A critical approach to the hadith on omens in trips

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Associate Professor, Department of Quranic Sciences and Hadith, Faculty of Theology and Ahl al-Bayt Studies, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.

10.30512/kq.2024.21464.3864

Abstract

Ominousness was a common concept in the pre-Islamic era. It was discussed using various methods, including divination. This concept was strictly discouraged by the Prophet (pbuh) after the advent of Islam. Despite this prohibition, some phenomena have been attributed to omens issue in some Hadiths. For example, in his book Al-Mahasin Barqi cites Imam Kazim (pbuh) as having mentioned six ominous events for travelers and recites a prayer to get rid of them. The hadith on the evil in the journey was first narrated by Barqi and then it found its way into the Kafi's Rawdha, Man La Yahdhur Al-Faqih and Khesal by Shaykh Saduq. This article seeks to critique and examine the concept of ominousness, and its validation is carried out using a descriptive-analytical method based on library sources. The results of the research indicate that, despite the affirmative approach of some hadith scholars, this hadith is in conflict with the definitive tradition of the Prophet (pbuh) in rejecting omens and divination. The text of the hadith depicts a pre-Islamic pattern of evil omens that includes symbols from the previous Arab tradition about evil omens. Symbols such as the movement of a bird or animal from right to left, the sound of a bird, and the physical defect of an animal such as a donkey's ear being cut off are among the cases that have been prohibited from such ominous interpretations after Islam. Also, the textual discord of the hadith in stating the number of ominous events and ominous cases indicates the instability of the text and its weakness. In terms of the references, the hadith is considered weak and unreliable due to the presence of a weak narrator named Bakr ibn Salih al-Dhebbi.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Abdullahi Ali Beyk, Hamida. (2004). Bad Fortune-telling from the Perspective of the Quran and Hadiths. Islamic Studies, 36(2), 60, 183-221. [In Persian]
Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani, Ali bin Hussein. (1995). Al-Aghani. Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi. [In Arabic]
Ali, Jawad. (2002). Al-Mufassal fi Tarikh al-Arab Qabl al-Islam. Dar Al-Saqi. [In Arabic]
Barqi, Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Khalid. (1992). Al-Mahasin. Jalal al-Din Muhaddis (compiler), Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyya. [In Arabic]
Barqi, Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Khalid. (1992). Rijal al-Barqi. University of Tehran. [In Arabic]
Behboudi, Mohammad Baqir. (1999). Contemplation on the Quran. Sana Publications. [In Persian]
Desouqi, Ibrahim. (2010). Fi Rehab al-Sunnah. Minbar al-Islam, 47(9), 13-19. [In Arabic]
Ibn-e Abi al-Ḥadid, Abdul Hamid bin Heibatullah. (1984). Sharh-e Nahj al-Balagha (edited by Muhammad Abulfazl Ibrahim). The Library of Ayatollah al-Marr'ashi al-Najafi. [In Arabic]
Ibn-e ̒Arabi, Ahmad bin Muhammad. (1988). Al-Zuhd wa Sefat Al-Zahidin (edited by Majdi Fathi al-Sayed). Maktab al-Sahabeh. [In Arabic]
Ibn-e Ghazaeri, Ahmad bin Hossein. (1986). Al-Rijal Le Ibn al-Ghazaeri (edited by Mohammadreza Hosseini). Dar al-Hadith. [In Arabic]
Ibn-e Majah Qazvini, Muhammad bin Yazid. (n.d). Sunan Ibn-e Majah (edited by Muhammad Fouad Abdul Baqi). Dar al-Fikr. [In Arabic]
Ibn-e Manzour, Muhammad bin Mokram. (1985). Lisan al-Arab. Adab al-Hawza. [In Arabic]
Ibn-e Qani’ Baghdadi, Abd al-Baqi. (1998). Mo’jam al-Sahabeh. Al-Ghoraba Al-Athariyya Library. [In Arabic]
Ibn-e Tavous, Ali bin Mousa. (1989). Aman Min Akhtar al-Asfar. Al al-Bayt Institute. [In Arabic]
Farahidi, Khalil bin Ahmad. (1988). Al-Ayn (edited by Mahdi Al-Makhzoumi and Ibrahim Al-Samra'i). International Institute for the Press. [In Arabic]
Hakimi, Ismail. (2003). A review of the history of fortune telling and omens and its reflection in some Persian chronicles and literary texts. Journal of the Faculty of Literature and Humanities, 53(1), 165, 17-26. [In Persian]
Haythami, Ali bin Abi Bakr. (1988). Majma  al-Zaw’ad wa Manba al-Faw’ad. Dar al-Kutub al-Elmiyya. [In Arabic]
Jahiz, Amr bin Bahr. (2006). Al-Haywan (edited by Abdul Salam Muhammad Haroun). Egypt: Mustafa al-Babi al-Halabi and Sons' Publishing Company. [In Arabic]
Jawhari, Ismail bin Hammad. (1987). Al-Sihah (edited by Ahmad Abd al-Ghafoor Attar. Dar al-̒Elm li al-Malayin. [In Arabic]
Kaf'ami, Ibrahim bin Ali. (1983). Al-Misbah. International Institute for the Press. [In Arabic]
Khakpour, Hossein. (2012). An Analysis of the "Ominousness of Times" in the Quran and Hadiths. Islamic Studies, 5(1), 8, 89-110. [In Persian]
Kheyali Khatibi, Ahmad. (2018). Reflection of prominent elements of taboo and totem in the mantegh al-tair al-Attar Neyshaburi. Shafaye Dil, 1(1), 59-29. [In Persian]
 https://dor.isc.ac/dor/20.1001.1.26453894.1397.1.1.2.8
Khoei, Seyyed abul Qasim. (2013). Mujam rijal al-hadith wa tafsiyl tabaqat al-ruwat. Mu’asesat al-Koei al-Islamiyyah. [In Arabic]
Kolayni, Muhammad bin Ya'qub. (1987). Al-Kafi. (edited by Ali Akbar Ghaffari). Dar al-Kitab al-Islamiyyah. [In Arabic]
Majlesi, Muhammad Baqir bin Muhammad Taqi. (1983). Bihar Al-Anwar. Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi. [In Arabic]
Mazandarani, Muhammad Saleh. (2003). Al-Kafi, Al-Usul and Al-Ruwdhah (edited by Mirza Abulhasan Shearani). Al-Maktaba al-Islamiyyah. [In Arabic]
Najashi, Ahmad bin Ali. (1986). Rijal al-Najashi. Al-Islami Publishing Institute. [In Arabic]
Qalqashandi, Ahmad bin Ali. (1991). Nahayt alarab fi ma̒rifat al-ansab al-arab. Dar Al-Kutb Al-Elmiyyah. [In Arabic]
Qasimpour, Mohsen, & Pour Afkham, Maryam. (2015). The Method of Hadith Jurisprudence by Sahib Ma'alem in the Book of the Muntaqa Al-Juman. Kitab Al-Qayyim, 5,13. [In Persian]
Sadouq, Muhammad bin Ali. (1983). Al-Khesal (edited by Ali Akbar Ghaffari). Al-Islami Publishing Institute. [In Arabic]
Sadouq, Muhammad bin Ali. (1983). Ma'ani al-Akhbar (edited by Ali Akbar Ghaffari). Al-Islami Publishing Institute. [In Arabic]
Sadouq, Muhammad bin Ali. (n.d). Man la-Yahzuruh al-Faqih (edited by Ali Akbar Ghaffari). Al-Islami Publishing Institute. [In Arabic]
Sharqawi, Muhammad. (2004). Al-Tafa'ul wa al-Tasha'um. Al-Azhar, 220, 683-691. [In Arabic]
Tayalesi, Abi Dawood. (n.d). Musnad. Dar al-Ma’aref. [In Arabic]
Tirmidhi, Muhammad bin Isa. (n.d). Al-̒Ilal al-Kabir (edited by Sobhi al-Samarai, Abu al-Maati al-Nuri and Mahmoud Khalil al-Sa'idi). ̒Alam al-kutub. [In Arabic]
Tusi, Muhammad ibn Hasan. (1994). Rijal al-Tusi, Jawad Qayyumi Isfahani (Ed.), Mu'assasat al-Nashr al-Islami. [In Arabic]
Zamakhshari, Mahmoud. (1986). Al-Kashshaf ‘an Haqa'iq Ghawamid al-Tanzil wa ‘Uyun al-Aqawil fi Wujuh al-Ta'wil. Dar al-Kutub al-Arabiyya. [In Arabic]
Zubaidi, Sayyed Muhammad Murtaza. (1994). Taj al-Arous. (edited by Ali Shiri). Dar al-Fikr.
Ketab-E-Qayyem
Volume 15, Issue 2 - Serial Number 33
September 2025
Pages 191-206

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 13 April 2024
  • Revise Date: 13 September 2024
  • Accept Date: 15 September 2024

Share

How to cite

Statistics