Pre-Islamic Age of Ignorance: In the pre-Islamic era, people believed in many types of bad omens. Pre-Islamic people considered animals, objects, days, people, and even the movement of stars in the sky to be causes of bad luck. There were hundreds of types of superstitions. For example, tefe’ül means to consider certain events auspicious, to see them as the beginning of good things, and to interpret them positively. Teşeüm, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of tefe’ül, meaning to consider certain objects and events unlucky, to interpret events negatively, and to constantly emphasize the worst possibilities.   

The pre-Islamic Arabs believed that imaginary beings known as “Gûl” were a type of jinn or devil that appeared in various forms and colors, leading people astray and destroying them.[684]  It was believed that these creatures would appear to people in lonely and deserted deserts and destroy them. [685]  For this reason, when traveling in deserted places, they would ask permission by saying, “I seek refuge in the owner of this region.” [686]

They also considered owls to be unlucky. They believed that “if revenge is not taken on the murderer of a victim, the victim’s spirit will take the form of an owl and cry out over the grave, ‘Water me! Quench my thirst,’ and only after revenge is taken will it fly away.”[687]

Shooting stars were also interpreted as signs of the birth or death of an important person. [688]

ISLAM: Bureyde (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) never considered anything unlucky. When he was going to send an official, he would ask his name; if he liked it, he would be pleased, and his joy would even be visible on his face. If he did not like the name, it would also be evident on his face. If he was going to enter a village, he would ask its name; if he liked it, he would be pleased, and if he did not like it, it would be evident on his face. ([689])

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: There is no sirayet [690],no safer [691],no hâme[692], no ! A Bedouin who heard this exclaimed: “O Messenger of Allah! But when a scabby camel enters among camels that are as healthy as deer in the sand,

How does the disease spread to all of them?” The Messenger of Allah replied: Then who infected the first one?[693]

 There is no inherent contagion in disease, no ill omen in objects, and no such thing as a gûl([694])

 There is no evil in the hooting of an owl. There is no ill omen in anything([695])

In this section, I would like to briefly mention a mistaken belief. Some circles, consciously or unconsciously, constantly bring up the hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that states, “Bad luck is in women, houses, and horses.” This hadith is not to accept the existence of bad luck, but to convey that the people of the Jahiliyyah had such a belief at that time. Indeed, the following incident narrated by Aisha clearly demonstrates this: Two men from Bani Amir came to Aisha (ra) and said, “O Aisha, Abu Huraira reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said, ‘Bad luck is in three things: women, houses, and horses.’ What do you say?” Upon hearing this, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) became extremely angry and said, “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) never said such a thing. He only reported that the people of the Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic era) saw misfortune in women, houses, and horses and believed so.” ([696])With these words, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) indicated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was merely narrating that the people of the Jahiliyyah held such a belief. In Abu Dawud’s Musnad[697], Muhammad bin Rashid’s narration from Mekhul brings the subject to a different perspective: Abu Hurairah informed Aisha that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Bad luck is in three things: women, houses, and horses.” He asked her what she thought about this. She replied, “When Abu Hurayra entered the presence of the Messenger of Allah, the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, ‘May Allah curse the Jews. They used to say: Misfortune lies in three things: in women, in houses, and in horses,'” (referring to the belief of the Jews). Abu Huraira could not memorize the beginning of the hadith” ([698])he said. ([699])

However, in the hadith found in Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s Musnad, the subject is explained not as misfortune, but as happiness and unhappiness: Three things are from the happiness of mankind. Three things are also among the misfortunes of mankind.([ The three things that bring happiness are: a righteous woman, a comfortable home, and a good mount. The three things that bring misfortune to mankind are: a wicked woman, a bad home, and a bad mount. ([701])

Nowadays: Substances whose working principles we do not know, animals we have no knowledge about, or planets moving in our outer world continue to harbor a belief in bad luck, similar to the beliefs of the Age of Ignorance. There is hardly any area where this superstition does not exist.

Since it is not possible to explain all such superstitions here, we consider it more appropriate to take one example of a superstition commonly seen around the world. For example, there is a superstition that breaking a mirror brings bad luck. Considering the scope of this superstition and the time that has passed since it began, the mere thought that millions of people still share this belief is enough to horrify any rational person. The first use of mirrors dates back to ancient Egypt. In the early days, they were made of metals such as brass, bronze, silver, or gold, so they were not likely to break. Back then, it was believed that the image reflected on the surface of the mirror showed the human soul. Along with this, there was also a belief that when glass broke , the soul inside the mirror left a part of the body. This belief necessitated determining a time period for the bad luck caused by breaking a mirror. In the first century, the Romans determined that the period of bad luck resulting from breaking a mirror was seven years. The Romans believed that life renewed itself every seven years. This belief stemmed from the idea that since the spirit and human health were damaged when a mirror or glass was broken, seven years had to pass for the body to renew itself and regain its health. By the 15th century, the Italian people had become completely convinced that if a mirror broke, they would suffer a life worse than death for seven years and be exposed to all kinds of disasters. Once this belief was fully accepted, it became necessary to take precautions against it. And indeed, that is what happened. The precaution taken was as follows: “If the broken pieces of the mirror are collected and washed in a river flowing south or buried in the ground, the bad luck will be eliminated.” Isn’t that a rather nice precaution? Because not everyone may have a river flowing south. Then what would become of us? However, the precautions taken were not limited to this. When the mirror in the bedroom was not in use, it had to be covered so that the spirit would not remain inside, and if it broke, the pieces had to be thrown away without looking at them. The mirrors in the home of a deceased person had to be covered. The rational explanation for this was “so that the spirit would not encounter any obstacles on its journey to the sky.” In the 17th century, this belief spread rapidly in countries such as England and France, which would later be considered very modern. Even today, this belief in bad luck continues almost everywhere in the world. And this belief has become so ingrained that a conscious person would find it difficult to convince even those closest to them that breaking a mirror is not a cause of bad luck. The truth of ignorance is that it consists of truths accepted by the majority of society based on conjecture, so in these societies, no one can easily convince anyone of anything. Because the response to criticism comes readily. “So many people are wrong, and you’re the only one who’s right?” This is how we briefly dealt with the emergence, spread, and codification of superstition. We need to share a few examples of such superstitions for informational purposes. Since it is not possible for us to provide the sources of these beliefs, we will simply provide the sources of those who believe in superstition.

Some of the beliefs that have formed through hearsay are as follows:

  • If a rooster crows at an unusual hour at night, war will break out. (According to this belief, it is impossible to estimate the number of roosters that crowed before World War II.)
  • A dog that starts howling when it hears the call to prayer is not interpreted as a good omen. (Perhaps the dog howls because it does not interpret the fate of those who do not pray despite the call to prayer as a good omen.)
  • If a dog howls pitifully at night, it is believed that someone will die soon. (Don’t let it be because it’s hungry!)
  • Many people consider a black cat to be a sign of bad luck. (What can be said to those who consider it bad luck that Allah (swt), the Almighty Painter, painted it black?)
  • If frogs raise their voices, it will rain. (If scientists acted on this belief, perhaps there would be no drought in the world.)
  • A dog’s howl is also considered a sign of disaster. (It is due to disbelief. May the disaster not be the Day of Judgment…)
  • If a magpie chirps at someone’s house, good news will come to that house. If a crow chirps at someone’s house, a funeral will come to that house. (As soon as you catch it, paint it white; this way, you will neutralize the curse.)
  • If an owl hoots at someone’s house, either misfortune or death will come to that household. (Didn’t we just paint the crow for this reason? How difficult it is to ensure peace in this day and age.)
  • A snake seen on the road is a sign of good luck and fortune. (I believe that if you approach it when you see it, you will get even better results.)
  • If a dog howls during the evening and night prayers, someone in the vicinity will die. (It’s because of prayer, because of prayer…)
  • If a rabbit, fox, or black cat crosses your path, misfortune will come. (Even if I had a gun?)
  • The crow’s cawing is interpreted as a sign that news will come from a guest or someone abroad. (This belief must date back to before the invention of the telephone.)
  • If you walk under a ladder, you won’t grow tall, you’ll stay short. (This belief implies that someone who uses an elevator will be tall. If we consider that Pharaoh, who built a tall building to reach his Lord, used an elevator, how tall would he have been?)
  • If you start work on Tuesday, the job will never end and will be unstable. (If bosses believe this, I’m sure workers won’t have a hard time believing it too.)
  • Drinking milk or buying a house on Wednesday is not good. (Real estate agents and milkmen should be tried and sentenced to death for contributing to this evil.)
  • If you do laundry on Thursday, you will become rich. (This might be a believable truth for those who own detergent factories.)

In Turkish, Gûl is known as Gûlyabani, but it is also known as a witch or a ghost. Even today, it is widely believed that passing through deserted places can be harmful, and this can be prevented by saying “destur.” The belief in marrying a gulyabani or a jinn is also quite popular today.

Planets revolve and change places. Days constantly change according to the rotation of the world. Animals cry or howl at certain times for any reason. Since jinn or spiritual beings also have the right to live, they live in deserted places. One witnesses all these and similar occurrences, but there is nothing rational about attributing these actions to oneself.

Teşeüm: Considering something unlucky, attributing it to bad luck, interpreting it negatively.

[684]  Kamus, II, 307; Alûsî, Bulugu’l-Erab, II, 340; Nevevî, Minhac (Commentary on Muslim), XIV, 216

[685]  Sahih Buhârî Muhtasarı Tecrîd-i Sarih Translation and Commentary, vol. 4, pp. 418–420

[686]  Ibn Ishaq, Sira, p.92; Ibn Hisham, Sira I, p.201

[687]  Kemalettin Demiri, Hayat’ul Hayvan, Meral Publishing House, p. 206

[688]  Muslim, Salām, 124

[689]  Abu Dawud, Medicine, 24

[690]  Contagion

[691]  Safer, according to Ibn al-Athir’s explanation, is a snake. “The Arabs believed that there was a snake called safer in their stomachs, which would bite humans when hungry and cause pain.” It has also been said that this is a disease believed to be found in the stomachs of humans or animals and to be contagious; that this refers specifically to the month of safer, and that it is believed that entering safer brings bad luck. (Ibrahim Canan, Kutub-i sitte tercüme ve şerhi, Akçağ yayınları 11/468)

[692]  The belief that an owl landing on a roof brings misfortune to the house

[693]  Bukhari, Medicine 54; Muslim, Greetings 101

[694]  Muslim, Selam, 107–108, 1744–1745

[695]  Sahih-i Muslim and its Translation, vol. 7, p. 87

[696]  Aynî, Umdetü’l-Karî, XI, 396; Ibn Qutaybah, Uyunu’t-Ahbar, 1147

[697]  Attributed, based on

[698]  Abu Dawud, Musnad, 215 1537; Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari VI, 47

[699]  Ali Çelik, Islam in the Age of Happiness, Beyan Publications, Vol. 4, p. 55

[700]  Distress, torment, torture

[701]  Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad VII, 168