Darulifta Ahlesunnat
(Dawateislami)
Question
What do the noble scholars and jurists of Islamic law say about the following: In our area, people consider the cries of a cat to be bad luck. They believe that if a cat cries in a house or any neighborhood at night, a calamity will definitely befall them, or someone will pass away. Is this belief correct in the light of Sharī’aĥ?
بِسْمِ اللہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ
اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ
Believing that the cries of a cat are bad luck or believing that the cries of a cat will cause calamities, or someone will die, are all bad omens. Taking superstitions from anything is impermissible and a sin.
There is a Hadith mentioned in Sunan Abi Dawood about superstitions:
حدثنا قطن بن قبيصة عن أبيه قال: سمعت رسول اللہ صلى اللہ عليه وسلم يقول: العيافة، والطيرة، والطرق من الجبت
Translation: Qutan B. Qubeesah رضي الله تعالى عنه has narrated from his father that he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, “Taking bad omens by making birds fly, throwing rocks, or drawing lines are all practices of Satan.”(Sunan Abi Dawood, Vol. 4, p. 16, Publ. Beirut)
Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan Na’eemi رحمة الله تعالى عليه states:
اسلام میں نیک فال لینا جائز ہے، بدفالی ،بدشگونی لینا حرام ہے۔
Translation: Taking good omens is permissible in Islam. Taking evil omens is Haram.(Tafsir Na’eemi, Vol. 9, p. 119, Publ. Zia-ul-Quran)
Mufti Sharif Ul-Haq Amjadi رحمة الله تعالى عليه while commentating on a Hadith, writes in Nuzhah Al-Qari:
ہامہ ایک چڑیا کا نام ہے ،ایک قول ہےکہ یہ الو ہے، اہل جاہلیت کا اعتقاد تھا کہ یہ چڑیا جب کسی گھر پر بیٹھتی ہے،تو اس گھرمیں کوئی مصیبت نازل ہوتی ہے۔آج بھی جاہلوں میں یہ مشہور ہےکہ الو جس گھرمیں بولے یا جس گھر کی چھت پر بولے،اس گھرمیں مصیبت نازل ہوگی۔۔۔۔ان سب توہمات کا حضور اقدس صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے رد فرمایاکہ یہ سب کچھ نہیں ہے۔
Translation: ‘Hamah’ is the name of a bird. One opinion is that it is an owl. The ignorant people would believe that when this bird sits on any house, a calamity befalls that house. It is also famous amongst the ignorant people of today that if an owl makes noises in a house or on the rooftop, a calamity will befall that house… The Holy Prophet ﷺ rejected all these superstitions by saying that they have no reality. (Nuzhah Al-Qari, Vol. 5, p. 503, Publ. Fareed Book Stall)
وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَرَسُوْلُہ اَعْلَم صَلَّی اللّٰہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّم
(Allah Almighty knows best and His Messenger صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم knows best.)
Answered By: Mufti Abu Al-Hasan Muhammad Hashim Khan Attari
Date: 10th Ramadan Al-Mubarak 1443 AH/ 12th April 2022