The Book of Greetings

كتاب السلام

Chapter 34: (Evil) Omens And Al-Fa'l, And That Which May Be Regarded As Inauspicious

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Shu'ba with the same chain of transmitters but there is no mention of the word" Haqq"" (fact).

'Abdullah b. 'Umar reported on the authority of his father that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said

If there is bad luck in anything, it is the horse, the abode and the woman.

Sahl b. Sa'd reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying

If bad luck were to be in anything, it is found in the woman, the horse and the abode.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Sahl b. Sa'd with a different chain of transmitters.

Jabir reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying

If bad luck were to be in anything, it is found in the land, in the servant and in the horse.

Chapter 35: The Prohibition Of Soothsaying And Going To Soothsayers

Mu'awiya b. al-Hakam as-Sulami reported

I said: Messenger of Allah, there were things we used to do in the pre-Islamic days. We used to visit Kahins, whereupon he said: Don't visit Kahins. I said: We used to take omens. He said: That is a sort of personal whim of yours, so let it not prevent you (from doing a thing).

This hadith has been transmitted on the authority of Zuhri with a slight variation of wording.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Mu'awiya b. Hakam as-Sulami through another chain of transmitters. The hadith transmitted on the authority of Yahya b. Abu Kathir (there is an addition of these words)

I said: Among us there are men who draw lines and thus make divination. What about this? Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: There was a Prophet who drew lines, so whose lines agree with his line for him it is allowable.

'A'isha reported

I said: Allah's Messenger, the kahins used to tell us about things (unseen) and we found them to be true. Thereupon he said: That is a word pertaining to truth which a jinn snatches and throws into the ear of his friend, and makes an addition of one hundred lies to it.

'Urwa reported from 'A'isha that she said that people asked Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) about the kahins. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said to them

It is nothing (i. e. it is a mere superstition). They said: Allah's Messenger, they at times narrate to us things which we find true. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: That is a word pertaining to truth which a jinn snatches away and then cackles into the ear of his friend as the hen does. And then they mix in it more than one hundred lies.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Zuhri with the same chain of transmitters.

'Abdullah. Ibn 'Abbas reported

A person from the Ansar who was amongst the Companions of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) reported to me: As we were sitting during the night with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), a meteor shot gave a dazzling light. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: What did you say in the pre-Islamic days when there was such a shot (of meteor)? They said: Allah and His Messenger know best (the actual position), but we, however, used to say that that very night a great man had been born and a great man had died, whereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: (These meteors) are shot neither at the death of anyone nor on the birth of anyone. Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, issues Command when He decides to do a thing. Then (the Angels) supporting the Throne sing His glory, then sing the dwellers of heaven who are near to them until this glory of God reaches them who are in the heaven of this world. Then those who are near the supporters of the Throne ask these supporters of the Throne: What your Lord has said? And they accordingly inform them what He says. Then the dwellers of heaven seek information from them until this information reaches the heaven of the world. In this process of transmission (the jinn snatches) what he manages to overhear and he carries it to his friends. And when the Angels see the jinn they attack them with meteors. If they narrate only which they manage to snatch that is correct but they alloy it with lies and make additions to it.

The hadith has been narrated on the authority of Zuhri through the same chain of transmitters but with a slight variation of wording.

Safiyya reported from some of the wives of Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) having said

He who visits a diviner ('Arraf) and asks him about anything, his prayers extending to forty nights will not be accepted.

Chapter 36: Avoiding Lepers Etc.

'Amr b. Sharid reported on the authority of his father that there was in the delegation of Thaqif a leper. Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) sent a message to him

We have accepted your allegiance, so you may go.

Chapter 37: Killing Snakes Etc.

'A'isha reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) commanded the killing of a snake having stripes over it, for it affects eyesight and miscarries pregnancy.

This hadith has been transmitted on the authority of Hisham. He said

The short-tailed snake and the snake having stripes over it should be killed.

Salim, on the authority of his father. reported Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) as saying

Kill the snakes having stripes over them and short-tailed snakes, for these two types cause miscarriage (of a pregnant woman) and they affect the eyesight adversely. So Ibn 'Umar used to kill every snake that he found. Abu Lubaba b. 'Abd al-Mundhir and Zaid b. Khattab saw him pursuing a snake, whereupon he said: They were forbidden (to kill) those snakes who live in houses.

Ibn 'Umar reported

I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) commanding the killing of dogs and the killing of the striped and the short-tailed snakes, for both of them affect the eyesight adversely and cause miscarriage. Zuhri said: We thought of their poison (the pernicious effects of these two). Allah, however, knows best. 'Abdullah b. 'Umar said: I did not spare any snake. I rather killed everyone that I saw. One day as I was pursuing a snake from amongst the snakes of the house, Zaid b. Khattab or Abu Lubaba happened to pass by me and found me pursuing it. He said: 'Abdullah, wait. I said: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) commanded (us) to kill them, whereupon he said that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) forbade the killing of the snakes of the houses. This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Zuhri with the same chain of transmitters but with a slight variation of wording.

Nafi' reported that Abu Lubaba talked to Ibn 'Umar to open a door in his house which would bring them nearer to the mosque and they found a fresh slough of the snake, whereupon 'Abdullah said

Find it out and kill it. Abu Lubaba said: Don't kill them, for Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) forbade the killing of the snakes found in houses.