Mu'awiya b. al-Hakam told that he said, “Messenger of God, there were things we used to do in the pre-Islamic period. We used to visit kahins.” He replied, “Do not visit kdhins”
He said, “We used to take omens.” He replied, “That is an idea a man has, but it must not turn you aside from your purposes.”
He said, “Among us there were men who practised divination by drawing lines on the ground.” He replied, “There was a prophet who drew lines, so if anyone does it in the same way as he did, that is allowable.”
‘Urwa b. ‘Amir told that when taking omens was mentioned in the presence of God’s messenger he replied that the best type was the good omen, adding that a Muslim is not turned back from anything because of an omen.
He told them that when any of them saw anything he disliked he should say, “O God, Thou alone bringest good things, Thou alone avertest evil things, and there is no might or power but in God.”
'A’isha told that when God’s messenger was asked by some people about kahins he replied, “They are of no account.”
They said, “Messenger of God, they sometimes tell a thing which is true.”
He replied, “That is a word pertaining to truth which a jinni snatches and cackles into the ear of his friend as a hen does; then they mix more than a hundred lies with it.”
Yahya b. ‘Abdallah b. Bahir said he was informed by one who had heard Farwa b. Musaik tell that he said, “Messenger of God, we have land called Abyan* which is the land where we have our fields and grow our crops, but it is very unhealthy.”
He replied, “Leave it, for destruction comes from being near disease.”
Abu Dawud transmitted it.
* To the east of Aden some early riders held it was either a place on the rocks of Adea, or a name of Aden itself.
