A man got married in our family. At the marriage, the grandfather of the groom said a doubtful statement to the bride. I cannot completely recall the statement, but I think he either said, "You have brought good luck," or, "You are good-fortuned and have brought good fortune to my family because after nearly 17 years, all my children have reunited in the same house." Is this statement shirk (polytheism)? I have heard that women can be good or bad omens according to the hadith of the Prophet, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam. Is there a possibility that this man has not committed shirk by saying this?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger. 

This statement made by the grandfather is permissible provided that he does not believe that the bride in and of herself has brought the good luck, i.e. causing the grandchildren to gather; rather, she is a mere means through which Allaah, The Exalted, has caused them to gather by His decree. He (Allaah) is the One who actually caused the grandchildren to gather.

Shaykh Ibn ʻUthaymeen stated that there are three cases for crediting other than Allaah, The Exalted, for causing something to materialize or take place. He wrote:

"Firstly, if the reason that caused the materialization of a given thing is hidden with no genuine impact, such as the case when one says, 'If it were not for so-and-so waly (a deceased righteous person), then such-and-such would not have happened.' In fact, this statement constitutes an act of major disbelief because the sayer believes that that righteous person can bring about benefit or cause harm after his death; it is a belief in a hidden ability to dispose of the worldly affairs after one’s death.

Secondly, to attribute the materialization of something to a reason that is established religiously or tangibly; this is permissible provided that the sayer does not belief that the mentioned reason can cause the materialization of such effects in and of itself, overlooking the role of Allaah being the One Who disposes of the affairs of the world in the first place.

Thirdly, to attribute the occurrence of something to an apparent reason that has not been religiously or tangibly established as its genuine cause; this is an act of minor shirk. At-Tiwalah (love-charms) – a type of magic done believed to make a husband love his wife and vice versa – and amulets and the like that are believed to guard against evil eye fall under this category because the person believes in a cause other than Allaah.

This classification is evidenced by attributing the occurrence of something to the reason in the saying of the Prophet about his uncle Abu Taalib, ‘...had it not been for me, he would have been in the bottom of the Hellfire.’ There is no doubt that the Prophet, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, would never have uttered words of disbelief and that he had the purest belief in the unique Oneness of Allaah. The Prophet, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, attributed the action to the cause in this case because it is religiously and genuinely established.”

The grandfather’s statement falls under the second category, the tangible cause. The bride and the wedding were the tangible reasons for causing the family members to gather.

For further benefit, please refer to fatwa 136033.

Allaah knows best.