Question:
Does changing a house bring changes in fortune?
Answer:
I explained that if someone moves to a new house and then faces hardship, poverty, illness, and problems, that does not mean the house caused it. Some hadith that claim houses bring misfortune are weak or fabricated. Destiny is written individually for each person. A house does not make someone rich or poor. To believe that moving into a house automatically causes misfortune contradicts Islamic belief.
Now he asks a follow-up question: Allahﷻ says in the Qur’an that we have a good example in Ibrahim (peace be upon him). In a hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari (3364), it is mentioned that Ibrahim visited the house of Ismail when he was not at home. Based on the way the daughter-in-law behaved, he told Ismail to “change the doorstep.” Later, when Ismail remarried, he told him not to change the doorstep. So, doesn’t this show that changing the house or entrance can bring change?
First, the phrase “change the doorstep” was not literal. It was a metaphor. In many languages, “house” or “doorstep” refers to the wife. It was a literary expression. Ibrahim was not telling him to change the physical house. He was telling him to change his wife. Ismail himself explained it that way. When his wife conveyed the message, he said, “That was my father. He told me to separate from you.” So, the meaning was divorce. Therefore, you cannot derive from this that changing a house brings prosperity.
Second, this entire narration is reported through Ibn Abbas. It is not directly the words of the Prophetﷺ ﷺ throughout. It is Ibn Abbas narrating the story of Ibrahim. We must be careful about deriving legal rulings from such narrations.
Third, even logically think about it. Ibrahim traveled a long distance to see his son. Would he come all that way, ask a few questions at the door, and leave without meeting his son? In real life, if a father travels far to see his son, and the son steps out briefly, will he leave immediately? Or will he wait? This raises serious questions about the completeness and accuracy of the story.
Fourth, in Islam, divorce is not given for trivial reasons. A wife saying “We are struggling financially” is not grounds for divorce. Many women express hardship in life. Even the wives of the Prophetﷺ ﷺ once asked for better financial support. Allahﷻ revealed verses giving them a choice, but it was not treated as a sin deserving divorce.
Islam says:
- Live with your wives in kindness.
- You may dislike something, but Allahﷻ may place much good in it.
- A believing man should not hate a believing woman; if he dislikes one trait, he may be pleased with another.
- Women are like a bent rib; if you try to straighten it completely, you will break it.
So, minor complaints are not grounds for divorce.
If a father instructs something unjust, is it obligatory to obey? No. Divorce is a serious contract between husband and wife. It is not to be done simply because a father says so.
So this story cannot be used as proof that changing houses brings change in fortune. It does not speak about houses at all. The word “doorstep” was used metaphorically.
Therefore, the claim that moving houses causes prosperity or hardship has no basis here.
That is the clarification.
