1

Assignment No. 1

Communication Skills

Superstition – A reality or myth ?

Submitted to:
Mam Ammara Shaheen

Department of Chemical Engineering

Submitted by:
Amir Ali
FA09-BEC-015

Date of Submission:
March 28, 2011

COMSATS Institute of Information Technology

Defence Road, Off Raiwind Road, Lahore
 2

Superstition – A reality or myth ?

 Definition :

A belief, not based on human reason or scientific knowledge, that future events
may be influenced by one's behaviour in some magical or mystical way.

 Explanation :
It’s an irrational belief or practice that a person feels he needs to embrace or
perform in order to bring about good luck. They can be either for good luck or bad
luck.

 Most Common Superstitions :

Do not walk under a ladder or you will invite bad luck.
Hiccups are unlucky because when you have them you are believed to be owned
by the devil.
Breaking a mirror will bring you 7 years of bad luck.
It's bad luck to have a black cat cross your path.
If you see a shooting star it will bring you good luck.
The number 13 is bad luck.
Carrying a rabbit's foot in your pocket will bring good luck.
Eat chicken on New Year's Day & you will be scratching for money but if you eat
pork you will be fattened with prosperity/money!
People believe that when you visit someone you should leave through the same
door you came in or otherwise it is bad luck.
If you step on a crack you will break your mother's back.
If it rains on your wedding day you will be showered with good luck.

 History / Background :
Superstitions began centuries ago when our ancestors tried to explain mysterious
circumstances or events as best they could with the knowledge they had. For
instance, before the development of science explained such strange things as why
mirrors show our reflections or why shadows appear when it's sunny, ancient
people reasoned that a shadow or reflection was part of their soul. If someone
broke something onto which the shadow or reflection appeared, people believed
that their soul was harmed. Therefore, when a person broke a mirror it was
considered unlucky or harmful. Today we know that reflections and shadows are
not part of our souls but if someone still believes it is bad luck to break a mirror
they are said to be superstitious. So a superstition is "a belief or practice" that
people cling to even after new knowledge or facts prove that these silly beliefs are
untrue.
 3

 Superstitions and our Country :

It is symptomatic of the retrogression in Pakistani society that heinous crimes are
committed under the influence of misplaced notions of culture, religion and
superstition.
The recent case of infanticide in Karachi is an example. A raid on a Korangi
house led the police to the remains of a six-month-old girl buried in a shallow
grave and her four-year-old sister trussed up and starved. The girls’ parents told
the police that their house had fallen under the influence of ‘evil spirits’ and that a
‘pir sahib’ had appeared in their dreams to guide them towards this course of
action. However, there is no doubt that in Pakistan’s deeply conservative, illiterate
society, holy men and pirs often exercise a pernicious influence over the
credulous. There have been cases where such so-called religious men have raped
and tortured or incited followers to commit inhumane crimes — the victims have
generally been women and children. At the very least such pirs use their influence
to extort money or goods. Unfortunately, only a few cases are highlighted, and
even then little action is taken.
A two-pronged strategy is needed to counter this phenomenon. First, the public
must be made aware of how they can be taken advantage of by crooks or sadists
masquerading as holy men. Superstition and gullibility must be countered at every
level for they affect the rich and poor alike. Secondly and more importantly, the
role of the pir in the perpetration of violent or criminal behaviour must be
recognised and treated as collusion in or incitement to a crime. The pir in the
Karachi case may have been a figment of the couple’s imagination, but there are
too many real pirs at work in the country.

 Superstitions and our Religion :

it is an irrational belief system without any proof practiced by the ignorant mass.
This type of superstition can be of two types, namely: folklores—that are
essentially fanciful, irrational stories that are accepted by the population as such;
so, there is no problem with such fairy-tales. However, the other type of
superstition is the religious false notion that is firmly rooted in the belief of
supernatural divinity. The morbid fear of unknown, the thought of after-life and a
deep penchant for supernatural power are the main causes for the growth of such
religious mumbo-jumbo. Clearly, this uncontrolled fear for life after death (fear
factor) and its resultant irrational faith in it is the primary reason for the birth of
world religious beliefs. We see the abundant presence of many such fanciful,
irrational ingredients in almost all religions practiced in to-day’s world—no
religion is free from such ridiculousness, to say the least. For that matter Islam is
no exception.
"No soul knows what it will earn tomorrow." [Luqman, 31:34]
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.
 4

 Superstitions and other Cultures :

1). Each culture knows its own superstitions, regardless of whether it is American,
European or African. Let's post here what we know about superstitions in your
country.:

2). In Greece, people use to carry in their wallet a little bone of a bat, since it's
believed to protect from the evil eye. Every typical Greek house has a cactus
growing near its door - it saves from troubles. Any Greek knows that if he
sneezes, somebody thinks about him.

3). In UK it is believed that you would be lucky if you meet a black cat. Unlucky are
those who break a mirror, see a crow. Not one Englishman will open his umbrella
near the door or will put his new shoes on the table.

4). Any Irish knows that a werewolf is afraid of water. The Irish place metals on high
levels. Blacksmithers are respected, since they are considered to dispose of bad
spirits and diseases.

5). Italians think you're lucky to hear a cat sneezing. It's not good if a bird enters
through your window. If an Italian sees a nun, he will seek to touch a metal, so
that the luck doesn't leave him.

6). In China broom is given a special attention. They believe each broom has inside a
spirit, that's why you have to use it carefully. Hitting someone with a broom
means a curse. Number 8 is the lucky number for the Chinese. Number 1 means
loneliness.

7). Japanese are afraid to be photoed in three. The one from the middle is expected to
die. For avoiding misfortune, Japanese will not talk to man who talks while
sleeping.

8). Any Irish knows that a werewolf is afraid of water. The Irish place metals on high
levels. Blacksmithers are respected, since they are considered to dispose of bad
spirits and diseases.

 Advantages of Superstitions :
1). If superstition is good it will provide temporary happiness and it may also give
confidence to do some task
2). Some superstitions are based on reality so by avoiding himself from such
superstition movements a person can save himself from loss,damage or injury
 Disadvantages of superstitions :
 5

1). For bad superstition a person remains in depression and gives up in doing
some task by thinking that it was the effect of that bad omen,
2). Superstitions waste your time, emotional energy, and even your money and if
you believe in and understand real things you can accomplish a lot more.
3). Superstitions are often confused with faith.

 Conclusions.
Noble, healthy civilizations have no respect for superstitions. We must make it a
priority to reform our approaches to education, to developing critical thinking
skills. No one who is concerned about the future of Muslim society can fail to see
the importance of doing so. We should not allow our problems and circumstances
to distract us from this. Indeed, only in this way will we be able to develop a
strong basis to meet the challenges that confront us.

 References :
http://www.halloween-website.com/superstitions.htm

http://www.angelfire.com/darkside/ladyb/alter.html

http://forgottendiaries-india-and-pakistan.blogspot.com/2010/01/born-of-
superstition.html

http://www.themodernreligion.com/misc/hh/superstition.html

http://www.eu-forums.com/tourism/superstitions-in-different-countries-
t2356.html

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14694-superstitions-evolved-to-help-us-
survive.html

http://www.islamicawakening.com/viewarticle.php?articleID=1227