task. Somebody calls out: ‘Ya Rasheed [i.e. O the guided one]’, ‘Ya Sa’eed [i.e. O the obedient one]’, ‘O the fortunate one’, and we thought that it’s a good name. اِنْ شَــآءَالـلّٰـه عَزَّوَجَلَّ we will succeed in our task. Or we beheld a noble and righteous person. So we deemed it to be good in our favour thinking thatاِنْ شَــآءَالـلّٰـه عَزَّوَجَلَّ  we will now succeed in our task; this is a good omen and Islam has liked it. Whereas, Islam prohibits us from developing a bad omen by looking at something. For instance, a person left his house with the intention of travelling. But a black cat crossed him on the way. Now the person has developed the mindset that due to its curse, he will definitely face a difficulty in his journey. Hence, he stopped from travelling. Therefore, doing so is falling prey to bad omen and Shari’ah has prohibited from it. There is no concept in Islam for considering any person, place, thing or time to be bad omened.

Ayahs of the Holy Quran

The Holy Quran prohibits from bad omen at various places. Therefore, Allah Almighty states in part 9, Surah Al-A’raf, Ayah no. 131, regarding the people of Pharaoh:

فَاِذَا جَآءَتْهُمُ الْحَسَنَةُ قَالُوْا لَنَا هٰذِهٖۚ-وَ اِنْ تُصِبْهُمْ سَیِّئَةٌ یَّطَّیَّرُوْا بِمُوْسٰى وَ مَنْ مَّعَهٗؕ-اَلَاۤ اِنَّمَا طٰٓىٕرُهُمْ عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ وَ لٰكِنَّ اَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا یَعْلَمُوْنَ(۱۳۱)

Translation from Kanz ul Iman: So when they received any goodness, they would say, ‘this is for us (i.e. we deserve it),’ and when misfortune befalls them, so they would consider it as a bad omen from Musa and his companions. Pay heed! The misfortune of their ill fate is by Allah, but most of them are unaware. (Part. 9, Surah Al-A’raf, Ayah 131)

Hakeem-ul-Ummah, Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه writes under this Ayah: When the people of Pharaoh would get afflicted with any calamity (drought etc.), then (they) would have a bad omen towards Sayyiduna Musa عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلاَم and his believer companions. They used to say that since these people have come in our lands, we have been inflicted with calamities since then. (The honourable Mufti further writes): A person repents after falling