Superstitions
Folk Belief & Facts...
Outline...
What are Superstitions ??
Why we call it “ FOLK BELIEF” ??
Why we believe in Superstitions ??
Superstitions & their Origins.
Superstitions in PAKISTAN.
Effect of Superstitions in our everyday Life.
Superstitions & ISLAM.
How to get rid of Superstitions ??
What is Superstition ???
Came from Latin word “ superstitio “ meaning
“standing over a thing in amazement or awe “ .
Superstition is a credulous belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge, particularly the belief that future events can be foretold by specific unrelated prior events
Why we call it “ FOLK BELIEF” ??
They explain the unexplainable.
They are based on the fear of abnormal.
They reflects our desire to have some power over our destinies.
They reflect a desire to have the universe make sense , to se a cause-effect relations between events.
Why we believe in Superstitions ??
In a way, it is a sign of acceptance of our ignorance and limitations of our power.
a wrong idea about external reality.
It’s a belief based on fear and ignorance.
Irrational fear of what is unknown or mysterious.
Superstitions & their Origins.
Broken MIRRORS
Black CATS
The No. 13th
Spilling SALT
Itching PALM
Crossing FINGERS
Blessing Someone Who SNEEZED
The custom of showering RICE
Walking Under a LADDER
Broken MIRRORS
“Breaking a Mirror Brings Seven Years Bad luck”.
The superstition regarding breaking mirrors goes back to ancient Rome.The Romans were the first to create glass mirrors.They believed the mirror had the power to confiscate a part of the user’s soul.If a person’s reflected image became distorted in any way this could mean a corruption in his or her soul.
"The true reason that breaking a mirror was 7 years bad luck is because when mirrors were first made they were so expensive that if you broke on you would serve 7 years as an indentured servant to the owner of the mirror because not too many people could afford to buy another one to replace it."
Black CATS Crossing your path
As one version of the belief goes, if a black cat crosses your path, bad luck will befall you.
In ancient Egypt, the Goddess Bast was a black, female cat. Christians, wanting to rid society of all traces of other religions, convinced the ignorant that black cats were demons in disguise and should thus be destroyed. In the process, they also destroyed the kindly women who cared for the cats, believing them to be witches.
Being demons, a black cat crossing your path would create a barrier of evil, cutting you off from God and blocking the entrance to heaven.
Crossing FINGERS
5. Outline…
• What are Superstitions ??
• Why we call it “ FOLK BELIEF” ??
• Why we believe in Superstitions ??
• Superstitions & their Origins.
• Superstitions in PAKISTAN.
• Effect of Superstitions in our everyday Life.
• Superstitions & ISLAM.
• How to get rid of Superstitions ??
6. What is Superstition ???
• Came from Latin word “ superstitio “ meaning
• “standing over a thing in amazement or awe “ .
• Superstition is a credulous belief or notion, not
based on reason or knowledge, particularly the
belief that future events can be foretold by
specific unrelated prior events
7. Why we call it “ FOLK BELIEF” ??
• They explain the unexplainable.
• They are based on the fear of abnormal.
• They reflects our desire to have some power
over our destinies.
• They reflect a desire to have the universe
make sense , to se a cause-effect relations
between events.
8. Why we believe in Superstitions ??
• In a way, it is a sign of
acceptance of our ignorance
and limitations of our power.
• a wrong idea about external
reality.
• It’s a belief based on fear and
ignorance.
• Irrational fear of what is
unknown or mysterious.
9. Superstitions & their Origins.
• Broken MIRRORS
• Crossing FINGERS
• Black CATS
• Blessing Someone
Who SNEEZED
• The No. 13th
• Spilling SALT
• Itching PALM
• The custom of
showering RICE
• Walking Under a
LADDEER
10. Broken MIRRORS
• “Breaking a Mirror Brings Seven Years Bad luck”.
• The superstition regarding breaking mirrors goes back
to ancient Rome.The Romans were the first to create
glass mirrors.They believed the mirror had the power
to confiscate a part of the user’s soul.If a person’s
reflected image became distorted in any way this
could mean a corruption in his or her soul.
• "The true reason that breaking a mirror was 7 years
bad luck is because when mirrors were first made
they were so expensive that if you broke on you
would serve 7 years as an indentured servant to the
owner of the mirror because not too many people
could afford to buy another one to replace it."
11. Black CATS Crossing your path
• As one version of the belief goes, if a black
cat crosses your path, bad luck will befall
you.
• In ancient Egypt, the Goddess Bast was a
black, female cat. Christians, wanting to rid
society of all traces of other religions,
convinced the ignorant that black cats
were demons in disguise and should thus
be destroyed. In the process, they also
destroyed the kindly women who cared for
the cats, believing them to be witches.
• Being demons, a black cat crossing your
path would create a barrier of evil, cutting
you off from God and blocking the
entrance to heaven.
12. Crossing FINGERS
• Crossing two fingers (the middle
and pointing fingers) on one hand
as a sign of hopefulness or desire
for a particular outcome.
• "This is probably the superstition
that is most widely used today. By
making the sign of the Christian
faith with our fingers, evil spirits
would be prevented from
destroying our chances of good
fortune
• Sometimes, when someone tells a
lie, they will cross their fingers
(usually behind their back). This
somehow absolves them from the
consequences or makes the lie not
count.
13. The No. 13th
• The fear of the number thirteen (13) is so
pervasive that it even has it's own fancy Greek
term: triskaidekaphobia.
• Some major hotels don’t have 13th floor/room. If
there is 13th, people refuse to live in it.
• Most airports don't have a 13th gate.
• “Jesus was said to have been crucified on Friday
and the number of guests at the party of the Last
Supper was 13, with the 13th guest being Judas,
the traitor.
14. Superstitions in PAKISTAN.
• Some superstitions still existing in the minds of our people.
1-When the left eye is blinking indicates something bad is going to happen.
2. When a crow crows at some ones window, it announces the arrival of
guests
•
3-When the owl sings it's a sign of bad luck.
4. You cannot cut nails at night.
5. It rains when fox and crane marry.
•
6-If you dream about buffaloes and horses it’s bad luck.
7- Kids shouldn't let anyone walk over them otherwise they'll stop growing.
8-Don't drink milk after eating fish, said to cause severe skin problems.
.
10- Never call one back when the person is leaving the house
15. Effect of Superstitions in our
everyday Life.
• No matter how sophisticated our society
becomes, superstitions persist in having impact
on success or failure.We normally associate the
idea of superstition with the supernatural. the
stories supporting these ideas are fascinating and
get passed from person to another
• Superstitious belief lead individuals away from
religious teaching and trigger numerous
psychological disorders and should be avoided
and discouraged
16. Superstitions & ISLAM.
• Superstition is any belief teaching and interpretation
or opinion which are without rational basis
believing In astrological forecasting
• All these amount of acts shirk and greatly
condemned by Allah
• Indeed all acts of shirk worshiping of anything
besides Allah result in various superstition and false
beliefs
• We must not place our trust or be dependent on
anything expect Allah.
• We should not be dependent on a cause and effect
phenomenon which is forbidden by the rule of Islam
such as which craft and superstition.
• The reason is that these things can lead to
annihilation of the faith.
17. How to get rid of Superstitions ??
• It is essential for us to examine our approach as
rationally as possible to change the things that may
be contributing to our failures.
• If you choose not to believe, superstition has no
weapon against you except for the fear.
• Through classic conditioning i.e.. instead of hesitating
just do it your mind will realize that nothing will
happen.
•
Read more of science books .Be optimistic. Good
food & good sleep will help your mind to be calm &
relaxed. Practice exercise &meditation regularly
• We must worship Allah in entirely so that we may
achieve success happiness and security in this wold
and in the hereafter.
18. My MESSAGE…
• It's so sad that even in this day and age
people still believe in all that...
It is not the human destiny to be afflicted
with superstitions: It is just
an evil consequence of unbelief. The light
of Islam can cure it.
•"No soul knows what it will earn
tomorrow."
•
[Luqman, 31:34]