Source: Fatāwā Arkān-e-Islām
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«لَا عَدْوَی، وَلَا طِيَرَةَ، وَلَا هَامَّةَ، وَلَا صَفَرَ»
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, al-Ṭibb, Bāb al-Judhām, ḥadīth 5707; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, al-Salām, Bāb Lā ʿAdwā wa Lā Ṭiyarah wa Lā Hāmah, ḥadīth 2220)
“No contagious disease (by itself), no evil omen, no Hāmah, and no (superstition related to) Ṣafar.”
In this ḥadīth, the Prophet ﷺ negated four superstitious beliefs prevalent among the Arabs of Jāhiliyyah.
First interpretation:
Second interpretation:
(a) The month of Ṣafar
(b) A disease in camels
(c) Changing the sacred months
Preferred view: Ṣafar here refers to the Jāhiliyyah superstition, and the ḥadīth rejects it as baseless.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
«لَا يُورِدُ مُمْرِضٌ عَلٰی مُصِحٍّ»
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5771; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2221)
“A sick camel owner should not take his camels near the healthy ones.”
Another statement:
«فِرَّ مِنَ الْمَجْذُومِ فِرَارَکَ مِنَ الْاَسَدِ»
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5707; Musnad Aḥmad 2/443)
“Flee from the leper as you would flee from a lion.”
When the Prophet ﷺ said “No contagion,” a man said:
“O Messenger of Allah! Camels are like deer in the desert, but when a mangy camel mixes with them, they also become infected.”
The Prophet ﷺ replied:
«فَمَنْ اَعْدَی الْاَوَّلَ» (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5717)
“Who infected the first camel?”
وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
Ḥadīth of the Prophet ﷺ
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«لَا عَدْوَی، وَلَا طِيَرَةَ، وَلَا هَامَّةَ، وَلَا صَفَرَ»
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, al-Ṭibb, Bāb al-Judhām, ḥadīth 5707; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, al-Salām, Bāb Lā ʿAdwā wa Lā Ṭiyarah wa Lā Hāmah, ḥadīth 2220)
“No contagious disease (by itself), no evil omen, no Hāmah, and no (superstition related to) Ṣafar.”
In this ḥadīth, the Prophet ﷺ negated four superstitious beliefs prevalent among the Arabs of Jāhiliyyah.
Explanation of the Four Matters
① ʿAdwā (Contagious Disease)
- Refers to the transmission of disease from one person to another.
- Includes both physical (sensory) and moral/spiritual illnesses.
- The Prophet ﷺ said:
“The bad companion is like the blacksmith’s bellows — it will either burn your clothes or you will get a foul smell from it.” [1] - The term here indicates the effect of both physical and moral contagion.
② Ṭiyarah (Evil Omen)
- Taking a bad omen from something seen, heard, or known.
- It was a common practice in pre-Islamic Arabia, rejected by the Sharīʿah.
③ Hāmah
First interpretation:
- A specific disease that could spread from a patient to others — here as a particular case after the general mention of contagion (ʿaṭf al-khāṣ ʿalā al-ʿāmm).
Second interpretation:
- The name of a bird (owl).
- In Jāhiliyyah, people believed the soul of a murdered person would appear as an owl near the victim’s home and cry until revenge was taken.
- They also took the owl’s call as a sign of death — a false belief.
④ Ṣafar
(a) The month of Ṣafar
- Arabs considered it unlucky, although it is like any other month — capable of both good and bad events.
(b) A disease in camels
- “Ṣafar” was also the name of an illness that could spread among camels, mentioned as a specific case under the general rule of contagion.
(c) Changing the sacred months
- Disbelievers would shift the sanctity of Muḥarram to Ṣafar.
Preferred view: Ṣafar here refers to the Jāhiliyyah superstition, and the ḥadīth rejects it as baseless.
Examples of False Practices
- Some people give special importance to completing a task on the 25th of Ṣafar — a baseless and ignorant practice.
- Likewise, some scholars disapproved of saying “Khairan in shāʾ Allāh” after hearing an owl’s call, as the owl’s voice has no link to good or bad fortune.
Purpose of the Prophet’s Teaching
- To emphasize reliance on Allah ﷻ and firm resolve.
- Engaging in these superstitions shows weakness unbefitting a believer.
Two States of a Person Regarding These Matters
- Acting upon them — attaching outcomes to imaginary causes.
- Not acting but feeling affected in the heart — although lesser, still to be avoided; full trust in Allah is necessary.
Practices Like Divination
- Some open the Qur’an for omens:
- Seeing “Hell” — they deem it a bad sign.
- Seeing “Paradise” — they consider it good luck.
- This is like the pre-Islamic practice of drawing lots with arrows.
Meaning of the Negation
- The ḥadīth denies the independent effect of these things, not their existence.
- Allah alone is the true cause of all effects; real causes are valid, imaginary ones are false.
Evidence for the Existence of Contagion
The Prophet ﷺ said:
«لَا يُورِدُ مُمْرِضٌ عَلٰی مُصِحٍّ»
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5771; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2221)
“A sick camel owner should not take his camels near the healthy ones.”
- This proves diseases can be transmitted.
Another statement:
«فِرَّ مِنَ الْمَجْذُومِ فِرَارَکَ مِنَ الْاَسَدِ»
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5707; Musnad Aḥmad 2/443)
“Flee from the leper as you would flee from a lion.”
- Leprosy is severe and harmful; avoiding it is a preventive measure, not belief in its independent power.
- Supported by:
﴿وَلا تُلقوا بِأَيديكُم إِلَى التَّهلُكَةِ﴾ (al-Baqarah: 195)
“Do not throw yourselves into destruction.”
Addressing the Objection
When the Prophet ﷺ said “No contagion,” a man said:
“O Messenger of Allah! Camels are like deer in the desert, but when a mangy camel mixes with them, they also become infected.”
The Prophet ﷺ replied:
«فَمَنْ اَعْدَی الْاَوَّلَ» (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5717)
“Who infected the first camel?”
- The origin of disease is by Allah’s will. The first camel fell ill without any preceding cause; others may catch it through natural means, but all is by Allah’s decree.
Contagious Diseases and Trust in Allah
- Epidemics like plague and cholera affect some but not others.
- The Prophet ﷺ once ate with a leper — showing his complete trust in Allah.
Reconciling the Ḥadīths
- Best reconciliation: negation of independent effect, not of existence.
- Some claimed abrogation, but reconciliation is preferred, as abrogation is only accepted when reconciliation is impossible.
- This way, both sets of ḥadīths are applied without invalidating either.
وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
