(24) باب فِي الطِّيَرَةِ
Muhammad b. al-Musaffa said to us on the authority of Baqiyyah. He said:
I asked Muhammad b. Rashid about the meaning of the word hamah. He replied: The pre-Islamic Arabs used to say: When anyone dies and is buried, a bird comes forth from his grave. I asked: What did he mean by safar ? He said: I heard that the pre-Islamic Arabs used to take evil omen from safar. So the Prophet (ﷺ) said: There is no safar. Muhammad (b. Rashid) said: We heard someone say: It is a pain in the stomach. They said that it was infection. Hence he said: There is no safar.
Reference: Sunan Abi Dawud 3915
In-book reference: Book 30, Hadith 12
English translation: Book 29, Hadith 3905