The ill-omened Wednesday
كراهة يوم الأربعاء
The Arabs' aversion to Wednesday traced by al-Mas'udi to the barren wind that reached 'Ad on a Wednesday and left none alive before the next 1.
At a glance
- Era
- Pre-Islamic Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Overview
Al-Masudi relates that the barren wind came upon 'Ad on a Wednesday, so that no one of them survived before the following Wednesday. For this reason, in his account, people disliked Wednesday. 2
What is not recorded here: the position of Muslim scholars on ill omen from days. It needs a further source.
People and things also explored
The abjad letters named for Madyan's kings· al-Anwāʾ (Star Rains)· Jahiliyya names of days and months· The ill-omened days· Divining Arrows· The temples of the seven planets· The fire-temples· The ghul
Sources
- Muruj al-Dhahab — al-Masʼudi, p. 457
- Muruj al-Dhahab — al-Masʼudi, p.457
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The ill-omened Wednesday”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/wednesday-ill-omen/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.