XXXVIII. Omens

406. Someone's words, "We have been given rain by the rising of such-and-such and such-and-such (a star)" 907. Zayd ibn Khalid al-Juhani said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, led us in the Subh prayer at Hudaybiyya after it had rained on us during the night. When he finished, he faced the people and said, 'Do you know what your Lord has said?' They replied, 'Allah and His Messenger know best.' He said, 'This morning My slaves have become divided up into believers and unbelievers. Those who said, "We had rain by the favour and mercy of Allah," believe in Me and reject the stars.

Those who said that it was because of a certain star, disbelieve in Me and believe in the stars."'" 407. What someone says when he sees clouds 908. 'A'isha said, "When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saw a cloud in the sky, he would get up and down and walk to and fro, and his face would change colour. When it rained, that would leave him." When A'isha commented on that, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "I do not know. Perhaps it will be as Allah Almighty says: 'When they saw it as a storm cloud advancing on their valleys...' (46:24)" 909.

'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Paying attention to the bad omen (tayyara) is association (shirk). It has nothing to do with us. Allah will remove it by reliance on Him." 408. The bad omen (tayyâra) 910. Abu Hurayra heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, "Bad omens.

The best of that is the good omen. They asked, "What is the good omen?" "A good word which one of you hears," he replied. 409. The excellence of someone who does not take note of omens 911. 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The nations were presented to me on the Festival in the days of hajj, and I was astonished at the great number of my community. They filled the plains and mountains." They said, "Muhammad, are you content?" "Yes, O Lord!" he said.

He said, "In addition to these people there are seventy thousand who will enter the Garden without any reckoning. They are those who do not use charms nor cauterise themselves nor seek omens and who rely on their Lord." 'Ukkasha exclaimed, "Ask Allah to place me among them!" Then another man said, "Ask Allah to put me among them!" The Prophet said, "'Ukkasha has beaten you to it." 410. Bad omens taken from the jinn 912. 'Alqama reported that 'A'isha used to go to children when they were born and make supplication for them. She came to a child and removed its pillow and found a straight razor under his head.

She asked about the razor and they said, "We put it there against the jinn. She took the razor, threw it away and forbade them to use it. She said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, disliked and hated seeing bad omens in things. She forbade doing that. 411. Good Omens 913.

Anas reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "There is no infection and there are no bad omens, although I am pleased by a good omen a good word." 914. Hiba at-Tamimi related from his father that he heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "There is no avenging spirit (hama*), and the most truthful of omens is the good omen. The Evil Eye is a reality." [Hama: a superstitious belief of the pre-Islamic Arabs, that the unavenged spirit of a murdered person took the form of a night bird.]] 412. Seeing blessing in a good name 915. 'Abdullah ibn as-Sa'ib reported that in the year of al-Hudaybiyya, when 'Uthman ibn 'Affan told the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that Suhayl had been sent to him by his people to make a truce with them on the basis that, provided that he leave them this year, they would leave Makka empty for him for three days.

When 'Uthman came and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was told, "Suhayl has come," he said, "Allah has made our business easy (sahhala)." 413. Bad luck in horses 916. 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Bad luck can be found in houses, women and horses." 917. Sahl ibn Sa'd said, "If there is bad luck in anything, it is in houses, women and horses." 918. Anas ibn Malik said, "A man said, 'Messenger of Allah, we were in a house and there were a large number of us and we had a lot of property in it.

Then we moved to another house and our numbers decreased and our property became less in it (the new house).' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Go back to it (the first house) or leave it (the second house) it is bad.'" Return to Contents Previous Page Next Page Return to Home Page XXXIX. Sneezing and Yawning 414. The Sneeze 919. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah loves sneezing and hates yawning. When one of you sneezes and praises Allah Almighty, it is a duty for every Muslim who hears him to say to him, 'May Allah have mercy on you.' Yawning comes from Shaytan.

When one of you yawns, he should control it as much as possible. When a man says, 'Aawh!,' Shaytan laughs at him." 415. What to say when you sneeze 920. Ibn 'Abbas said, "When one of you sneezes and says, 'Praise be to Allah,' the angel says, 'The Lord of the Worlds.' When you say, 'The Lord of the Worlds,' the angel says, 'May Allah have mercy on you.'" 921. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When one of you sneezes, he should say, 'Praise be to Allah,' and his brother or companion should say to him, 'May Allah have mercy on you.' Then he should say, 'May Allah guide you and put your affairs in order.'" 416.

Wishing mercy on the sneezer 922. 'Abdu'r-Rahman ibn Ziyad ibn An'am al-Ifriqi said, "My father told me that they were taking part in a sea raid in the time of Mu'awiya. He said, 'Our ship was right up against the ship of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari. When it was time for our midday meal, we invited him and he came over. He said, "You invited me, but even though I am fasting, I cannot avoid accepting your invitation because I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'A Muslim owes six things to his brother.

If he neglects any of them, he has neglected an obligatory duty owed to his brother. He should return his greeting when he greets him. He should accept when he gives him an invitation. He should ask for mercy on him when he sneezes. He should give him good counsel when he asks him for advice.'"'" He said, "There was a man with us who was giving to joking and he said to the man who served our food, 'May Allah repay you good and piety.' The man got angry at him when he said it to him a lot.

Then the first man said to Abu Ayyub, 'What do you think about a man who becomes angry and reviles me when I say to him, "May Allah repay you good and piety"?' Abu Ayyub remarked, 'We used to say, 'If someone is not put right by good, he will be put right by evil."' So he turned to the man and said to him when he came, 'May Allah repay you with evil and disgrace!' The man laughed and was pleased and said, 'Will you not stop joking?' The man said, 'May Allah repay Abu Ayyub alAnsari with good!'" 923. Ibn Mas'ud reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "There are four things that one Muslim owes another Muslim: to visit him when he is ill, to be with him when he dies, to accept when he invites him, and to ask for mercy on him when he sneezes." 924. Al-Bara' ibn 'Azib said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, instructed us to do seven things and forbade us seven. He instructed us to visit the sick, to join funeral processions, to bless people who sneeze, to fulfil our oaths, to help the wronged, to return the greeting, and to accept invitations. He forbade us gold rings, silver vessels, red (silk) saddle clothes, Qassi (silk and flax) garments, thick brocade, embroidered silk, and pure silk." 925.

Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "A Muslim owes another Muslim six duties." He was asked, "And what are they, Messenger of Allah?" He said, "To greet him when he meets him, to accept when he gives him an invitation, to give him good counsel when he asks for advice, to wish mercy on him when he sneezes and says, 'Praise be to Allah,' to visit him when he is ill, and to join the funeral procession when he dies." 417. When you hear a sneeze, you should say, "Praise be to Allah" 926. 'Ali said, "When someone hears a sneeze and says, 'Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, in every situation,' he will never get a toothache or earache." 418. How to wish for mercy on a person when you hear a sneeze 927. Abu Salih reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When one of you sneezes, he should say, 'Praise be to Allah.' When he says, 'Praise be to Allah, ' his brother or companion should say to him, 'May Allah have mercy on you.' Then let the person who sneezed say, 'May Allah guide you and put your affairs in order.'" 928.

Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah loves the sneeze and dislikes yawning. When one you sneezes and praises Allah, it is a duty for every Muslim who hears him to say, 'May Allah have mercy on you.;' As for the yawn, it comes from Shaytan. When one of you yawns, he should repress it as much as possible. When one of you yawns, Shaytan laughs at him." 929. Ibn 'Abbas said, "When someone is wished mercy, he should say, 'May Allah protect us and you from the Fire.

May Allah have mercy on you.'" 930. Abu Hurayra said, "We were sitting with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, when a man sneezed and praised Allah. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to him, 'May Allah have mercy on you.' Then another man sneezed but the Prophet did not say anything to him. The man, 'Messenger of Allah! you responded to the other man, but did not say anything to me!' The Prophet replied, 'He praised Allah and you were silent.'" 419. When someone does not praise Allah, do not wish mercy on him 931.

Similar to 930, but from Anas. 932. Abu Hurayra said, "Two men sat in the presence of the Prophet may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and one of them was from a noble family than the other. The nobler of the two sneezed and did not praise Allah, so the Prophet did not ask for mercy for him. Then the other man sneezed and praised Allah, so the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked for mercy on him. The noble man said, 'I sneezed in your presence and you did not ask for mercy for me.

This other than sneezed and you asked for mercy on him.' The Prophet said, 'This man mentioned Allah, so I mentioned him. You forgot Allah, so I forgot you.'" 420. What should someone who sneezes say first? 933. Nafi' said that when 'Abdullah ibn ÒUmar sneezed, they said to him, "May Allah have mercy on you," and Ibn 'Umar said, "May He have mercy on us and you. May He forgive us and you." 934.

'Abdullah said, "When one of you sneezes, he should say, 'Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.' Let anyone responding to him say 'May Allah have mercy on you.' Then the person who sneezed should say'May Allah forgive me and you.'" 935. Iyas ibn Salama related that his father said, "A man sneezed in the presence of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the Prophet said, 'May Allah have mercy on you.' Then the man sneezed again and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'This man has a cold.'" 421. Someone who says, "May Allah have mercy on you if you praised Allah." 936. Makhul al-Azdi said, "I was beside Ibn 'Umar when a man sneezed on one side of the mosque. Ibn 'Umar said, 'May Allah have mercy on you if you praised Allah.'" 422.

Do not say, "Ab" 937. Mujahid said, "When a son of 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar, either Abu Bakr or 'Umar, sneezed, he said, 'Ab!' Ibn 'Umar said, 'What is this "Ab"? Ab is the name of one of the shaytans who comes between the sneeze and the praise.'" 423. When someone sneezes several times 938. See hadith 935. 939.

Abu Hurayra said, "Wish mercy on a person once, twice and three times. Anything more than that is a cold." 424. When a Jew sneezes 940. Abu Musa said, "The Jews used to sneeze in the presence of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, hoping that he would say to them, 'May Allah have mercy on you.' He used to say to them, 'May Allah guide you and put you in order.'" 425. How a man wishes mercy on a woman when she sneezes 941.

Abu Burda said, "I came to Abu Musa while he was in the house of Umm al-Fadl ibn al-'Abbas and I sneezed and Abu Musa did not wish mercy on me. Umm al-Fadl sneezed and he wished mercy on her. I told my mother, so when Abu Musa came to her, she confronted him and said, 'My son sneezed and you did not wish mercy on him. She (Umm al-Fadl) sneezed and you wished mercy on her.' Abu Musa replied, 'I heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, "When one of you sneezes and praises Allah, you should wish mercy on him, if he does not praise Allah, do not wish mercy on him." My son sneezed and did not praise Allah, so I did not wish mercy on him. She sneezed and praised Allah, so I wished mercy on her.' She said, 'You did well.'" 426.

Yawning 942. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When one of you yawns, he should repress it as much as possible." 427. Someone who says, "At your service (Labbayk)" when he answers 943. Mu'adh said, "I was riding behind the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he called out, 'Mu'adh!' 'At your service!' I replied. Then the Prophet said the same thing three times and went on, 'Do you know what is Allah's right on His slaves?

That they should worship Him and not associate anything with Him.' Then he rode on for an hourÉ [LOST A PAGE] 946. Anas said, "There is no one that people loved to see more than the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. But when they saw him, they did not stand up for him since they knew that he disliked that." 947. 'A'isha, the Umm al-Mu'minin, said, "I have not seen anyone who more resembled the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in words or speech or manner of sitting than Fatima." 'A'isha continued, "When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saw that she had come, he would greet her and then he stood up for her, kissed her, took her hand and brought her forward and made her sit in hi place. When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, visited her, she greeted him, stood up for him, and kissed him.

She came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in his final illness and he greeted her, kissed her, and told her a secret. She wept. Then he confided something else to her and she laughed. I said to the women, 'I see that this woman is superior to other women, let she is one of them. First she wept and then she laughed.' I asked her, 'What did he say to you?' She replied, 'I would be telling a secret.' When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, died, Fatima said, 'He confided to me, "I am dying," so I wept.

Then he confided to me, "You will be the first of my family to join me," so I was happy and pleased at that.'" 429. A man standing up for someone sitting down 948. Jabir said, "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was ill and we prayed behind him while he was sitting down. Abu Bakr relayed his takbir to the people. The Prophet turned towards us and saw that we were standing.

He indicated to us that we should sit down. So we prayed sitting down with him. When he said the taslim, he said, 'You were about to do what the Persians and Romans do. They stand in front of their kings when they are seated. Do not do that.

Follow your Imams. If the Imam prays standing, then pray standing. If he prays sitting down, then pray sitting down." 430. When someone yawns, he should put his hand over his mouth 949. Abu Sa'id reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When one of you yawns, he should put his hand over his mouth.

Otherwise Shaytan might enter it." 950. Ibn Abbas said, "When someone yawns, he should place his hand over his mouth. Yawning comes from Shaytan." 951. Same as 949.