Complete trust in the One Almighty, the owner of all profit and loss, is the essence of “Tawakkul (trust in Allah),” which is a testament to your being a true Muslim. But today, our state of “lack of trust” is such that we have accepted as responsible for every gain and loss things that have no connection to them, disregarding the One who holds all power in His hands.
This is “superstition,” which is the opposite of “Tawakkul.” This mindset creates the greatest barrier in accepting the truth. No day, stone, human, bird, or stars can be the creator of human benefit or harm except for Allah.
Allah says: “Whatever good happens to you is from Allah, and whatever harm befalls you is from yourself (i.e., due to your own deeds).” (Al-Nisa)
Negative thoughts arising from superstition lead people to attribute certain things, rituals, or signs to be either lucky or unlucky, ultimately causing despair. Islam has no place for superstition, yet Muslims often fall prey to it.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, “Superstition (believing in something other than Allah for benefit and harm) is shirk, superstition is shirk, superstition is shirk. And every one of us might experience some form of doubt, but through Tawakkul, Allah removes it.” (Sunan Abu Dawood)
Superstition is exactly what leads to bad omens or pessimistic thinking, where a person expects misfortune based on certain signs.
The biggest reason for superstition among Muslims is ignorance and unfamiliarity with religious teachings. Even before Islam, people were trapped in superstition. For example, the Arabs used to consider the birth of a daughter as unlucky, believed breaking a door was a sign of blessing, and would interpret omens from birds, which determined whether they should proceed with a journey or not.
On the day of the death of Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH), there was a solar eclipse. Some people attributed his death to the eclipse, and the Prophet (PBUH) forbade this belief.
Today, many of us have associated our good fortune with various stones (emeralds, turquoise, etc.), stars, and planets. From the birth of a child to their job, marriage, travels, and other life events, we have connected ourselves to trivial things. Our lack of trust and superstition is such that when we return from Hajj or Umrah, we bring back stones that we believe are symbols of good luck. However, what is truly needed is the strengthening of our faith and trust in Allah.
Islam teaches that cleanliness is half of faith, but there are superstitions against it as well, with certain days and months considered unlucky, and rituals such as vows and offerings initiated to “remove” the bad luck, especially concerning the month of Safar, despite clear Hadiths that contradict this. There is no such thing as bad luck in the month of Safar. (Sunan Abu Dawood, Hadi 3916)
Similarly, certain animals and birds are also wrongly believed to bring bad luck. For example, a daughter is considered a blessing, but we have falsely labeled her as a burden. Islam encourages good treatment of widows, but superstition has made them considered unlucky.
This is the result of superstition that today’s Muslims are caught in practices similar to the pre-Islamic Arabs—believing in omens, fortune-telling, magic, and rituals that have become widespread in society, making it seem like we are living in an age of ignorance rather than Islam. These actions reflect weakness in faith and the adoption of false beliefs, even though the Quran and Hadith clearly teach that only Allah is the Master of benefit and harm, and nothing in this world, be it a season or anything else, holds the power to affect us except by His will.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “Guard Allah’s commands and He will guard you. Keep His rights, and you will find Him right in front of you. When you ask for something, ask only from Allah, and when you seek help, seek it only from Allah. Know that if the entire Ummah gathers to benefit you, they cannot give you more benefit than Allah has written for you. And if they gather to harm you, they cannot harm you more than what Allah has written for you. The pens have been lifted, and the pages have dried.” (Tirmidhi)
The list of our superstitions is long, but so is the number of Quranic verses and Hadiths that condemn them. In truth, superstition is a hidden form of shirk, which we may not even realize. It means we are associating Allah’s attributes and powers with His creation—stones, animals, and plants.
Allah says: “Who is there to accept the prayer of the distressed when he calls upon Him and remove his distress?” (An-Naml)
The shirk resulting from superstition is a grave injustice, one that cannot be forgiven. As humans, Allah has granted us the honor and position above all creation, yet through superstition, we are degrading ourselves. We have removed the fear of the Almighty from our hearts and replaced it with fear of everything else, which is against the dignity of humanity.
The need is to return to Islamic teachings and place all our hopes only in the One, as the Islamic teachings clearly explain. Those caught in the web of superstitions will never find their destination, and the greater tragedy is that they ruin both their faith and their afterlife.
Allah says that people curse time, but He controls the rotations of time and the day and night. He does as He wills. (Sahih Bukhari)
Therefore, a Muslim should strengthen his connection with his Lord, instead of blaming time and circumstances, and assess and correct his actions.
