Fatwa #198229 March 2012United Kingdom
What is the meaning of hearing an owl late at night ?
Question
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu `alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
The owl is merely a bird that is unable to see properly in the day and usually comes out at night making a hooting sound.
In Islam hearing an owl is not a bad omen as used to believe by people of the past.[i]
And Allah knows best.
Mawlana Saeed Ahmed Golaub
Westmoreland, Jamaica, West Indies
Student Darul Iftaa
Checked and Approved
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
daruliftaa.net
[i] تحفة الأحوذي (6 / 186):
قَالَهُ جَمَاعَةٌ وَحَكَاهُ الْقَاضِي عَنْ أَبِي زَيْدٍ الْأَنْصَارِيِّ الْإِمَامِ فِي اللُّغَةِ قَالَ وَفِيهَا تَأْوِيلَانِ أَحَدُهُمَا أَنَّ الْعَرَبَ كَانَتْ تَتَشَاءَمُ بِهَا وَهِيَ الطَّائِرُ الْمَعْرُوفُ مِنْ طَيْرِ اللَّيْلِ وَقِيلَ هِيَ الْبُومَةُ قَالُوا كَانَتْ إِذَا سَقَطَتْ عَلَى دَارِ أَحَدِهِمْ فَرَآهَا نَاعِيَةً لَهُ نَفْسَهُ أَوْ بَعْضَ أَهْلِهِ وَهَذَا تَفْسِيرُ مَالِكِ بْنِ أَنَسٍ وَالثَّانِي أَنَّ الْعَرَبَ كَانَتْ تَعْتَقِدُ أَنَّ عِظَامَ الْمَيِّتِ وَقِيلَ رُوحُهُ يَنْقَلِبُ هَامَةً تَطِيرُ وَهَذَا تَفْسِيرُ أَكْثَرِ الْعُلَمَاءِ وَهُوَ الْمَشْهُورُ