al-Hāma (Vengeful Owl)
الهامة
Al-Hāma: the belief that a slain man’s spirit becomes an owl crying ‘give me to drink’ until avenged — Islam negated it.
At a glance
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Overview
Hama: their belief that a slain man's spirit leaves his head as a bird crying "Give me drink" until his vengeance is taken; Islam abolished it along with the tiyara.
The story
Among the beliefs of the Jahiliyya was that the murdered man, if his vengeance was not taken, a hama issued from his grave — a bird like an owl — crying "Give me drink, give me drink", meaning "give me my killer's blood to drink" 1.
Islam abolished it wholesale, with the rest of the superstitions of bird-omens and contagion 1.
For young visitors
They thought a murdered man's spirit became a bird seeking revenge; Islam annulled this belief.
People and things also explored
al-Anwāʾ (Star Rains)Divining Arrowsal-HumsJāhilī Marriage FormsSoothsaying & AuguryMaysar (Gambling)al-Nasīʾ (Intercalation)Consecrated Livestock
Sources
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “al-Hāma (Vengeful Owl)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/hama/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.