Bad Luck and The Number 13

By Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Posted: 16 Safar 1423, 29 April 2002

Q.) What is the history of 13 as a manhoos/bad luck number, I have seen it only with Americans but now I learned from someone that in Iran it is also considered bad. I have proposed my valima reception on that day but my father-in-law (who lives in Iran and he is sunni) for some time, told my family that it is not good as it is bad luck. Please clarify in the light of Qur'an and Hadith how we can we answer these concerns and how can we educate those people instead of having a big debate. I have a feeling that (I don't know but I have this feeling) the faith likes these are kufr as this means that we don't have complete faith in Allah. Is there any verse of Qur'an or Hadith that says don't do something on some dates etc....? and if not then if we have a belief like this will we become kafir? [Amanullah Bukhari]

A.) The concept of bad luck has no basis in Islam. There is no bad omen in Islam.

Rasulullah Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam said, 'Do not blame time.' e.g. it is 13th today, then such and such a bad thing took place. We should not hold faith in these things, but rather we should say Allah is the sole-doer of everything. If a person believes that because it is the 13th today, then this bad luck came upon me, i.e. the date 13th is the reason, Allah wasn't the doer, then it will be Kufr. But if a person who says it believes Allah is the sole doer, then it won't be Kufr. The Arabs in the time of Rasulullah Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam did also have these beliefs and they used to say that we were given rain because of a certain Star. So Rasulullah Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam prevented them from this and said, 'Whosoever says so believes in the star and disbelieves in me.' Rasulullah Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam showed them that to say this is not permissible, but rather we should attribute everything to Allah.

And Allah Ta'ala Knows Best