And when it was as if it was said: About what? It was answered by his saying: ﴿They said﴾; meaning: the followers to their leaders; indicating with the tool of being to the continuation of misleading them; confirming for the purpose of denying the leaders to them: ﴿Indeed, you were﴾; and when they were enticing them; and luring them with what their minds accept; according to what their customs have established; so that they cut off with that like one who intends to go to a matter; then he was influenced by the favorable and the unfavorable; so he saw what he loves; thus he proceeded towards it while he is certain of its occurrence; they indicated that by their saying: ﴿You come to us﴾; surpassing us; ﴿from the right﴾; meaning: from power; and domination; and superiority; and authority; in compelling us to misguidance; so we acted in your obedience like one who goes out for a need; then sees what necessitates his proceeding towards it; so this was the cause of our disbelief; and this optimism was from what the Arabs forgot how to do when the legislation abrogated it; as occurred in gambling; thus the words of the people of language became confused in interpreting it; the author of the dictionary said: 'the unfavorable from the hunting': what passed from your right to your left; and 'the deer appeared suddenly': the opposite of 'it departed'; and Ibn al-Qattāʿ said in the book of 'the actions': and 'something appeared suddenly': it became easy; and 'the bird; and the deer': it ran from your right to your left; and he is seeking good fortune with it; and he said in the root of 'it departed': and 'the bird and the deer and others': the opposite of 'it appeared'; and it is what shows you its right side; and the people of Hijaz are pessimistic with it; and others seek good fortune with it; and they are pessimistic with the favorable; and Ibn Maktūm said, in combining the ambiguous and the clear; in the root of 'it departed': and 'the unfavorable': the opposite of the favorable; and 'the deer has departed'; if it has passed you by its left; it moves from your right to your left; and the Arabs are superstitious with the unfavorable; and in the root of 'it appeared': and 'the favorable': what comes to you from your right; from a deer; or a bird; or otherwise; and 'the unfavorable': what comes to you from that from your left; and it was said: 'the favorable': what passes you by its right; and 'the unfavorable': what passes you by its left; and it was said: 'the favorable': what comes to you from your right; then its left side is your left; and the Arabs differ in interpreting that; so some of them seek good fortune with the favorable; and are pessimistic with the unfavorable; and on this example: 'Who has the favorable after the unfavorable'; he said in the dictionary: meaning: with the blessed after the cursed; and some of them are pessimistic with the favorable; and the Imam Abu Abdullah al-Qazzaz said in the root of 'it appeared': and 'the favorable from the birds; and the deer; and others': is what comes to you from your right taking to your left; so it turns you to its left; thus you can shoot it; and most of the Arabs seek good fortune with it; and he said in the root of 'it departed': and 'the unfavorable from the bird; and the deer': is the opposite of the favorable; and it is what meets you with its left side from your left; and it is what the people of the highlands seek good fortune with; and they are pessimistic with the favorable; and 'the favorable': is what meets you with its right side from your right; and it is what the people of Najd seek good fortune with; and they are pessimistic with the unfavorable; and 'the unfavorable' is clearer in pessimism than 'the favorable'; because the unfavorable is what takes from your left to your right; so you cannot stab it; thus it is viewed with pessimism due to its difficulty for the stabber; or the shooter; and for this reason Abu Dawood said:

I said when they emerged from the hilltop, the caravan lied even if it had departed.

He says: He lied when he hoped to escape; even if he had departed; and it was difficult for him to be stabbed; and he took omens from whoever took the right side of him with his safety and his escape from the stabber; and he took omens from whoever took the left side of him by saying that he comes from your right side to your left side; so he enables you to stab him; and whoever took omens from him took omens from his lack of safety; and his falling into what he dislikes; and from the omens of the jabeh; and it is that which meets you face to face; and among it is the natiḥ as well; and among it is the qa'id; and it is that which comes to you from behind you; this is what I have come across from the words of the people of language regarding that; so understand; and the apparent meaning as you understand it from the verse is that the Arabs are unanimous that what comes from the right is blessed; whether it comes from in front of you; facing you; or it passes to the direction of the back; so his right side has turned to you; or it comes from the right side; whether its beginning of coming is from behind; or not; so it passes in front of you horizontally to the left side; so in both cases his left side has turned to you; and what comes from the left side contrary to that is cursed; and it seems that they differed in naming; so most of them named the first 'saniḥ'; from 'suniḥ'; with the damma; and it is the right; and the blessing; and it is from their saying: 'saniḥa li ra'yin'; it became easy; due to the fame of the meaning of the right among them in that; and the second 'bāriḥ'; from 'bārḥ'; and it is the severity; and the evil; due to the fame of this meaning among them in the root of 'bariḥa'; and some of them reversed; so he named the first 'bāriḥ'; from 'bārḥa'; and it is the she-camel that is from the choice of camels; due to the fame of that among them; and he named the second 'saniḥ'; from their saying: 'saniḥahu 'amma arāda'; he diverted him; and 'saniḥa bil-rajuli; wa 'alayhi': he brought him out; or afflicted him with evil; so from the difference in naming came the disagreement; and for that reason He expressed - glorified and exalted is He - with the meaning; without the name; because His words - glorified is He - do not pertain to a people over others; and as for the justification by the possibility of stabbing; and throwing; there is no meaning to it; because a person can turn away from his standing position with the slightest movement; so the matter of the left and the right is reversed in relation to him; and the state of stabbing and throwing changes; this is if it is conceded that stabbing and throwing are difficult from the left side; although it is not conceded; and if the meaning were revolving around it; for what has been disagreed upon; except in relation to the left; and others; not in relation to the people of the high place; and others; and as for the verse that he used as evidence; it can be interpreted that its speaker was in need of it; he must have needed it; so he saw the bāriḥ; and he did not take omens from it; and he insisted on that matter as a denial of it; in what it indicated among the Arabs; and as for the jabeh and others, they are other names for some types of both the saniḥ and the bāriḥ; and Allah knows best; and Abu Hatim; Ahmad ibn Hamdan al-Razi; said in his book 'al-Zinah': the 'iyāfah'; and the 'qiyāfah'; and the 'zajr'; are a type of divination; except that it is lighter in dislike; and that is because the diviner was in the position of the judge; and among the diviners were those who were worshipped as the idol is worshipped; and they were the keepers of the idols; I said: and the diviner in language is: one who judges with the unseen; and that is the ultimate knowledge; so it is a description that indicates deep knowledge; this is concluded; Abu Hatim said: and I heard some of the people of literature say: 'the diviner'; in Hebrew: the scholar; and they used to call Aaron - blessings and peace be upon him - a diviner of the Lord; its meaning is the scholar of the Lord; then he said: indeed, divination; and magic; were among the ancients a type of knowledge; so the magician; and the diviner; were two praised names; so when Allah brought Islam; these two names became blameworthy among the Muslims; when He revealed to them what is in that of evil; then he said: as for the 'ā'if'; and the 'qā'if'; and the 'zājir'; their way is not like that - meaning like the diviner; in that he may be worshipped -; he said: and it is disliked only because he informs of something unseen; so it is disliked just as the matter of the stars is disliked; as a precaution that it may be like the claim in the knowledge of the unseen; and the 'ā'if' is that which diverts the birds; and he drives them away; and he considers by their names; and their sounds; and their fall; and their paths; so if he hears the sound of a bird; or it runs from his right to his left; or from his left to his right; he judges in that with good; or with evil; in the matter that he wants to do; so if he judges in it with evil, that matter is avoided; it is said: 'a'afa; ya'if'; if he does that; and the meaning of 'a'afa' is: he refrained; and avoided; it is said: 'the camels refrained from the water'; if they did not drink; and likewise it is said of other than camels; and 'the zājir' also: is like 'the ā'if'; it is said: he drives away the birds with a driving; and that is because he looks at the bird and judges in it like the ā'if'; so if he sees something he dislikes, he turns away from a matter he intends to undertake; or a need he wants to fulfill; and 'the zājir'; its meaning is: the forbidding; so as if the bird has driven him away from that action; or that one who diverted him forbade him from that; and the meaning of the driving away is also that if he sees something from it (the bird) he shouts at it and chases it away; so his chasing it away is a driving away for it; and from it is his saying - blessings and peace be upon him -: 'Leave the birds on their perches'; I said: indeed, they used to, if they did not see a saniḥ; or a bāriḥ, scare the birds to see which direction they fly; and Allah knows best; and Abu Hatim said: and the origin of this is that they used to drive away the birds; then they used to drive away the deer; and the fox; and by the voice of a person they would infer by his utterance; and otherwise; then all of it was attributed to the birds; so it was said: he takes omens; meaning he infers by the birds; and it has been narrated from al-Asma'i that he said: I asked Ibn 'Awn: What is al-fa'l? He said: It is that you are sick and you hear: O safe; and you are a seeker and you hear: O finder; he said: and Ibn Sirin disliked taking omens; and loved al-fa'l; and in the hadith:

"The most truthful of omens is al-fa'l;" and "al-fa'l" is taken from "al-fiyal"; it is a game they gamble with. They would take coins and mix them with dirt; then they would gather it for a long time; then they would divide it into two halves; and they would draw lots on it. Whoever drew the lot would choose one from the two halves; when the one who draws lots chooses what he loves from them, it is called "al-fa'l"; because he is optimistic about what he loves. This was common among the Arabs; and most of it was among Banu Asad. Al-Asma'i said: (p-218) Sa'd ibn Nasr informed me that a group from the jinn discussed the divination of Banu Asad; so they approached them and said: "We have lost a she-camel; if you would send with us someone who can divine." They said to a young boy of theirs: "Go with them." One of them rode behind him; then they traveled until they encountered a breaking eagle with one of its wings broken; the boy shuddered; and he cried. They said to him: "What is wrong with you?" He said: "One wing is broken; and one wing is raised; and it swore by Allah clearly; you are not human; nor do you seek a mate." They would call the one who comes from your right and takes to your left "sanih"; and the one who comes from your left and takes to your right "barih"; and the one who faces you "nati'h"; and "kafi'h"; and the one who comes from behind you "qa'id"; and the one who exposes in every direction "muti'h". Among them were those who were pessimistic about the barih; and optimistic about the sanih; and among them were those who were optimistic about the barih; and pessimistic about the sanih. Zuhair said:

"It ran as a sign, so I said to it: 'Allow me, when will the meeting be?"

And al-Kumayt said:

"And neither the sanih nor the barih in the evening, Did Salim command the horn or did the one-horned pass?"

They would use the horn and its health as a sign; and the one-horned is the one with one horn. As for the qa'if, he is the one who follows the tracks and knows them; and he knows the resemblance of a man in his son. It is narrated from 'Awsajah ibn Mu'aqqib, the qa'if: he said: "We would have our dates stolen, and we would recognize their traces; they rode the donkeys, and we recognized by the touch of their hands; and the clusters; so it seems that the qa'if was named qa'if because he follows the trace; it is said: 'He followed the trace'; and 'he caught the trace'; meaning: he followed it. Al-Asma'i said: from Abu Tarafah al-Hudhali: he said: "Two qa'ifs saw the trace of a camel; and they were returning from 'Arafah; after the people, a day or two later; one of them said: 'It is a she-camel'; and the other said: 'It is a camel'; so they followed it; and when they reached it, they found it to be a hermaphrodite. It is said of a man if he is clever; knowledgeable of matters: he is 'a'if'; and 'qa'if'; and there were a people from the Arabs who did not believe in omens; nor did they fear omens; and they would boast of abandoning it; and they counted abandoning it as bravery and boldness. Some of their poets said:

"And I have risen, and I was not Rising upon a protector and Hatim.

So when the ominous are like the left, And the right are like the ominous.

And another said:

"And I am not fearful if his journey is hard, He says: 'Today, I am protected and Hatim.'

But he proceeds upon that, advancing, If he turns away from those who are the deceitful."

(p-220) Al-Khatharim: Al-Mutayyir; and it was said: Al-'Iyaafah; and Al-Qiyaafah: the ways and the lines; and it is also a type of divination; which is to draw lines in the ground lengthwise; then to draw lines across it; then to strike with pebbles or barley; or with sticks; and he continues to draw; and erase; and repeat; then he makes predictions based on it; and from this category also is the knowledge of Al-Katf; which is to look at the shoulder of a sheep; then to speak of things that will occur in the world; such as wars; and rains; and winds; and drought; and fertility; and other than that; and this is called Al-Kattaaf; as if a name was derived for it from the shoulder; like Al-'Araf; because Al-'Araf is of the same type as Al-'Iyaafah; and Al-'Iyaafah; and Al-'Araf are the same; so all of these things are from magic; and divination; and Al-Qiyaafah; and Al-'Iyaafah; and drawing lines; and ways; and the shoulder; and similar things; there have come reports; and narrations about them; and the discussion about them is lengthy; and they are all disliked; and forbidden; and some of them have come with strict warnings; such as magic; and divination; and some of them have come with leniency regarding a little of it; such as Al-Qiyaafah; and Al-'Iyaafah; and Al-Katf; it has ended.

And it is accepted in Al-Qiyaafah; but as for the others, there is dispute regarding them; then he said: Most of these things have their origins from the prophets - blessings and peace be upon them -; so if they are used after abrogation; and after the prohibition has come from the Prophet ﷺ; they are forbidden; leading to disbelief; and nullification; and other types of corruption; then he said: And what was from the affairs of the polytheists of the Arabs; they have studied lessons that are not known; and there is no need to mention how it is; as it has faded away; there is no trace of it; (p-221) but the jurists and scholars do not dispense with knowledge of it; as it has been mentioned in the Qur'an; and as it is obligatory upon the scholars to learn what is in the Qur'an; according to their capacity; and ignorance of it is a deficiency for them; and Allah knows best what is correct.