Zajr and iyafa (augury)

Al-Masudi counts the augury of birds (zajr al-tayr), ill omen (tatayyur), and good omen (tafa'ul), together with what relates to the right-hand and left-hand omens (sanih and barih), among the attributes of the Arabs. ²

Al-Masudi links this with physiognomic tracking (qiyafa). He attributes iyafa (augury of birds) to the Banu Asad, qiyafa (tracking) to the Banu Mudlij, and soothsaying to Yemen. He mentions that neighbouring peoples such as the Franks took it from the Arabs. He says that the people of the mountains, the deserts, and the sands are more skilled at augury and more knowing of it. ²

He cites in this section verses by 'Ubayd ibn al-Abras on augury. ²