This hadith clearly distinguishes temporary pessimistic thoughts from giving in to bad omens. The distinction is at its clearest when people go ahead with whatever they are planning or what they is about to do, disregarding all negative thoughts and relying totally on God, and, on the other hand, giving in to such thoughts, changing one’s plans and purpose.

All this concerns bad omens, but what about good omens?

There is a clear distinction between the two, as appears in the following hadith in which Abu Hurairah quoted the Prophet as saying, “Do not entertain bad omens. The best of omen is the auspice ” Asked what is the auspice, the Prophet answered, “A good word one of you hears. ” (Al-Bukhari and Ahmad).

In this hadith, the Prophet gave a clear order that finding bad omens in any sign is unacceptable in Islam. In fact, it is forbidden, unless one tries to dispel its effects by placing his trust in God.

Next, the Prophet spoke about good omens as being the best. The comparison here is not between two good things with one being better than the other, because there is nothing good in allowing bad omen to dictate our course of action. The comparative is merely in what we feel when something causes us to be optimistic or pessimistic about something we are embarking upon.

Besides, the Prophet explained that people normally find good omens in a good word they hear. It is not a sign by a bird or some other animal or an inanimate object. A good word may affect a person because it expresses some favorable feeling, or describes a positive situation. It is in human nature that we like fine expressions, beautiful scenes, peaceful surroundings, even when nothing of it belongs to us.

Similarly, words that speak of a good thing happening to us soon are bound to have a good effect on us. We note here that such words may be without foundation, but the fact that they give us a sense of optimism is beneficial, provided that we attribute all future events to God’s will.

To give an example, a mother might say to her daughter on the morning she will take her exams, “I feel in my heart that you will do well.” The daughter will feel optimistic and will approach her exam in good spirits. There is nothing wrong with that, as long as the daughter does not attribute her fine results to her mother’s words or feelings.

References

Taken, with some modifications from Islamic Voice. First published in July 2005