Sunan Abu Dawood, Book of Divination and Omens

Narrated Abu Hurayrah:

The Prophet ﷺ said: There is no ghoul ^[1]


[1] A ghoul is a monster or evil spirit in Arabian mythology, associated with graveyards and consuming human flesh.

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحِيمِ بْنِ الْبَرْقِيِّ، أَنَّ سَعِيدَ بْنَ الْحَكَمِ، حَدَّثَهُمْ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ أَيُّوبَ، حَدَّثَنِي ابْنُ عَجْلاَنَ، حَدَّثَنِي الْقَعْقَاعُ بْنُ حَكِيمٍ، وَعُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مِقْسَمٍ، وَزَيْدُ بْنُ أَسْلَمَ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ
" لاَ غُولَ " .

Abu Dawud said:

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 يُحِلُّونَهُ عَامًا وَيُحَرِّمُونَهُ عَامًا فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " لاَ صَفَرَ"

Muhammad b. al-Musaffa said to us on the authority of Baqiyyah. He said:

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 the Prophet ﷺ said: There is no safar. Muhammad (b. Rashid) said: We heard someone say: It is a pain in the stomach. They said that it was infection. Hence he said: There is no safar.

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُصَفَّى، حَدَّثَنَا بَقِيَّةُ، قَالَ قُلْتُ لِمُحَمَّدٍ - يَعْنِي ابْنَ رَاشِدٍ - قَوْلُهُ " هَامَ " . قَالَ كَانَتِ الْجَاهِلِيَّةُ تَقُولُ لَيْسَ أَحَدٌ يَمُوتُ فَيُدْفَنُ إِلاَّ خَرَجَ مِنْ قَبْرِهِ هَامَةٌ . قُلْتُ فَقَوْلُهُ صَفَرَ . قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ يَسْتَشْئِمُونَ بِصَفَرَ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ " لاَ صَفَرَ " . قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ وَقَدْ سَمِعْنَا مَنْ يَقُولُ هُوَ وَجَعٌ يَأْخُذُ فِي الْبَطْنِ فَكَانُوا يَقُولُونَ هُوَ يُعْدِي فَقَالَ " لاَ صَفَرَ " .

Narrated Anas:

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.

حَدَّثَنَا مُسْلِمُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامٌ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ
" لاَ عَدْوَى وَلاَ طِيَرَةَ وَيُعْجِبُنِي الْفَأْلُ الصَّالِحُ وَالْفَأْلُ الصَّالِحُ الْكَلِمَةُ الْحَسَنَةُ " .

Narrated Abu Hurayrah:

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

حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا وُهَيْبٌ، عَنْ سُهَيْلٍ، عَنْ رَجُلٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ سَمِعَ كَلِمَةً فَأَعْجَبَتْهُ فَقَالَ
" أَخَذْنَا فَأْلَكَ مِنْ فِيكَ " .

Narrated 'Ata:

People ﷺ 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.

حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ خَلَفٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَاصِمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ، عَنْ عَطَاءٍ، قَالَ يَقُولُ النَّاسُ الصَّفَرُ وَجَعٌ يَأْخُذُ فِي الْبَطْنِ . قُلْتُ فَمَا الْهَامَةُ قَالَ يَقُولُ النَّاسُ الْهَامَةُ الَّتِي تَصْرُخُ هَامَةُ النَّاسِ وَلَيْسَتْ بِهَامَةِ الإِنْسَانِ إِنَّمَا هِيَ دَابَّةٌ .

Narrated Urwah ibn Amir al-Qurashi:

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 there is no might and power but in Allah.

حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ، وَأَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ الْمَعْنَى قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، عَنْ سُفْيَانَ، عَنْ حَبِيبِ بْنِ أَبِي ثَابِتٍ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ عَامِرٍ، - قَالَ أَحْمَدُ الْقُرَشِيُّ - قَالَ ذُكِرَتِ الطِّيَرَةُ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقَالَ
" 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 إِلاَّ بِكَ " .

Narrated Buraydah ibn al-Hasib:

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 entered a village, he asked about its name, and if it pleased him, he was glad about it, and his cheerfulness on that account was visible in his face. But if he disliked its name, his displeasure on that account was visible in his face.

حَدَّثَنَا مُسْلِمُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامٌ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ بُرَيْدَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ كَانَ 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 وَإِذَا دَخَلَ قَرْيَةً سَأَلَ عَنِ اسْمِهَا فَإِنْ أَعْجَبَهُ اسْمُهَا فَرِحَ بِهَا وَرُئِيَ بِشْرُ ذَلِكَ فِي وَجْهِهِ وَإِنْ كَرِهَ اسْمَهَا رُئِيَ كَرَاهِيَةُ ذَلِكَ فِي وَجْهِهِ .

Narrated Sa'd ibn Malik:

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.

حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبَانُ، حَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى، أَنَّ الْحَضْرَمِيَّ بْنَ لاَحِقٍ، حَدَّثَهُ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ، عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَانَ يَقُولُ
" لاَ هَامَةَ وَلاَ عَدْوَى وَلاَ طِيَرَةَ وَإِنْ تَكُنِ الطِّيَرَةُ فِي شَىْءٍ فَفِي الْفَرَسِ وَالْمَرْأَةِ وَالدَّارِ " .

It was narrated from 'Abdullah bin 'Umar that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

"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 and perished and again others lived therein and they also perished. This is its explanation so far as we know. Allah knows best.

Abu Dawud said: 'Umar (ra) said: A mat in a house better than a woman who does not give birth to a child.