Throughout human history, various situations such as natural events, sometimes individuals, sometimes animals, or days have been considered unlucky. Examples of people who were excluded from society and animals that were tortured because they were considered unlucky can be found in historical sources. Islam rejects bad luck. While concepts such as breaking a mirror, seeing a black cat, the number 13, and Friday are considered unlucky in Christianity, staying between two dogs, passing between two women, and Monday are considered unlucky in Judaism.[1] In pre-Islamic Arab societies, bad luck is a common belief attributed to objects and people.
The religion of Islam has exhibited a different attitude from all these beliefs. The answers given to those who advocate bad luck are explained in various verses of the Qur’an. The belief in “bad luck” is rejected in the verses that mention that deniers describe people or situations as unlucky to justify themselves.[2]
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) did not like to find it ominous and to tire him badly and to delay his work by arranging his affairs for these reasons.
He described it as shirk to put things in order according to the direction of birds flying practiced by the Arabs of Ignorance (pre-Islamic Arabs).[3] Because such practices have led to the forgetting that the events come from Allah, connecting them with good luck and bad luck, thus ignoring the belief in tawhid. In the period when the month of Safar and the owl’s crowing were considered unlucky among the Arabian months, Hz. Muhammad (PBUH) said that these should not be considered unlucky,[4] and in another hadith, he gave the glad tidings of Paradise to those who do not practice magic, do not believe in bad luck, and put their trust in Allah.[5]
While rejecting the idea that events or things are inherently good or bad in Islam, it is emphasized that each of the troubles or benevolent events should be evaluated as a test from Allah, a requirement of the Islamic faith.[6]
[1] TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, “Bad luck”
[2] Ya-sin/19, Neml/45-47, Al-A’raf/130-131
[3] Abu Dawud, “Tib”, 24
[4] Bukhari, “Tib”, 45, 54; Muslim, “Salam”, 102
[5] Bukhari, “Rikaq”,21
[6] An-Nisa/78