Bukhari

Hadith Commentary:
➊
The specification of these three things in the ahadith is because a person needs them in life and cannot be indifferent to them, since he must reside somewhere, thus a house is necessary.
To live life, the need for a companion cannot be denied, with whom he can reside, so a wife is needed for this.
Then, for the elevation of Allah’s religion, jihad is obligatory, therefore it is necessary to have a horse.
Due to possessing them for a long time, sometimes an undesirable thing may occur.
This has been described as misfortune (nahusaat), although misfortune and blessing are from Allah alone; nothing is inherently inauspicious in itself, as the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) has clarified.

➋
Misfortune in a woman is that she is barren and ill-tempered.
Misfortune in a horse means that it is stubborn, obstinate, and unfit for riding, due to which it cannot be used for jihad.
And misfortune in a house is that it is cramped and dark, far from the mosque, and its neighbor is not good.

➌
Imam Bukhari (rahimahullah) has adopted a remarkable approach to resolving the issue of misfortune, which demonstrates his eminence and depth of understanding. According to him, in the first hadith, the word of restriction “innama” is not in its original meaning, but rather there is room for interpretation in it. Thus, in the second hadith, he indicated that if there were such a thing as misfortune, it would be found in a woman, a horse, and a house—that is, misfortune is not definitive, but its possibility has been mentioned.
In the hadith mentioned under the next heading, by describing three types of horses, it is clarified that this misfortune is not in all horses, but may be found in those not kept for the elevation of the religion.

➍
In this regard, the following verses are decisive concerning this discussion:
﴿مَا أَصَابَ مِن مُّصِيبَةٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ﴾ “No calamity befalls except by Allah’s permission.” (: At-Taghabun 64:11)
And the statement of Allah, the Exalted:
﴿مَا أَصَابَ مِن مُّصِيبَةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي أَنفُسِكُمْ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ مِّن قَبْلِ أَن نَّبْرَأَهَا ۚ﴾ “No calamity befalls on the earth or in yourselves but it is inscribed in a Book before We bring it into existence.” (: Al-Hadid 57:22)
And He said:
﴿وَمَا أَصَابَكُم مِّن مُّصِيبَةٍ فَبِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَيَعْفُو عَن كَثِيرٍ﴾ “And whatever calamity befalls you, it is because of what your own hands have earned, and He pardons much.” (: Ash-Shura 42:30)
In any case, misfortune is not inherent in anything, but due to excessive use, something undesirable may arise in a thing.
Inherent misfortune is among the beliefs of the people of ignorance, which the Shari’ah has refuted.

Hadith Commentary:
This has already been mentioned above. In one hadith, it is stated that among the signs of a person's good fortune is that his wife is good, his mount is good, and his house is good; and among the signs of misfortune is that his wife is bad, his house is bad, and his mount is bad.

The scholars have said: The misfortune (nahusat) of a woman is that she is barren, ill-mannered, and sharp-tongued.

The misfortune of a horse is that it is not used for striving (jihad) in the way of Allah, and that it is wicked and of bad character.

The misfortune of a house is that its courtyard is narrow and the neighbors are bad. However, the meaning of misfortune here is not the same as bad omen (bad faali) as understood by the common people.

Indeed, it has come in another authentic hadith that taking bad omens is shirk (associating partners with Allah).

For example, if while going out, a one-eyed man comes in front, or a woman or a cat passes by, or someone sneezes, then one should not think that now the work will not be accomplished.

This is an ignorant notion for which there is absolutely no evidence in reason or in the Shari‘ah.

Similarly, considering a particular date, day, or time as unlucky—these are all baseless things. Those who hold such beliefs are thorough ignoramuses and untrained.

(Wahidi)

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
The meaning of these ahadith is not that only these three things are inauspicious, but rather the purpose is that if the existence of misfortune (nuhus) is to be considered, then it can be found in these three things; even then, not in all of them, but only in some cases. Thus, in one hadith, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
“A righteous woman, a good house, and an excellent mount being available to a person is from the good fortune of the son of Adam, and an evil woman, a filthy house, and a useless mount is from the misfortune of the son of Adam.”
(Musnad Ahmad: 168/1)
In another hadith, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
“There are three things that are inauspicious:
A woman whom, when you see her, she displeases you and speaks harshly to you; second, a sluggish horse—if you strike it, you have to exert yourself, and if you leave it alone, it cannot bring you to your companions; third, a house that is cramped and dark, in which you find very little benefit.”
(Al-Mustadrak lil-Hakim: 162/2, and Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Sahihah of al-Albani, Hadith: 1047)
(2)
In reality, “shoom” (misfortune) has two meanings:
One is misfortune and lack of blessing, and the other is something being disagreeable to one’s temperament and being detestable.
In those narrations where “shoom” is negated, the first meaning is intended, and in those where it is affirmed, the second meaning is intended.
In these ahadith, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) has provided us with excellent guidance: if a person does not find it good to reside in a house because it is cramped and dark, then he should move elsewhere; and if a woman is ill-tempered and barren, and intimacy with her is fruitless, then he should divorce her; and if a horse is stubborn or slow, then he should sell it and remove the trouble from himself.
And Allah knows best.

Hadith Authentication:
[وأخرجه البخاري 2859، ومسلم 2226، من حديث مالك به]

Jurisprudential Explanation:
➊ It is understood that there is no bad omen (tatayyur) in anything, and if there were, it would have been in these three things due to which corruption has spread on the face of the earth.
➋ By "horse" is meant armies, and horses themselves can also be intended. And Allah knows best.
➌ For further jurisprudential discussion of the hadith, see hadith [البخاري 5093، ومسلم 2225] and the author's book "A Scholarly Review of Objections on Sahih Bukhari" [ص70]