Source: Fatāwā Shaykh al-Ḥadīth Mubārakpūrī, Volume 1, Page 56
Does Islam accept the concept of misfortune (nuhūsat)?
Is it valid to consider specific days, dates, months, animals, or directions as unlucky or a cause of harm or failure?
What is the correct understanding of the hadith which says:
"There is misfortune in a house, a horse, and a woman"
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Ṭibb; Muslim, Kitāb al-Salām, ḥadīth 2225)
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ʾammā baʿd!
✦
◈ Islamic teachings reject all forms of superstition and bad omens.
◈ Considering specific dates, days, or months as unlucky, or associating misfortune with the call of birds (e.g. crow or owl), or the presence of certain animals or colours is baseless and prohibited in Sharīʿah.
✦
◈ Thinking that a house's direction, a certain breed of horse, or a particular coloured animal can bring misfortune is contrary to Tawḥīd.
◈ The belief that these objects are inherently harmful is a form of minor shirk.
✔ Only Allah alone is the real cause (muʾathir ḥaqīqī) of benefit or harm.
✦
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Ṭibb; Muslim, Kitāb al-Salām, ḥadīth 2225)
Correct understanding as explained by scholars like Imām Mālik and others:
✔ These things can sometimes become apparent causes of hardship, by the decree (qaḍāʾ) of Allah,
not due to any intrinsic misfortune.
✦
Interpretation regarding women:
◈ If a wife is disobedient, ill-tempered, barren, or incompatible — the resulting distress may be figuratively described as misfortune.
Interpretation regarding homes:
◈ A house that is cramped, distant from the mosque, or located among bad neighbors or poor surroundings may cause discomfort, which is referred to as misfortune in a metaphorical sense.
Interpretation regarding horses:
◈ A horse that is wild, disobedient, costly to maintain, or ineffective may be described practically as troublesome, not due to any spiritual or mystical cause.
✦
◈ Believing that a house’s entrance facing a certain direction causes failure or success is against Islamic teachings.
◈ Considering travel on certain days or months unlucky is from pre-Islamic ignorance.
✦
✔ The majority of scholars (jumhūr) hold that nothing possesses intrinsic or causal misfortune.
✔ The rajih (strongest) and soundest opinion is that no created being has any independent power of benefit or harm.
✔ The Prophet ﷺ said:
"There is no ʿadwā (contagion without Allah’s will), no ṭiyarah (bad omen), no hama, and no ṣafar."
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 5707)
✔ No person, place, object, direction, or date is inherently unlucky.
✔ Believing in such superstitions is prohibited, and in some cases falls under shirk.
✔ Islam teaches full reliance on Allah, and that He alone is the one who brings benefit and harm.
✔ The hadith regarding the house, horse, and woman refers to worldly inconveniences, not real misfortune.
ـــ ❖ ـــ
ھٰذَا مَا عِندِي، وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَاب
❖ Question:
Does Islam accept the concept of misfortune (nuhūsat)?
Is it valid to consider specific days, dates, months, animals, or directions as unlucky or a cause of harm or failure?
What is the correct understanding of the hadith which says:
"There is misfortune in a house, a horse, and a woman"
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Ṭibb; Muslim, Kitāb al-Salām, ḥadīth 2225)
✿ Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ʾammā baʿd!
✦ 
❶ The Concept of Misfortune Has No Place in Islam
◈ Islamic teachings reject all forms of superstition and bad omens.
◈ Considering specific dates, days, or months as unlucky, or associating misfortune with the call of birds (e.g. crow or owl), or the presence of certain animals or colours is baseless and prohibited in Sharīʿah.
✦ ❷ Believing in Physical Objects as a Cause of Harm Is Shirk
◈ Thinking that a house's direction, a certain breed of horse, or a particular coloured animal can bring misfortune is contrary to Tawḥīd.
◈ The belief that these objects are inherently harmful is a form of minor shirk.
✔ Only Allah alone is the real cause (muʾathir ḥaqīqī) of benefit or harm.
✦ 
❸ Clarifying the Hadith: “Misfortune Is in a House, Horse, and Woman”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Ṭibb; Muslim, Kitāb al-Salām, ḥadīth 2225) Correct understanding as explained by scholars like Imām Mālik and others:✔ These things can sometimes become apparent causes of hardship, by the decree (qaḍāʾ) of Allah,
not due to any intrinsic misfortune.
✦ ❹ Valid Interpretations of the Hadith by Scholars
Interpretation regarding women:
◈ If a wife is disobedient, ill-tempered, barren, or incompatible — the resulting distress may be figuratively described as misfortune.
Interpretation regarding homes:
◈ A house that is cramped, distant from the mosque, or located among bad neighbors or poor surroundings may cause discomfort, which is referred to as misfortune in a metaphorical sense.
Interpretation regarding horses:
◈ A horse that is wild, disobedient, costly to maintain, or ineffective may be described practically as troublesome, not due to any spiritual or mystical cause.
✦ ❺ Superstitions Regarding Directions, Travel, and Days Are Baseless
◈ Believing that a house’s entrance facing a certain direction causes failure or success is against Islamic teachings.
◈ Considering travel on certain days or months unlucky is from pre-Islamic ignorance.
✦ ❻ Consensus of the Scholars: Nothing Is Inherently Unlucky
✔ The majority of scholars (jumhūr) hold that nothing possesses intrinsic or causal misfortune.
✔ The rajih (strongest) and soundest opinion is that no created being has any independent power of benefit or harm.
✔ The Prophet ﷺ said:
"There is no ʿadwā (contagion without Allah’s will), no ṭiyarah (bad omen), no hama, and no ṣafar."
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 5707)
Conclusion:
✔ No person, place, object, direction, or date is inherently unlucky.
✔ Believing in such superstitions is prohibited, and in some cases falls under shirk.
✔ Islam teaches full reliance on Allah, and that He alone is the one who brings benefit and harm.
✔ The hadith regarding the house, horse, and woman refers to worldly inconveniences, not real misfortune.
ـــ ❖ ـــ
ھٰذَا مَا عِندِي، وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَاب
