Narrated Abu Hurairah:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saying : There is no infection, no evil, omen or serpent, in a hungry belly and no hamah. A nomadic Arab asked: How is it that when camels are in the sand as if they were gazelles and a mangy camel comes among them and it gives them mange ? He replied: Who infected the first one ?

Ma'mar, quoting al-Zuhri said: A man told me that Abu Hurairah narrated to him saying that he heard the Prophet ﷺ say: A diseased camel should not be brought with a healthy camel to drink water. He said: The man then consulted him and said: Did you not tell us that Prophet ﷺ had said: There is no infection, no serpent in a hungry belly and no hamah? He replied: I did not transmit it to you. Al-Zuhri said: Abu Salamah said: He had narrated it and I did not hear that Abu Hurairah had ever forgotten any tradition except this one.



Note: The majority of scholars interpret this to mean that these things in and of themselves do not transmit or cause harm through supernatural or hidden means but that Allah is ultimately in control and any fearful superstition around these is false.

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُتَوَكِّلِ الْعَسْقَلاَنِيُّ، وَالْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ " لاَ عَدْوَى وَلاَ طِيَرَةَ وَلاَ صَفَرَ وَلاَ هَامَةَ " . فَقَالَ أَعْرَابِيٌّ مَا بَالُ الإِبِلِ تَكُونُ فِي الرَّمْلِ كَأَنَّهَا الظِّبَاءُ فَيُخَالِطُهَا الْبَعِيرُ الأَجْرَبُ فَيُجْرِبُهَا قَالَ " فَمَنْ أَعْدَى الأَوَّلَ " . قَالَ مَعْمَرٌ قَالَ الزُّهْرِيُّ فَحَدَّثَنِي رَجُلٌ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ " لاَ يُورِدَنَّ مُمْرِضٌ عَلَى مُصِحٍّ " . قَالَ فَرَاجَعَهُ الرَّجُلُ فَقَالَ أَلَيْسَ قَدْ حَدَّثْتَنَا أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ " لاَ عَدْوَى وَلاَ صَفَرَ وَلاَ هَامَةَ " . قَالَ لَمْ أُحَدِّثْكُمُوهُ . قَالَ الزُّهْرِيُّ قَالَ أَبُو سَلَمَةَ قَدْ حَدَّثَ بِهِ وَمَا سَمِعْتُ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ نَسِيَ حَدِيثًا قَطُّ غَيْرَهُ .