equally to images of anything that has a soul, whether it is a human
being or an animal. 

Based on that, with regard to the ruling on selling these
pictures and images, there is no doubt that if it is haraam to manufacture
them and keep them, it is also haraam to buy and sell them. It is proven in
al-Saheehayn and elsewhere that it was narrated from Jaabir ibn
‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that he heard the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say in the year of
the Conquest when he was in Makkah: “Allaah and His Messenger have forbidden
the sale of alcohol, dead meat, pork and idols.” It was said: “O Messenger
of Allaah, what about the fat from dead meat (i.e., from animals that have
died of natural causes)? For it is used to caulk ships and to grease hides,
and people use it in their lamps.” He said: “No, it is haraam.” Then the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“May Allaah curse the Jews, for when Allaah forbade animal fat, they
rendered it and sold it, and consumed its price.” Al-Bukhaari, 2236; Muslim,
1581. 

Al-Qaadi ‘Iyaad (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

This hadeeth indicates that whatever we are forbidden to eat
or make use of, it is not permissible to sell it or to consume its price. 

Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: This
indicates that if a thing is forbidden in and of itself, its price is also
forbidden. 

What al-Qaadi and Ibn Hajar mentioned is also proven in a
version of this hadeeth that was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah have
mercy on him), at the end of which it says: “When Allaah forbids eating a
thing, He also forbids its price.” [Musnad Ahmad, no. 2223]. 

Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: Is
it permissible for a Muslim to sell statues and make a living from that? 

He replied: 

It is not permissible for a Muslim to deal in statues,
because it is proven in the saheeh ahaadeeth that it is haraam to make
images or statues of animate beings at all or to keep them. Undoubtedly
dealing in them means that one is propagating them and helping others to
make images and set them up in homes, clubs and so on.  

If that is haraam, then income earned by selling them is also
haraam. It is not permissible for a Muslim to make a living from that or to
buy food or clothing with that money. If a person does that then he must get
rid of that money and repent to Allaah, and Allaah will accept his
repentance. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And verily, I am indeed forgiving to him who repents,
believes (in My Oneness, and associates none in worship with Me) and does
righteous good deeds, and then remains constant in doing them (till his
death)”

[Ta-Ha 20:82] 

We have issued a fatwa
stating that it is haraam to make images of any animate beings, whether the
images are three-dimensional or not, and whether they are made by carving,
copying, drawing or with a camera.

 Al-Jawaab al-Mufeed fi Hukm
al-Tasweer by Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 49-50.