Sunan Ibn Majah
Sunan Ibn Majah 3536
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ نُمَيْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدَةُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ يُعْجِبُهُ الْفَأْلُ الْحَسَنُ وَيَكْرَهُ الطِّيَرَةَ .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Numayr narrated to us: ʿAbdah ibn Sulaymān narrated to us, from Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr, from Abū Salamah, from Abū Hurayrah, who said: The Prophet liked favorable omens and disliked bird omens.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
الفَأْل الحَسَن is a favorable/good omen; الطِّيَرَة refers to ill omens traditionally drawn from birds or similar signs. The short text does not explain the underlying practice.
قَالَ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ يُعْجِبُهُ الْفَأْلُ الْحَسَنُ وَيَكْرَهُ الطِّيَرَةَ .
الفأل الحسَن and الطِّيَرَة are paired concepts for favorable omens and superstitious ill omens; الطيرة is literally associated with birds but can denote broader omen-taking.
Should الطيرة be rendered as ‘bird omens’ or more generally as ‘ill omens’?