Divination and Omens (Kitab Al-Kahanah Wa Al-Tatayyur)

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If anyone resorts to a diviner and believes in what he says (according) to the version of Musa), or has intercourse with his wife (according to the agreed version) when she is menstruating, or has intercourse with his wife through her anus, he has nothing to do with what has…

مَنْ أَتَى كَاهِنًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ مُوسَى فِي حَدِيثِهِ ‏"‏ فَصَدَّقَهُ بِمَا يَقُولُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ ثُمَّ اتَّفَقَا ‏"‏ أَوْ أَتَى امْرَأَةً ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ مُسَدَّدٌ ‏"‏ امْرَأَتَهُ حَائِضًا أَوْ أَتَى امْرَأَةً ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ…

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah + 8 other versions

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If anyone acquires any knowledge of astrology, he acquires a branch of magic of which he gets more as long as he continues to do so.

مَنِ اقْتَبَسَ عِلْمًا مِنَ النُّجُومِ اقْتَبَسَ شُعْبَةً مِنَ السِّحْرِ زَادَ مَا زَادَ ‏"

Narrated by Ibn ‘Abbās + 4 other versions

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) led us in the morning prayer at al-Hudaibiyyah after rain which has fallen during the night, and when he finished, he turned to the people and said: Do you know what your Lord has said ? They said: Allah and His Apostle know best. He said: This morning there were among mt…

أَصْبَحَ مِنْ عِبَادِي مُؤْمِنٌ بِي وَكَافِرٌ فَأَمَّا مَنْ قَالَ مُطِرْنَا بِفَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَبِرَحْمَتِهِ فَذَلِكَ مُؤْمِنٌ بِي كَافِرٌ بِالْكَوْكَبِ وَأَمَّا مَنْ قَالَ مُطِرْنَا بِنَوْءِ كَذَا وَكَذَا فَذَلِكَ…

Narrated by Zayd ibn Khālid al-Juhani + 10 other versions

I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: Augury from the flight of birds, taking evil omens and the practice of pressomancy pertain to divination. Tarq: It is used in the sense of divination in which women threw stones. 'Iyafah: It means geomancy by drawing lines.

الْعِيَافَةُ وَالطِّيَرَةُ وَالطَّرْقُ مِنَ الْجِبْتِ ‏"

Narrated by Qabīsa ibn Mukhāriq al-Hilāalī + 3 other versions

On the authority of 'Awf: 'Iyafah means to makes the birds fly by threatening them. Tarq means lines drawn on the earth.

الْعِيَافَةُ زَجْرُ الطَّيْرِ وَالطَّرْقُ الْخَطُّ يُخَطُّ فِي الأَرْضِ ‏.‏

I said: Messenger of Allah! among us there are men who practice divination by drawing lines. He said: There was a Prophet who drew lines, so if anyone does it as he drew lines, that is right.

كَانَ نَبِيٌّ مِنَ الأَنْبِيَاءِ يَخُطُّ فَمَنْ وَافَقَ خَطَّهُ فَذَاكَ ‏"

Narrated by Mu‘āwiya ibn al-Hakam as-Sulamī + 15 other versions

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Taking omens is polytheism; taking omens is polytheism. He said it three times. Every one of us has some, but Allah removes it by trust (in Him).

الطِّيَرَةُ شِرْكٌ الطِّيَرَةُ شِرْكٌ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ ثَلاَثًا ‏"‏ وَمَا مِنَّا إِلاَّ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يُذْهِبُهُ بِالتَّوَكُّلِ ‏"

Narrated by Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd + 5 other versions

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying : There is no infection, no evil, omen or serpent, in a hungry belly and no hamah. A nomadic Arab asked: How is it that when camels are in the sand as if they were gazelles and a mangy camel comes among them and it gives them mange ? He replied: Who infected the…

لاَ عَدْوَى وَلاَ طِيَرَةَ وَلاَ صَفَرَ وَلاَ هَامَةَ ‏"

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah + 5 other versions

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: There is no infection, no hamah, no other promising rain, and no serpent in a hungry belly.

لاَ عَدْوَى وَلاَ هَامَةَ وَلاَ نَوْءَ وَلاَ صَفَرَ ‏"

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah + 2 other versions

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: There is no ghoul.

لاَ غُولَ ‏"

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

Malik was asked about the meaning of his saying: There is no safar. He replied: The people of pre-Islamic Arabia used to make the month of safar lawful (for war). They made it lawful in one year and unlawful in another year. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: There is no safar.

قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ قُرِئَ عَلَى الْحَارِثِ بْنِ مِسْكِينٍ وَأَنَا شَاهِدٌ، أَخْبَرَكُمْ أَشْهَبُ، قَالَ سُئِلَ مَالِكٌ عَنْ قَوْلِهِ ‏"‏ لاَ صَفَرَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ إِنَّ أَهْلَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ كَانُوا يُحِلُّونَ صَفَرَ…

I asked Muhammad b. Rashid about the meaning of the word hamah. He replied: The pre-Islamic Arabs used to say: When anyone dies and is buried, a bird comes forth from his grave. I asked: What did he mean by safar ? He said: I heard that the pre-Islamic Arabs used to take evil omen from safar. So…

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُصَفَّى، حَدَّثَنَا بَقِيَّةُ، قَالَ قُلْتُ لِمُحَمَّدٍ - يَعْنِي ابْنَ رَاشِدٍ - قَوْلُهُ ‏"‏ هَامَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ كَانَتِ الْجَاهِلِيَّةُ تَقُولُ لَيْسَ أَحَدٌ يَمُوتُ فَيُدْفَنُ إِلاَّ…

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

The Prophet (ﷺ) as saying: There is no infection* and no evil omen, and I like a good omen. Good omen means a good word. * The majority of scholars interpret this to mean that these things in and of themselves do not transmit or cause harm through supernatural or hidden means but that Allah is…

لاَ عَدْوَى وَلاَ طِيَرَةَ وَيُعْجِبُنِي الْفَأْلُ الصَّالِحُ وَالْفَأْلُ الصَّالِحُ الْكَلِمَةُ الْحَسَنَةُ ‏"

Narrated by Anas ibn Mālik + 13 other versions

When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) heard a word, and he liked it, he said: We took your omen from your mouth.

أَخَذْنَا فَأْلَكَ مِنْ فِيكَ ‏"

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah + 1 other version

People said: safar is a pain within the belly. I asked: What is hamah ? He said: People said (believed) that hamah which is an owl or a nightbird and which shrieks is the spirit of men. It is not the spirit of men. It is an animal.

الْهَامَةُ الَّتِي تَصْرُخُ هَامَةُ النَّاسِ وَلَيْسَتْ بِهَامَةِ الإِنْسَانِ إِنَّمَا هِيَ دَابَّةٌ ‏.‏

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…

أَحْسَنُهَا الْفَأْلُ وَلاَ تَرُدُّ مُسْلِمًا فَإِذَا رَأَى أَحَدُكُمْ مَا يَكْرَهُ فَلْيَقُلِ اللَّهُمَّ لاَ يَأْتِي بِالْحَسَنَاتِ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ وَلاَ يَدْفَعُ السَّيِّئَاتِ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ وَلاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ…

+ 2 other versions

The Prophet (ﷺ) did not take omens from anything, but when he sent out an agent he asked about his name. If it pleased him, he was glad about it, and his cheerfulness on that account was visible in his face. If he disliked his name, his displeasure on that account was visible in his face. When he…

لاَ يَتَطَيَّرُ مِنْ شَىْءٍ وَكَانَ إِذَا بَعَثَ عَامِلاً سَأَلَ عَنِ اسْمِهِ فَإِذَا أَعْجَبَهُ اسْمُهُ فَرِحَ بِهِ وَرُئِيَ بِشْرُ ذَلِكَ فِي وَجْهِهِ وَإِنْ كَرِهَ اسْمَهُ رُئِيَ كَرَاهِيَةُ ذَلِكَ فِي وَجْهِهِ…

Narrated by Buraydah + 2 other versions

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: There is no hamah, no infection and no evil omen; if there is in anything an evil omen, it is a house, a horse, and a woman.

لاَ هَامَةَ وَلاَ عَدْوَى وَلاَ طِيَرَةَ وَإِنْ تَكُنِ الطِّيَرَةُ فِي شَىْءٍ فَفِي الْفَرَسِ وَالْمَرْأَةِ وَالدَّارِ ‏"

Narrated by Sa‘d + 3 other versions

"An omen is in a dwelling, a woman or a horse." Abu Dawud said: This tradition was read out to al-Harith b. Miskin and I was witness. It was said to him that Ibn Qasim told him that Malik was asked about evil omen in a horse and in a house. He replied: There are many houses in which people lived…

الشُّؤْمُ فِي الدَّارِ وَالْمَرْأَةِ وَالْفَرَسِ ‏"

Narrated by Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar + 4 other versions

Messenger of Allah! we have land called Abyan, which is the land where we have our fields and grow our crops, but it is very unhealthy. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Leave it, for destruction comes from being near disease.

دَعْهَا عَنْكَ فَإِنَّ مِنَ الْقَرَفِ التَّلَفَ ‏"

Narrated by Farwa ibn Musayk al-Murādī + 2 other versions

A man said: Messenger of Allah! we were in an abode in which our numbers and our goods were many and changed to an abode in which our numbers and our goods became few. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Leave it, for it is reprehensible.

ذَرُوهَا ذَمِيمَةً ‏"

Narrated by Anas ibn Mālik

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) took a man who was suffering from tubercular leprosy by the hand; he then put it along with his own hand in the dish and said: Eat with confidence in Allah and trust in Him.

أَخَذَ بِيَدِ مَجْذُومٍ فَوَضَعَهَا مَعَهُ فِي الْقَصْعَةِ وَقَالَ ‏"‏ كُلْ ثِقَةً بِاللَّهِ وَتَوَكُّلاً عَلَيْهِ ‏"

Narrated by Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh + 1 other version