I have found a corroborating report for the hadith under discussion, from Ibn ‘Umar, attributed to the Prophet, with the wording: “Ill omen is found in a woman, a house, and a horse.” It was recorded by al-Tahawi in Sharh al-Ma‘ani (2/381) and by al-Tabarani in al-Mu‘jam al-Kabir (3/192/2), through several chains from Muhammad ibn Ja‘far, from ‘Utbah ibn Muslim, from Hamzah ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar, from his father. This is an authentic chain according to Muslim’s criteria, but it is anomalous in this abbreviated form, for Sulayman ibn Bilal contradicted it: “‘Utbah ibn Muslim narrated to me: ‘If there is ill omen in anything, then it is in a horse ...’” the hadith. Muslim (7/34) and al-Tahawi recorded it.

I say: Thus, both of them included at its beginning, “If there is ill omen in anything.” This is an addition from a trustworthy narrator and must therefore be accepted, especially since it has come through another route from Ibn ‘Umar in al-Bukhari, and it has many corroborating reports, including ones from Sahl ibn Sa‘d and Jabir, whose sources I have documented above (799). Another is from Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqas, attributed to the Prophet, with the wording: “There are no superstitious omens; but if there were ill omen in anything, it would be in a woman ....” Al-Tahawi recorded it through Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, from al-Hadrami ibn Lahiq, who said that Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib narrated to him: “I asked Sa‘d about superstitious omens, and he rebuked me”—another narration adds: “He said, ‘Who told you?’ I disliked telling him”—and he said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) ...” Then he cited it.