Their Belief That Days and Nights Secure Benefit and Cause Harm
Their Belief That Days and Nights Secure Benefit and Cause Harm
Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala says:
وَمَا بِكُمْ مِّنْ نِّعْمَةٍ فَمِنَ اللّٰهِ ثُمَّ إِذَا مَسَّكُمُ الضُّرُّ فَإِلَيْهِ تَجْأَرُوْنَ
Whatever bounties you enjoy are all from Allah. Then when difficulty afflicts you it is Him that you beseech.[1]
So benefit and harm is only from Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala. Days and nights do not effect either of the two. However, the Shia defy this by claiming that some days carry bad omen due to which a person’s needs are not fulfilled. Abu ‘Abdullah says:
لا تخرج يوم الجمعة في حاجة، فإذا كان يوم السبت و طلعت الشمس فاخرج في حاجتك
Do not leave for an errand on Friday. When Saturday comes and its sun rises then leave for your needs.[2]
He likewise said:
السبت لنا، و الأحد لبني أمية
Saturday is for us and Sunday is for the Banu Umayyah.[3]
He also said:
فأي يوم اعظم شؤما من يوم الاثنين…لا تخرجوا يوم الاثنين واخرجوا يوم الثلاثاء
Is there any day which is more replete with bed-luck then Monday. Do not leave on Monday for you needs but leave of Tuesday.[4]
He has also said:
لا تسافر يوم الاثنين ولا تطلب فيه حاجة
Do not travel on Monday and do not seek to fulfil your needs therein.[5]
Just as he has said:
اخر أربعاء في الشهر يوم نحس مستمر
The last Wednesday of the month is a day of continuous misfortune.[6]
Amir al Mu’minin ‘Ali (according to their fabrications) is reported to have said:
يوم السبت يوم مكر و خديعة و يوم الأحد يوم غرس و بناء، و يوم الاثنين يوم سفرو طلب، و يوم الثلثاء يوم حرب و دم،و يوم الأربعاء يوم شؤم يتطير فيه الناس، و يوم الخميس يوم الدخول علي الامراء و قضاء الحوائج،و يوم الجمعة يوم خطبة و نكاح
Saturday is a day of ploy and deception. Sunday is a day of planting and building. Monday is a day of quest and journey. Tuesday is a day of war and bloodshed. Wednesday is a day of misfortune wherein people forebode. Thursday is a day of visiting the influential and fulfilling needs. And the day of Friday is a day of proposal and marriage.[7]
They have other narrations as well which purport the same meaning.[8] The comprehensive understanding of these narrations entails that the days: Friday, Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday are days of ingrained misfortune. Hence a person should not fulfil his needs therein.
But if you noticed, the last narration suggests that Monday is a day of quest and journey. This opposes the narrations that passed. Therefore, their scholar al Hurr al ‘Amili has interpreted this to be said in Taqiyyah.[9]
Based on this, all four days are days of misfortune according to the Shia. Which leaves a Shia with only three days in the week to do work.
This is a type of foreboding[10], i.e. pessimism generated due to certain days, birds, names, words and lands, etc. This phenomenon is from the practices of the people of ignorance and the polytheists. Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala has condemned them and despised them in the Qur’an. Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam has likewise prohibited us from foreboding (known as Tatayyur), and informed us that it is tantamount to ascribing partners with Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala. It cannot in any way effect procuring benefit or repelling harm and that it is from the whisperings of Shaitan and his threats.
Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala says:
أَلَا إِنَّمَا طَائِرُهُمْ عِندَ اللّٰهِ وَلٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُوْنَ
Behold! Their misfortune is with Allah but most of them do not know.[11]
‘Ali ibn Talhah narrates from Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhuma the following:
ألا إنما طئرهم عند الله، يقول: مصائبهم عند الله ولكن أكثرهم لا يعلمون
The verse, “Behold! Their misfortune is with Allah,” implies that calamities befall them from Allah but most people do not know.
And Ibn Jarir mentions that Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhuma would say that “Behold their misfortune is with Allah” means that it comes from Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala.[12]
Ibn Mas’ud radiya Llahu ‘anhu narrates that Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:
الطيرة شرك الطيرة شرك ثلاثا
“Foreboding is Shirk. Foreboding is Shirk.” He said this three times.[13]
This is unequivocal in the prohibition of foreboding due the heart therein being connected to others besides Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala.[14]
Ibn Hajar radiya Llahu ‘anhu says:
و إنما جعل ذالك شركا لا عتقادهم أن ذلك يجلب نفعا أو يدفع ضرا فكأنهم اشركوه مع الله تعالي
And this has been equated to Shirk because of their belief that it would procure for them benefit or repel from them harm. So it is as if they ascribed a partner to Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala.[15]
It is false claim meant to waste time, delay needs, turn the hearts of people away from Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala to creation that cannot benefit nor harm.
Nevertheless, there is no peculiarity that one will find in the books of the Shia but that he will find within their own books narrations that contradict it. There are narrations that completely defy this belief. Usually the most effective debunking tool is the one done by the opponent against himself. The books of the Shia report that Abu ‘Abdullah said:
لا طيرة
There is no foreboding.[16]
He also said:
كفارة الطيرة التوكل
The expiation of foreboding is relying upon Allah.[17]
Abu al Hassan al Thani (al Rida) says:
من خرج يوم الأربعاء..خلافا علي أهل الطيرة وقي من كل افة و عوفي من كل عاهة و قضي الله له حاجته
That person who leaves on a Wednesday for a need (against the practice of the people of foreboding) will be saved from every calamity, will be granted relief from every difficulty and Allah will fulfil his need.[18]
Likewise there appears a narration which reads as follows:
إذا تطيرت فامض
When you sense a bed omen continue (and do not withdraw).[19]
And there appears a narrations in al Bihar:
أن النبي صلي الله عليه وسلم كان يحب الفأل، و يكره الطيرة، و كان عليه السلام يأمر من راي شيأ يكرهه،و يتطير منه أن يقول (اللهم لا يؤتي الخير إلا أنت ولا يدفع السيئات إلا أنت ولا حول ولا قوة إلا بك)
Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam loved good omens and despised bed omens. And when Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam would see something unpleasant due to which he would have a sense of foreboding he would say, “O Allah no one grants good but you, no one dispels evil but you and there is no resistance (from sinning) and no power (to do good) but through you.”[20]
So this is wholesale contradiction. And contradiction is a sign of the invalidity of a creed. However, the principle of Taqiyyah and the opposition of the majority (Ahlus Sunnah) prevent the Shia from benefitting from such narrations. Hence, you see their scholar interpreting the narration of Monday being a day of Quest and it being a day of journey is considered Taqiyyah.
[1] Surah al Nahl: 53
[2] Man La Yahduruhu al Faqih 1/95; Wasa’il al Shia 8/253
[3] Man La Yahduruhu al Faqih 2/342; Wasa’il al Shia 8/253
[4] Man La Yahduruhu al Faqih 1/95; al Rawdah p. 314; al Mahasin p. 347; Wasa’il al Shia 8/253; al Khisal 2/26.
[5] Al Mahasin p. 346; Wasa’il al Shia 8/257
[6] Al Khisal 2/27; Wasa’il al Shia 8/257
[7] ‘Ilal al Sharai’ p. 199; al Khisal 2/28; ‘Uyun al Akhbar p. 137; Wasa’il al Shia 8/258.
[8] Many of these narrations have been recorded in the books regarding forgeries (al Mawdu’at). See: Ibn al Jawzi: al Mawdu’at p. 71-74; Ibn ‘Iraq: Tanzih al Shari’ah al Marfu’ah 2/53-56; al Shawkani: al Fawa’id al Majmu’ah p. 437-438.
[9] Wasa’il al Shia 8/258
[10] The foreboding is the days of ignorance was where people would rely upon birds. If any of them would leave on an errand and would see the bird flying to the right he would consider it a good omen and continue his journey, and if it would fly to the left he would forebode evil and return. Some of them would actually incite the bird to fly. They would name these birds al Sanih and al Barih. Al Sanih was the bird that would fly from a left of a person to his right and al Barih was the bird that would fly from the right of a person to his left. They would derive good omen from the former and bed omen from the latter. (Fath al Bari 10/212-213; Lisan al ‘Arab 4/512)
Some have differentiated between bed omen (Tiyarah) and pessimism (Tatayyur). Tiyarah they say is the evil thought that lingers in a person’s mind and Tatayyur is the bad that comes to being due to that evil thought. The author of ‘Awn al Ma’bud has attributed this to al ‘Izz ibn ‘Abd al Salam. (‘Awn al Ma’bud 10/406).
[11] Surah al A’raf: 131
[12] Tafsir Ibn Kathir 2/257
[13] Sunan Abi Dawood, ‘chapter regarding foreboding’ 4/230; Sunan al Tirmidhi, ‘chapter regarding foreboding’ 4/160-161. He has classified this narration as Hassan Sahih; Sunan Ibn Majah 2/1170; Sahih Ibn Hibban narration no. 1427.
[14] Fath al Majid p. 361
[15] Fath al Bari 10/213; Lisan al ‘Arab 4/513
[16] Rawdah al Kafi p. 196; Wasa’il al Shia 8/262
[17] Rawdah al Kafi p. 198; Wasa’il al Shia 8/262
[18] Man la Yahduruhu al Faqih 1/95; al Khisal 2/27
[19] Tuhaf al ‘Uqul p. 50
[20] Bihar al Anwar 95/2-3; al Tabarsi: Makarim al Akhlaq p. 403