that season or at any other time, or deliberately buying incense over which incantations have been recited. Enchanting incense and offering it as a sacrifice is the religion of the Christians and the Sabians. Incense is nothing more than a pleasant fragrance whose smoke people enjoy, just as they enjoy other perfumes such as musk and the like—whether the substance releases the subtlest vapors or is merely a pure scent. Burning incense is recommended wherever the use of perfume is recommended.

The same applies to singling out the day for cooking rice with milk, or porridge, or lentils, or preparing dyes, or coloring eggs, or making a dish called muqqar, and the like. As for gambling with eggs, selling eggs to those who gamble with them, or buying them from such gamblers, the ruling on that is self-evident.

Another example is what some farmers do: marking their cattle with red dots, dotting the trees as well, gathering various kinds of plants to seek blessing through them, and bathing with water in which they have been steeped.

Likewise, some women take olive leaves, bathe with their infusion, or intend to bathe with something of that sort; the origin of all this is the baptismal water.