Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 28090 — Reports on evil omens

Ziyad bin Abi Maryam said that Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) set out on a journey. Some gazelles came towards him, and when they drew near him they turned back. A man said to him: "O Commander, go back." Sayyiduna Sa'd said to him: "Tell me, from which of them did you take an evil omen? From their horns when they came towards me, or from their tails when they turned and went away?" Then, on that occasion, Sayyiduna Sa'd also said: "Indeed, taking evil omens is a branch of shirk."