Do you have triskaidekaphobia?

12 November 2020| 26 Rabi ul Awwal 1442| Ayesha Ismail

Friday the 13th is an ‘unlucky day’ in Western superstition.
Bearing a Christian root, 13 is reportedly the number of people who sat at the Last Supper on a Friday night when Judas betrayed Jesus.

In ancient Rome, witches reportedly gathered in groups of 12, and the 13th was believed to be the devil.

In fact, the fear of the number thirteen is so pervasive that it has earned a psychological term: triskaidekaphobia.

Superstitions are as old as darkness itself, but as Muslims we know that Jumuah is a day more beneficial than any other day of the week.
It is shirk for a Muslim, to believe that the number 13 can bring harm.

It’s a scare tactic from Shaytaan.

In many ahaadeeth reported, Nabi (SAW) forbade pessimism and superstitious beliefs.

Abu Hurayrah(RA) reported that the Prophet (SAW) said, There’s no adwaa [transmission of infectious disease without the permission of Allaah], no tiyarah [superstitious belief in bad omens], no haamah [an ignorant thought that owls came out of graves, and no Safar [this month was considered unlucky in un-civilised times]. (Bukhaari & Muslim]

No doubt this warning also includes superstitions about the number 13. Nowhere in the Quraan or Sunnah does it indicate that the 13th should be regarded as inauspicious.

The thirteenth is just an ordinary day and anything that happens on such a day happens by Allah’s decree. If a person feels otherwise, the remedy for this kind of Shaytani whisperings is to strengthen one’s Imaan and place one’s trust in Allah.

Abu Hurairah reports that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: “The best day on which the sun rises is Friday. [On Friday] Adam was created, and on that day he entered Paradise, and on that day he was expelled from Paradise. And the Hour will come to pass on Friday.” Related by Muslim, Abu Dawud, an-Nasa’i, and at-Tirmidhi.

Instead of wasting the day by associating it with bad luck, believers would be wise to take advantage of the blessings Allah sends down on a Friday.
This is a day of congregation, celebration, and supplication. Engage in ibadah and earn ever-lasting rewards on this blessed day.