Bukhari

Hadith Commentary:
An ill-mannered woman is considered inauspicious; she can cause constant discord in the household. Some houses are also dilapidated, in which there may be a constant danger to life, and some horses are unruly, posing a risk to the rider. This is the meaning of inauspiciousness.

Takhrij al-Hadith:
This narration reported by Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Umar radi Allahu anhuma is found in Sahih al-Bukhari at four places:
[2858، 5093، 5753، 5772]
Apart from Sahih al-Bukhari, this narration is also present in the following books:
Sahih Muslim [2225 ترقيم دارالسلام : 5804، 5805]
Al-Tawakkul by Imam Ibn Khuzaymah [اتحاف المهرة 8؍307 ح9434]
Sunan Abi Dawud [3922]
Sunan al-Tirmidhi [2824 وقال : هذا حديث صحيح]
Sunan al-Nasa’i [6؍220 ح3598، 3599]
Sunan Ibn Majah [1995]
Sharh Ma‘ani al-Athar by al-Tahawi [4؍313]
Mushkil al-Athar by him [تحفة الاخيار 1؍218 ح205]
Sharh al-Sunnah by al-Baghawi [9؍13 ح2244 وقال : ”هذا حديث متفق على صحته“]
Musnad Abi Ya‘la [5433، 5490، 5535] (and others)
Before Imam al-Bukhari, the following hadith scholars also narrated it:
Imam Malik [الموطأ 2؍972 ح1883، التمهيد 9؍278]
Abd al-Razzaq [المصنف 10؍411 ح19527]
Abu Dawud al-Tayalisi [1821]
Abu Bakr al-Humaydi [621]
and Ahmad ibn Hanbal [2؍8 ح4544 و 2؍52، 115، 126، 136]
The following eminent Tabi‘in narrated it from Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Umar radi Allahu anhuma:
① Salim ibn Abdullah ibn Umar
② Hamzah ibn Abdullah ibn Umar
It is thus clear that this hadith is absolutely authentic; to declare it as shaadh (anomalous) or ma‘lul (defective) is incorrect. However, this hadith is abrogated due to other narrations.
❀ The Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:
«إن كان الشؤم فى شئ ففي الدار والمرأة والفرس»
“If there were to be any evil omen in anything, it would be in the house, the woman, and the horse.” [صحيح بخاري : 5094 وصحيح مسلم : 2225 دارالسلام : 5807، 5809 عن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما]
↰ This narration, with this meaning, is also found from the following Companions:
① Sahl ibn Sa‘d al-Sa‘idi [صحيح بخاري : 2859، 5095 وصحيح مسلم : 2226، دارالسلام : 5810]
② Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansari [صحيح مسلم : 2227، دارالسلام : 5812]
Summary of the Investigation: According to the principles of the hadith scholars, this narration is absolutely authentic, but it is abrogated due to other narrations. It is a separate matter that, in the world, the root of disputes and corruption is generally these three things: woman, house (land), and horse (i.e., armies) «والله اعلم».
❀ The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that «لا طيرة» “There is no evil omen or bad luck.” [صحيح بخاري : 5754 وصحيح مسلم : 2223 عن سيدنا ابي هريرة رضي الله عنه]
Also see: Fath al-Bari [60/6۔ 63 تحت ح 2858، 2859]
«والحمد لله»

Hadith Commentary:
That is, if there were any such thing as misfortune (nahusat), it would be found in these things, as is understood from the following hadith.
In the narration of Abu Dawud, it is stated that there is no such thing as bad omen (bad-fali); but if there were, it would be in the house, the horse, and the woman. Ibn Khuzaymah and Hakim have narrated that two persons came to Aisha radi Allahu anha and said that Abu Hurairah radi Allahu anhu narrates this hadith: “There is misfortune in three things: the horse, the woman, and the house.”
Upon hearing this, Aisha radi Allahu anha became very angry and said: The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam did not say this; rather, he was conveying the belief of the people of Jahiliyyah, who used to hold that these things were sources of misfortune.
The scholars have differed regarding whether there is actually any misfortune in these things or not. Most have denied it, because in another authentic hadith it is stated that there is no such thing as bad omen, nor contagion, nor evil fortune. Some have said that what is meant by misfortune is that a horse may be of bad nature, lazy, wicked, or excessively voracious; or a woman may be foul-mouthed or ill-behaved; or a house may be cramped, airless, or filthy.
In a hadith of Abu Dawud, a person said to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam: “O Messenger of Allah, we stayed in a house, and our numbers decreased and our wealth diminished.”
He sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: “Leave such a bad house.” (Wahidi)
Hafiz sahib rahimahullah says:
Bab ma yudhkar min shuum al-faras, i.e., is it general or specific to some horses, and is it upon its apparent meaning or interpreted? And Imam Bukhari rahimahullah, by bringing the hadith of Sahl after the hadith of Ibn Umar, indicated that the restriction in the hadith of Ibn Umar is not upon its apparent meaning. And the chapter heading that follows, “The Three Types of Horses,” indicates that shuum (misfortune) is specific to some horses and not others. All this is from his subtle insight and deep thought. Al-Kirmani said: If you say that shuum can occur in other than these, then what is the meaning of the restriction? Al-Khattabi said: Blessing (yumn) and misfortune (shuum) are two signs for what befalls a person of good and evil, and none of that occurs except by the decree of Allah, to the end (Fath).
That is, the chapter in which the misfortune of the horse is mentioned—whether it is general or refers to some horses, and whether it is upon its apparent meaning or interpreted. Imam Bukhari rahimahullah, by bringing the hadith of Sahl after the hadith of Ibn Umar, indicated that the restriction in the hadith of Ibn Umar is not upon its apparent meaning. And the chapter heading that follows, in which it is stated that the horse is for three types of people, shows that misfortune is not general but specific to some horses. This is the subtle insight and deep thought of Imam Bukhari rahimahullah (which is truly befitting of a mujtahid mutlaq).
If someone says that misfortune is restricted to these and not others, then in response, Al-Khattabi said: Blessing and misfortune are two signs for the good and evil that reach a person, and none of these can occur except by Allah’s decree. The aforementioned three things are merely places and circumstances.
None of them inherently possess blessing or misfortune; rather, if something occurs while using them, it is attributed to them. One must reside in a house, live with a woman, and sometimes keep a horse out of necessity. Thus, in some cases, blessing or misfortune are incidental attributes, otherwise, whatever happens is only by Allah’s command.
It has also been said that the misfortune of a woman means she remains barren; the misfortune of a horse is that one never gets the opportunity to ride it for jihad; and the misfortune of a house is that one gets a bad neighbor. And all of this is under Allah’s decree and predestination.
Aisha radi Allahu anha concluded this discussion with this verse:
﴿مَآ اَصَابَ مِنْ مُّصِیْبَة فِیْ الْاَرْضِ وَلَا فِیْٓ اَنْفُسِکُمْ اِلَّا فِیْ کِتٰبٍ مِّنْ قَبْلِ اَنْ نَّبْرَأَھَا﴾ (Al-Hadid: 22)
That is, whatever calamity befalls you on earth or within yourselves, it is already written in the Book (al-Lawh al-Mahfuz) before We bring it into being; nothing can happen without it.

Hadith Commentary:
Benefits and Issues:
If there were any truth to misfortune:
If misfortune (shoom) had any reality, it would be found in those things
which can be a cause of hardship and difficulty for a person.
However, even in these things, misfortune does not exist, so where else could it possibly exist?

Explanation:
1:
The misfortune (nahusat) of a woman is that she is sharp-tongued or ill-tempered;
the misfortune of a horse is that it kicks and bites; and the misfortune of a house is that the neighbors are not good,
or that it is not comfortable in terms of heat and cold.

Note 1: (In this narration, the phrase (al-shu’m fi ...) is rare (shadh);
the wording found in the two Sahihs (Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim) is correct, which is (in kana al-shu’m fa-fi ...), meaning: “If misfortune were to exist, it would be in these three things.”
(al-Sahihah: 443, 799, 1897)

Note 2: (In the narrations, this wording is more authentic, as has preceded in the footnote.)

Benefits and Issues:
This hadith of Abdullah ibn Umar radi Allahu anhu (“Al-shu’mu fi al-dar”) is narrated in two ways.
In one narration, misfortune is mentioned definitively.
In the other, it is narrated with the words “in kana al-shu’mu” (if there is misfortune).
This means that if misfortune can exist, then it can be in these three things; that is, their being a cause of misfortune is not certain, however, the possibility does exist.
And that misfortune is precisely this: that the woman is foul-mouthed, the horse is unruly, etc. Similarly, the misfortune of a house is that the neighbors are not good, and so on.

Some narrations state that if there were any ill-omen (nahusat) in anything, it would be in these three things. Therefore, some scholars have understood from this manner of speech a negation—that since there is no ill-omen in these three things, ill-omen does not exist at all. However, in many ahadith, ill-omen is established. It is not necessary that all ahadith carry the same meaning; otherwise, one would have to accuse the narrators of confusion, for which there is no evidence. Therefore, the correct view is that ill-omen is possible in these things. However, according to Imam Malik rahimahullah, by ill-omen is meant some hidden quality due to which that woman, horse, or house continually becomes a cause of harm, and that hidden quality is created by Allah Ta'ala Himself. Therefore, this concept does not affect one’s creed in any way. Meanwhile, some researchers have explained ill-omen in light of other ahadith: for example, if a woman’s character is not good, she is foul-mouthed, disobedient, quarrelsome, causing an atmosphere of restlessness and discord in the home. Similarly, if a horse is stubborn, acts contrary to guidance, and one constantly has to endure the fatigue of beating it, etc., which causes mental distress. Likewise, if the neighborhood, environment, or climate of a house is not good—meaning the house is cramped, lacks proper light, does not provide comfort or recreation, and diseases frequently attack, etc. This explanation is also very appropriate because the ahadith support it.

Benefit:
Regarding the last part of the mentioned narration in which the sword is mentioned, there is a difference of opinion among the scholarly researchers concerning its authenticity and weakness.
Shaykh al-Albani rahimahullah considers it shaadh (anomalous) and further writes that the narration is preserved except for this portion, whereas Imam Busiri rahimahullah has mentioned the addition of "sword" (sayf) in Zawa’id Ibn Majah and has written regarding it that its chain is authentic and upon the conditions of Imam Muslim. He has also written that this addition is found only in Sunan Ibn Majah, while its original narration is in the two Sahihs (Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim) in which this addition does not occur.
For further details, see: (al-Mawsu‘ah al-Hadithiyyah, Musnad al-Imam Ahmad: 8/144, 146;
and Da‘if Sunan Ibn Majah, no. 434; and Sunan Ibn Majah, edited by Dr. Bashaw ‘Awwad, no. 1995)

Hadith Authentication:
[و اخرجه البخاري 5093، و مسلم 2225، من حديث مالك به]

Jurisprudential Explanation
➊ In the era of the Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and in the periods before him, the basis of general worldly corruption and fighting has been three important things:
⓵ House, that is, land to live on ⓶ Woman ⓷ Horse, meaning cavalry forces.
Therefore, here, this is what is meant by “misfortune,” but this hadith is abrogated due to other authentic ahadith. The Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: «إِنْ كَانَ الشُّؤُمُ فِي شَيْءٍ فَفِي الدَّارِ وَالْمَرْأَةِ وَالْفَرَسِ» “If there were to be any misfortune in anything, it would be in the house, the woman, and the horse.” [صحيح بخاري : 5094 و صحيح مسلم : 2225 [5808، 5807]]
The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: «لَا طِیَرَۃَ» “There is no misfortune or bad omen.” [صحيح بخاري : 5754، صحيح مسلم : 2223]
Also see: [فتح الباري 60/6-63 تحت ح2858، 2859،] and [التمهيد 290/9، و قال : ”نسخ ذالك و ابطله القرآن و السنن“] Then this was abrogated, and the Qur’an and Sunnah have declared it invalid.
➋ In the narration of Muwatta Imam Malik, it is mentioned that when the number and wealth of the inhabitants of a house decreased, the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: «دَعَوْها ذَمِيْمَةٌ» “Leave it, for it is blameworthy.” [972/2 ح1884] Its chain is weak due to being disconnected (munqati‘).
In Sunan Abi Dawud [3924], there is a supporting narration for this, but its chain is weak due to the tadlis of ‘Ikrimah ibn ‘Ammar, who was a mudallis.
➌ In one narration, it is mentioned that Sayyidah A’ishah radi Allahu anha refuted Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah radi Allahu anhu for narrating a hadith similar to that of Sayyiduna Ibn ‘Umar radi Allahu anhuma; its chain is weak due to Qatadah being a mudallis. The other chain is disconnected due to «مكحول عن عائشه».
➍ Also see: [ح : موطا امام مالک: 412]

Benefit:
It is established from this hadith that misfortune (nuhusaat) is found in three things. In contrast, in another hadith, the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: "If misfortune were to be in anything, it would be in a woman, a house, and a horse." [سـنـن النسائي : 1511]

These ahadith are not, in reality, contradictory, because one hadith explains the other. If all the ahadith on this issue are gathered together, it becomes clear that, in reality, misfortune is not found in anything. The attribution of misfortune to these things is only in the sense that generally, people have affection for these three things, and the reason for attributing misfortune to them is by no means that these things are inherently, by their very nature, unlucky, because it is established from the hadith that misfortune does not exist at all. «لاطيرة » There is no misfortune or bad omen. [صحيح البخاري : 5754]