Are there bad omens in Islam? Owls, crows, black cats and the number 13

When an owl hoots, a black cat crosses our path or we plan something on the 13th, a small unease can creep in. Islam is very clear here: counting something as a bad omen is not a belief the religion accepts.

What the Prophet ﷺ said

• "There is no contagion by itself, no evil omen, no owl and no Safar" (Sahih al-Bukhari 5757). The Prophet ﷺ openly rejected these beliefs of pre-Islamic Arabia.
• "Belief in evil omens is shirk" (Sunan Abi Dawud 3910; Jami' at-Tirmidhi 1614), because it ties good and harm to something other than Allah.
• While rejecting evil omens, the Prophet ﷺ liked optimism: "A good word pleases me" (Sahih al-Bukhari 5776). Taking hope from a good word is fine; expecting harm from an animal or a number is not.

The dua when an omen crosses your mind

اللَّهُمَّ لَا خَيْرَ إِلَّا خَيْرُكَ، وَلَا طَيْرَ إِلَّا طَيْرُكَ، وَلَا إِلَهَ غَيْرُكَ

Transliteration: Allahumma la khayra illa khayruk, wa la tayra illa tayruk, wa la ilaha ghayruk.

Meaning: O Allah, there is no good except Your good, no omen except what You decree, and there is no god but You. The Prophet ﷺ compared turning back from one's plans because of an omen to shirk, and advised whoever felt such a thought to say this dua (Musnad Ahmad 7045).

Owls

Believing that an owl's hoot brings death or disaster is an old folk belief. The words "there is no owl" in the hadith reject exactly this belief (Sahih al-Bukhari 5757). The owl is one of Allah's creatures; its call is not a messenger of anything.

Crows

Taking a crow's call as bad news has no basis in the religion. In the Quran, a crow is sent by Allah to show the son of Adam how to bury his brother (al-Ma'idah 5:31).

Black cats

The belief that black cats are unlucky is cultural, not religious. The Prophet ﷺ said of cats: "They are among those who go around among you", and explained that a cat is not impure (Sunan Abi Dawud 75). Whatever its colour, a cat is not a bad omen.

The number 13 and the month of Safar

Counting 13 as unlucky comes from Western culture; in Islam no number or day is unlucky. For the month of Safar, which was seen as unlucky before Islam, the Prophet ﷺ said: "There is no Safar" (Sahih al-Bukhari 5757). Bad meanings attached to particular days, such as the last Wednesday of a month, are equally baseless.

Is the evil eye the same as an omen?

No. The Prophet ﷺ said: "The evil eye is real" (Sahih al-Bukhari 5740): an envious or admiring gaze can have an effect by Allah's permission, and ways of protection, such as reciting al-Falaq and an-Nas, were taught against it. An omen, by contrast, means treating an animal, a number or a day as something that brings harm by itself, and that is rejected.

Do dreams bring bad luck?

A bad dream is not a bad omen either; it does not harm the one who follows the Sunnah (Sahih al-Bukhari 6985). See What to do after a bad dream.

And Allah knows best.