Is Islam a superstitious religion?
The sections of this article are:
1- Is Islam a superstitious religion? The practice was not a superstition, but rather a spit and insult
on satan.
2- Voodoo and Superstition in the Bible.
Let us look at few Sayings from Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him:
Narrated Abu Qatada: "The Prophet said, 'A true good dream is from Allah, and a bad dream is from Satan.' (Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Interpretation of Dreams, Volume 9, Book 87, Number 113)"
Narrated Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri: "The Prophet said, 'If anyone of you sees a dream that he likes, then it is from Allah, and he should thank Allah for it and narrate it to others; but if he sees something else, i.e., a dream that he dislikes, then it is from Satan, and he should seek refuge with Allah from its evil, and he should not mention it to anybody, for it will not harm him.' (Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Interpretation of Dreams, Volume 9, Book 87, Number 114)"
Narrated Abu Qatada: "The Prophet said, 'A good dream that comes true is from Allah, and a bad dream is from Satan, so if anyone of you sees a bad dream, he should seek refuge with Allah from Satan and should spit on the left, for the bad dream will not harm him.' (Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Interpretation of Dreams, Volume 9, Book 87, Number 115)"
A lady had sent me an email saying that Islam is a superstitious religion, because Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him in Saying Number 115 said that a person should spit on the left if he had a bad dream.
My response to her is that Islam is not about superstition. This Saying (Hadith) like the ones above is referring to the good and bad dreams. The good dreams that come true come because Allah Almighty wants to do you good. The bad dreams can be sometimes signs for something bad to happen to you (GOD forbid) in the near future. Sometimes the dream itself occurs in the exact way you saw it. This is not superstition. Psychologists agree that bad dreams sometimes do come true and they do occur because bad things have either happened or are about to happen to a person.
I once saw in a movie that dealt with dreams in high school that bad people or oppressing people to a person come in a form of wild animals that attack him or chase him.
So every time you have a bad dream or a nightmare you should always seek refuge from Allah Almighty, and spiting (on your left without throwing saliva) might actually help you because the left represents the bad and the right represents the good in Islam. That is why people shake hands with right hands.
Even when we sneeze, we should cover our mouths (if people are present) with our left hands, so that when we have to shake hands with the right hand, we don't offend anyone. These things are part of the "Islamic Morals" that Muslims are encouraged to follow.
Same thing when we enter houses, our Prophet peace be upon him commanded us to start with our right foot before we step into the door. This is not superstition. If you don't do it, Allah Almighty will not be mad at you or damn you. It's just these are things that help you to always remember Allah Almighty (since we do them on regular basis) and to always seek His refuge from Satan.
So "left" almost always represents Satan, and the right always represents the good. The reason why I say "left almost always" is because there are instances where you use your left hand first, such as writing if you are a left-handed person.
The Hadith above is just reminding us that we constantly have to curse satan and seek the refuge of Allah Almighty from him.
Further from brother Amr Mahmood; may Allah Almighty
always be pleased with him.
From: bglondonlab@bluegem.fsnet.co.uk
To: truthspeaks@answering-christianity.com
Subj: A Muslim with further comment to superstition accusation.
Date: 10/22/2003 10:39:49 AM Central Standard Time
Assalamualaikum
In reference to superstition_and_islam.htm the comment made by a lady saying that
Interpretation of Dreams number 115 is superstition. I disagree.
Other than the points you raised. I would say...
Superstition is a belief in a false prediction of the future. The spitting to the side is not done because of the content of the bad dream, in fact it is done because of the bad dream itself. It means shaitans (satans) are near and the spitting to the left and reading duah (verbal prayers) will ward them away.
Spitting is a 'reaction' of the shaitans coming near rather than a 'safeguard' from a possible future calamity.
As Muslims we welcome any such trial from Allah. We must fear none except Allah and the action helps us do this.
.......
Amer Mahmood
Voodoo and Superstition in the Bible:
The following Biblical verses were sent to me by Jafar; may Allah Almighty always be pleased with him.
Leviticus 14
49 To purify the house he is to take two
birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop.
50 He shall kill one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot.
51 Then he is to take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn and the live bird, dip
them into the blood of the dead bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven
times.
52 He shall purify the house with the bird's blood, the fresh water, the live
bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop and the scarlet yarn.
53 Then he is to release the live bird in the open fields outside the town. In this way he
will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean."
How is the killing of any bird and use of cedar wood supposed to physically clean or purify any house? It is clear that this is a voodoo and superstitious practice.
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