Is Bad Omen Major or Minor Shirk?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
Is this referring to major or minor shirk? The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “Superstitious belief in omens (Tiyarah) is Shirk.” [Tirmidhi; Abu Dawud; Ibn Maja]
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) also told us about the belief that something portends bad luck: “Belief in a bad omen is polytheism (shirk).” [Tirmidhi]
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
Belief in bad omens is a form of minor polytheism (shirk khafi), also from polytheists’ actions, and can lead to outright polytheism if one believes the cause of effect to be it. As Muslims and humans, pessimism enters our hearts and mind, as we are not complete, and we have our desires, egos, shaytan, and social interactions with others.
What is the Way Forward?
The way forward shown by the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is to be optimistic, putting our reliance on Him and assigning it with a prophetic dua and with good kind words, as mentioned below. Allah Most High is the sole controller, and He is the one who gives cause and effect into matters, no one else.
Belief in Evil Omens is a form of Polytheism
‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “‘Belief in evil omens is polytheism. Belief in evil omens is polytheism. Every one of us experienced something of that, but Allah dispels it with reliance on Him.’ ‘Everyone of us experienced something of that, but Allah dispels it with reliance on Him’ was said by Ibn Masʿud, not the Prophet (Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him).” [Ibn Maja]
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) says and repeats, for the sake of emphasis, that belief in evil omens, which makes one refrain from doing something or drives him to do it, is polytheism because it entails having one’s heart attached to others than Allah Most High and having ill expectations of Him. Ibn Masʿud said that every one of us experienced something of that pessimism, but Allah removes this feeling with reliance on Him. He might have said that out of modesty, exaggeration, and clarification of the treatment in case it happens.
Expiation and Dua after Seeing Something as an Omen
‘Abdullah ibn ʿAmr (Allah be pleased with him) reported the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Whoever turns back from something due to seeing an omen, he has committed idolatry.” They said, “O Messenger of Allah, what is the expiation for that?” The Prophet said, “That he says:
اللَّهُمَّ لَا خَيْرَ إِلَّا خَيْرُكَ وَلَا طَيْرَ إِلَّا طَيْرُكَ وَلَا إِلَهَ غَيْرُكَ
O Allah, there is no good but Your good, no omen but Your omen, there is no God besides You.” [Ahmad]
The Prophet is Amazed by Kind Words of Optimism
Abu Hurayra (Allah bless him and give him peace) reported the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “There are no omens, but the best of it is optimism.” They said, “O Messenger of Allah, what is optimism?” The Prophet said, “A righteous word one of you hears.” In another narration, the Prophet said, “I am amazed by optimism, the good word, the kind word.” [Bukhari; Muslim
ʿAbdul-Haq al-Dehlawi, Lamaʿat al-Tanqih, Sharh Mishkat al-Masabih; Usmani, Takmila al-Fath al-Mulhim]
I highly recommend you watch the following inspiring videos on good omens, superstition, and good opinions by Sh. Faraz Rabbani.
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(100) 63 – Good Omens – The Path of Muhammad: Birgivi’s Manual of Taqwa Explained – Shaykh Faraz Rabbani – YouTube
(100) 62 – Superstition – The Path of Muhammad: Birgivi’s Manual of Taqwa Explained – Shaykh Faraz Rabbani – YouTube
(100) 61 – Good Opinion – The Path of Muhammad: Birgivi’s Manual of Taqwa Explained – Shaykh Faraz Rabbani – YouTube
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[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey.
He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled into an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and Alimiyyah sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan.
He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for a number of years. He has taught hifz of the Qur’an, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to both children and adults onsite and online extensively in UK and Ireland. He was teaching at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences.
He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His personal interest is the love of books and gardening.
