In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Superstitions of the Age of Ignorance

(In the Light of the Qur’an)

یَسْــٴَـلُوْنَكَ عَنِ الْاَهِلَّةِؕ-قُلْ هِیَ مَوَاقِیْتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَ الْحَجِّؕ-وَ لَیْسَ الْبِرُّ بِاَنْ تَاْتُوا الْبُیُوْتَ مِنْ ظُهُوْرِهَا وَ لٰـكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنِ اتَّقٰىۚ-وَ اْتُوا الْبُیُوْتَ مِنْ اَبْوَابِهَا۪-وَ اتَّقُوا اللّٰهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُوْنَ

Transliteration: Yasʾalūnaka ʿani al-ahillah, qul hiya mawāqītu li-al-nāsi wa-al-ḥajj, wa-laysa al-birru bi-an taʾtū al-buyūta min ẓuhūrihā wa-lākinna al-birra mani ittaqā, waʾtū al-buyūta min abwābihā, wa-ittaqu Allāha laʿallakum tufliḥūn

Translation: “They ask you about the new moons. Say: they are measurements of time for the people and for ḥajj. And righteousness is not that you enter houses from their backs, but righteousness is the one who fears Allah; and enter houses from their doors, and fear Allah so that you may succeed.” (Al-Baqarah :189)

إِن يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ إِلَّآ إِنَـٰثًۭا وَإِن يَدْعُونَ إِلَّا شَيْطَـٰنًۭا مَّرِيدًۭا

Transliteration: In yadʿūna min dūnihī illā ināthan wa-in yadʿūna illā shayṭānan marīdā

Translation: “They invoke besides Him only females, and they invoke none but a rebellious Satan.” (An-Nisa :117)

لَّعَنَهُ ٱللَّهُ ۘ وَقَالَ لَأَتَّخِذَنَّ مِنْ عِبَادِكَ نَصِيبًۭا مَّفْرُوضًۭا

Transliteration: Laʿanahu Allāh, wa-qāla la-attakhidhanna min ʿibādika naṣīban mafrūḍā

Translation: “Allah has cursed him, and he said: I will surely take from Your servants a fixed share.” (An-Nisa :118)

وَلَأُضِلَّنَّهُمْ وَلَأُمَنِّيَنَّهُمْ وَلَـَٔامُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُبَتِّكُنَّ ءَاذَانَ ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ وَلَـَٔامُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ خَلْقَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَمَن يَتَّخِذِ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنَ وَلِيًّۭا مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ فَقَدْ خَسِرَ خُسْرَانًۭا مُّبِينًۭا

Transliteration: Wa-la-uḍillannahum wa-la-umanniyannahum wa-la-āmurannahum fa-layubattikunna ādhāna al-anʿām wa-la-āmurannahum fa-layughayyirunna khalqa Allāh, wa-man yattakhidhi al-shayṭāna waliyyan min dūni Allāhi faqad khasira khusrānan mubīnā

Translation: “And I will surely mislead them, and arouse in them false desires, and command them so they will slit the ears of cattle, and command them so they will alter the creation of Allah. And whoever takes Satan as an ally instead of Allah has certainly suffered a clear loss.” (An-Nisa :119)

يَعِدُهُمْ وَيُمَنِّيهِمْ ۖ وَمَا يَعِدُهُمُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ إِلَّا غُرُورًا

Transliteration: Yaʿiduhum wa-yumannīhim, wa-mā yaʿiduhumu al-shayṭānu illā ghurūrā

Translation: “He promises them and arouses desires in them, but Satan promises them nothing except deception.” (An-Nisa :120)

مَا جَعَلَ ٱللَّهُ مِنۢ بَحِيرَةٍۢ وَلَا سَآئِبَةٍۢ وَلَا وَصِيلَةٍۢ وَلَا حَامٍۢ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ٱلْكَذِبَ ۖ وَأَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ

Transliteration: Mā jaʿala Allāhu min baḥīratin wa-lā sāʾibatin wa-lā waṣīlatin wa-lā ḥāmin wa-lākinna alladhīna kafarū yaftarūna ʿalā Allāhi al-kadhib, wa-aktharuhum lā yaʿqilūn

Translation: “Allah has not instituted anything like Baḥīrah, nor Sāʾibah, nor Waṣīlah, nor Ḥām; but those who disbelieve invent lies against Allah, and most of them do not understand.” (Al-Ma’idah :103)

وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ تَعَالَوْا۟ إِلَىٰ مَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ وَإِلَى ٱلرَّسُولِ قَالُوا۟ حَسْبُنَا مَا وَجَدْنَا عَلَيْهِ ءَابَآءَنَا ۚ أَوَلَوْ كَانَ ءَابَآؤُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ شَيْـًۭٔا وَلَا يَهْتَدُونَ

Transliteration: Wa-idhā qīla lahum taʿālaw ilā mā anzala Allāhu wa-ilā al-rasūli qālū ḥasbunā mā wajadnā ʿalayhi ābāʾanā, a-wa-law kāna ābāʾuhum lā yaʿlamūna shayʾan wa-lā يهتدون

Translation: “And when it is said to them: come to what Allah has revealed and to the Messenger, they say: sufficient for us is what we found our forefathers upon. Even though their forefathers knew nothing and were not guided?” (Al-Ma’idah :104)

وَجَعَلُوا۟ لِلَّهِ مِمَّا ذَرَأَ مِنَ ٱلْحَرْثِ وَٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ نَصِيبًۭا فَقَالُوا۟ هَـٰذَا لِلَّهِ بِزَعْمِهِمْ وَهَـٰذَا لِشُرَكَآئِنَا ۖ فَمَا كَانَ لِشُرَكَآئِهِمْ فَلَا يَصِلُ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَمَا كَانَ لِلَّهِ فَهُوَ يَصِلُ إِلَىٰ شُرَكَآئِهِمْ ۗ سَآءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ

Transliteration: Wa-jaʿalū li-Allāhi mimmā dharaʾa mina al-ḥarthi wa-al-anʿāmi naṣīban fa-qālū hādhā li-Allāhi bi-zaʿmihim wa-hādhā li-shurakāʾinā, fa-mā kāna li-shurakāʾihim fa-lā yaṣilu ilā Allāh, wa-mā kāna li-Allāhi fa-huwa yaṣilu ilā shurakāʾihim, sāʾa mā yaḥkumūn

Translation: “And they assign to Allah from what He created of crops and cattle a share, and they say: this is for Allah — according to their claim — and this is for our partners. But what is for their partners does not reach Allah, and what is for Allah reaches their partners. Evil is what they judge.” (Al-An‘am :136)

وَكَذَٰلِكَ زَيَّنَ لِكَثِيرٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ قَتْلَ أَوْلَـٰدِهِمْ شُرَكَآؤُهُمْ لِيُرْدُوهُمْ وَلِيَلْبِسُوا۟ عَلَيْهِمْ دِينَهُمْ ۖ وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مَا فَعَلُوهُ ۖ فَذَرْهُمْ وَمَا يَفْتَرُونَ

Transliteration: Wa-kadhālika zayyana likathīrin mina al-mushrikīna qatla awlādihim shurakāʾuhum li-yurduhum wa-liyalbisū ʿalayhim dīnahum, wa-law shāʾa Allāhu mā faʿalūh, fa-dharhum wa-mā yaftarūn

Translation: “And likewise their partners made the killing of their children seem fair to many of the polytheists in order to destroy them and to confuse for them their religion; and if Allah had willed, they would not have done so. So leave them and what they invent.” (Al-An‘am :137)

وَقَالُوا۟ هَـٰذِهِۦٓ أَنْعَـٰمٌۭ وَحَرْثٌ حِجْرٌۭ لَّا يَطْعَمُهَآ إِلَّا مَن نَّشَآءُ بِزَعْمِهِمْ وَأَنْعَـٰمٌ حُرِّمَتْ ظُهُورُهَا وَأَنْعَـٰمٌ لَّا يَذْكُرُونَ ٱسْمَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا ٱفْتِرَآءً عَلَيْهِ ۚ سَيَجْزِيهِم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَفْتَرُونَ

Transliteration: Wa-qālū hādhihi anʿāmun wa-ḥarthun ḥijrun lā yaṭʿamuhā illā man nashāʾu bi-zaʿmihim, wa-anʿāmun ḥurrimat ẓuhūruhā wa-anʿāmun lā yadhkurūna isma Allāhi ʿalayhā iftirāʾan ʿalayh, sayajzīhim bimā kānū yaftarūn

Translation: “And they say: these cattle and crops are forbidden; none may eat them except whom we will — according to their claim; and there are cattle whose backs are forbidden, and cattle over which they do not mention the name of Allah, inventing lies against Him. He will recompense them for what they used to invent.” (Al-An‘am :138)

وَقَالُوا۟ مَا فِى بُطُونِ هَـٰذِهِ ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ خَالِصَةٌۭ لِّذُكُورِنَا وَمُحَرَّمٌ عَلَىٰٓ أَزْوَٰجِنَا ۖ وَإِن يَكُن مَّيْتَةًۭ فَهُمْ فِيهِ شُرَكَآءُ ۚ سَيَجْزِيهِمْ وَصْفَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ حَكِيمٌ عَلِيمٌۭ

Transliteration: Wa-qālū mā fī buṭūni hādhihi al-anʿāmi khāliṣatun li-dhukūrinā wa-muḥarramun ʿalā azwājinā, wa-in yakun maytatan fahum fīhi shurakāʾ, sayajzīhim waṣfahum, innahu ḥakīmun ʿalīm

Translation: “And they say: what is in the wombs of these cattle is exclusively for our males and forbidden to our females; but if it is stillborn, then they are partners in it. He will recompense them for their descriptions. Indeed, He is Wise, All-Knowing.” (Al-An‘am :139)

قَدْ خَسِرَ ٱلَّذِينَ قَتَلُوٓا۟ أَوْلَـٰدَهُمْ سَفَهًۢا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍۢ وَحَرَّمُوا۟ مَا رَزَقَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ ٱفْتِرَآءً عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ۚ قَدْ ضَلُّوا۟ وَمَا كَانُوا۟ مُهْتَدِينَ

Transliteration: Qad khasira alladhīna qatalū awlādahum safahan bi-ghayri ʿilm wa-ḥarramū mā razaqahumu Allāhu iftirāʾan ʿalā Allāh, qad ḍallū wa-mā kānū muhtadīn

Translation: “Those who killed their children foolishly without knowledge and declared unlawful what Allah provided for them — inventing lies against Allah — have certainly lost; they have gone astray and were not guided.” (Al-An‘am :140)