Muslim

Hadith Commentary:
There is consensus among all rational people regarding the baselessness of bad omens, but in the matter of contagion, some physicians differ and say that experience shows certain diseases are contagious, such as leprosy and plague, etc.
We say that this is your misconception; if they were truly contagious, then all the people of a household or an entire city would become afflicted, but this does not happen. Rather, within a single household, some people fall ill while others remain healthy, as is commonly observed.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
All rational people are agreed upon the invalidity of bad omens (badshaguni).
Regarding the three things mentioned in the hadith, there is another narration in which the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
“Bad omen, if it exists, is in the horse, the woman, and the house.”
(Sunan Ibn Majah, Book of Medicine, Hadith: 3921)
Its meaning is that, even if bad omen were to exist, it could possibly be found in these three mentioned things, but this is not definite.
If a mount, a wife, or a house is not beneficial in religious or worldly matters, then there is no harm in replacing them.
The inauspiciousness of a mount is that it is stubborn and not capable of fulfilling its purpose.
The inauspiciousness of a wife is that she is ill-tempered and quarrelsome.
And the inauspiciousness of a house is that it is cramped and dark, or its neighbors are not good.
(2)
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) declared the bad omens of the Age of Ignorance to be shirk and said:
“Every one of us is sometimes afflicted by some suspicion, but Allah removes it through trust (tawakkul) in Him.”
(Sunan Ibn Majah, Book of Medicine, Hadith: 3538)
In any case, bad omens and inauspiciousness have no standing in the Shariah.
And Allah knows best.

Hadith Footnote:
But in reality, it is not present in them either.
Except as Allah wills.

Hadith Commentary:
Many rulings are established from this hadith, for example: it is obligatory upon traders to fully inform buyers about the good and bad qualities of the animals, and to conduct the transaction with complete honesty.
They must never resort to deception.
If such deception occurs and the buyer later finds out, then upon learning of it, he has the choice to return the item and take back his money, and to annul the transaction.
It is also understood that if a merchant, out of forgetfulness or error, sells such goods, it is incumbent upon him to later go to the customer, apologize, and leave the matter to the customer’s discretion.
This will be a sign of the merchant’s nobility of character.
It is also understood that the customer should act with forbearance, and, as much as possible, forgive the mistake made against him and allow the agreed-upon transaction to remain, for such generosity can become a cause of abundant blessing for him.
Further details regarding “la ‘adwa” will come at another place, insha’Allah ta‘ala.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
It is the responsibility of traders that they inform buyers of the defects in their animals; in this matter, there must never be any deception. Furthermore, evidence is found for the buying and selling of defective items, provided that the seller clarifies the defect and the buyer accepts it.
If the clarification is made after the transaction has been finalized, then the buyer has the choice to either keep the item or return it.

(2)
If a merchant, out of forgetfulness or error, sells defective goods, it is necessary that afterwards he goes to the customer, apologizes, and leaves the matter to the customer’s discretion.
This will be a sign of his nobility and honesty.
The customer’s forbearance, forgiving him, and maintaining the transaction is a sign of his generosity.
Doing so can be a cause of goodness and blessing.

(3)
No disease is inherently contagious; regarding this, we will present our remarks in the Book of Medicine (Kitab al-Tibb), insha’Allah ta’ala. It should be noted that in Musnad Humaydi, Sufyan has explicitly stated “haddathana” (he narrated to us).
(Musnad al-Humaydi: 2/42, Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, first edition, and Fath al-Bari: 4/407)

Commentary:
(1)
It is generally assumed that if a healthy person sits or stands with a sick person, eats or drinks with him, or uses his clothing, he will also contract the same illness as the patient. In common parlance, such illnesses are called contagious diseases. The reality is that disease does not transfer from one person to another in this manner; however, it is possible that the same cause which produced the illness in the first person may also be present in another person, and thus he too becomes ill. In modern medicine, the theory of germs is very popular, but even these germs have an effect only by the command of Allah; in other words, the real cause of another person falling ill is the decree of Allah the Exalted, not merely sitting or associating with the patient. Furthermore, the homeopathic theory of treatment does not even accept germs as the cause of diseases, so according to this theory as well, the idea of a disease transferring from one person to another is a mistaken concept.

(2)
The Arabs used to take omens from the passing of birds and wild animals. If someone wanted to do something, he would throw a stone at a sitting bird or deer to make it fly; if it went to the right, it was considered a good sign that the task would be successful, and if it went to the left, it was thought that there would be no success. Such actions are merely manifestations of superstition and have no basis in reality. Even today, such superstitions are found, for example: considering it a bad omen to meet a lame or one-eyed person; thinking that if a black cat crosses the path, the task will not be accomplished; or declaring a particular number (such as the number thirteen), or a particular day (such as Tuesday), or a particular month (such as the month of Safar or Shawwal) as inauspicious—these are all included in this. Making a talisman and placing a finger in its boxes, or trying to determine one's fortune through such fortune-telling methods, are all signs of weakness of faith.

(3)
Among the polytheists of Arabia, there was also a mistaken belief that if the blood of a murdered person was not avenged, his soul would take the form of an owl, wandering and shrieking, demanding retribution. Because of this false belief, the cycle of revenge and bloodshed continued from generation to generation among those people, even though there was no reality to it. Similarly, considering the owl to be unlucky is also incorrect. It, too, is a creation of Allah like other creatures, and has no connection to the fate of humans.

Commentary:
Benefits and Issues:
If one camel contracts mange from another, and the second from a third, then there must be some camel that did not contract it from another.
So, the cause by which the first became ill,
by that same cause those who come after can also become ill,
whether or not they come into contact with an already sick one.