Ruling on Abandoning Work Due to Considering Something Inauspicious
Source: Fatawa al-Deen al-Khalis, Vol. 1, p.111
Question:
Is it permissible to abandon a particular job (means of livelihood) if one fears that it might cause loss to something else, such as a horse or a child dying?
(Your brothers: Noor-ul-Haq and Shaukat)
❖ The Answer:
All praise is due to Allah, and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
This belief is invalid, because the Prophet ﷺ prohibited superstition (ṭiyarah).
It is narrated from Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“There is no contagious disease, no bad omen (ṭiyarah), no haamah, and no Safar. And flee from the leper as you would flee from a lion.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 5776, Mishkāt: 2/391)
Belief in bad omens and inauspiciousness is a pre-Islamic belief of ignorance (Jāhiliyyah).
❖ Clarification by Umm al-Mu’mineen ʿĀ’ishah (رضي الله عنها):
Two individuals from Banu ‘Āmir came to ʿĀ’ishah (رضي الله عنها) and said that Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه) narrates from the Prophet ﷺ:
“Bad omen is found in the house, the woman, and the horse.”
Upon hearing this, ʿĀ’ishah (رضي الله عنها) became upset and said:
“By the One who revealed the Qur’an upon Muhammad ﷺ, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ never said this. Rather, this was the belief of the people of Jāhiliyyah.”
(Musnad Aḥmad: 6/50, Mushkil al-Āthār li al-Ṭaḥāwī: 1/311, al-Ḥākim: 2/479, al-Ṣaḥīḥah: 2/734, Ḥadīth no. 993)
She then recited the following verse:
﴿مَا أَصَابَ مِن مُصيبَةٍ فِى الأَرضِ وَلا فِى أَنفُسِكُم إِلّا فِى كِتَابٍ مِن قَبلِ أَن نَبرَأَهَا﴾
(Surah al-Ḥadīd: 22)
“No disaster strikes upon the earth or among yourselves except that it is in a register before We bring it into being.”
This verse clearly indicates that the belief in inauspiciousness is entirely false, because everything occurs by the decree of Allah.
❖ Can Anything Truly Be Inauspicious?
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“There is no inauspiciousness in anything, but blessings can be found in three things: a woman, a horse, and a house.”
(Tirmidhī: 2/125, al-Ṣaḥīḥah: 4/564, Ḥadīth no. 1930)
This means that if goodness and blessings are found in something, it is by the will of Allah, and if a trial occurs, it is also by Allah’s decree — not due to the inauspiciousness of any object or being.
To consider any object inauspicious or to abandon a work due to it is a mindset rooted in Jāhiliyyah and is not permissible in Islamic law.
❖ The Ruling on Abandoning Work
In Islam, it is not permissible to abandon a means of livelihood (kāsb) without a compelling necessity.
📖 Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ (1/243, Ḥadīth no. 2785) includes a narration that supports this understanding, although its chain is weak.
Therefore, it is incorrect to abandon any job (kāsb) merely considering a specific month, day, or object to be inauspicious.
✅ Conclusion:
◈ It is impermissible to consider anything inauspicious and to abandon work on that basis.
◈ All occurrences are by the divine decree of Allah; hence, one must not act upon baseless superstitions.
◈ A Muslim should avoid such false beliefs and live in accordance with the teachings of Islam.
📖 Waṣallallāhu ʿalā Nabiyyinā Muḥammad wa ālihi wa ṣaḥbihi ajmaʿīn.
ھذا ما عندي واللہ أعلم بالصواب۔
