بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Soothsayers, Astrologers, and Physiognomists — In the Light of Hadith

“Hazrat ‘A’ishah رضي الله عنها narrates that some people asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about soothsayers (kāhins). He ﷺ said: ‘They are nothing (i.e., their statements carry no weight).’ They said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Sometimes they tell us something and it turns out to be true.’ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied: ‘That true word is snatched by a jinn (from the angels) and conveyed into the ear of his companion; then he mixes a hundred lies with it.’” (صحیح بخاری ، صحیح مسلم)

Benefits:
Kāhin (soothsayer), Munajjim (astrologer), and ‘Arrāf (fortune-teller) are similar, with slight differences. All of them claim to give information about the future. A kāhin would hear something from a jinn and convey it to people, which sometimes proved true because devils used to eavesdrop from the heavens. However, after the advent of the Prophet ﷺ, it was made impossible for jinn and devils to ascend to the heavens to eavesdrop.

Secondly, they also make predictions based on signs and circumstantial indicators, which may sometimes be correct and sometimes incorrect—and this remains the case even today. Astrology (Tanjīm) is also a form of prediction; some individuals are granted certain abilities in this regard by Allah, yet such predictions are mostly false. ‘Arrāfah likewise involves identifying events or matters based on causes and preliminary indications. These disciplines support one another and often draw assistance from similar practices. All of these are essentially forms of soothsaying.

Likewise, in practices such as ‘Ilm al-Raml (geomancy), claims are made about unseen matters and predictions are offered. “Tariq” refers to practices such as striking birds with pebbles or scattering grain to make them fly, then deriving good or bad omens from the direction of their flight—for example, considering flight to the right as a good omen and to the left as a bad omen. All such practices are حرام (unlawful) and prohibited. The fact that some statements may coincidentally turn out to be true does not justify these superstitions.

“Hazrat Safiyyah bint Abi ‘Ubayd narrates from some of the Mothers of the Believers رضي الله عنهن that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘Whoever approaches an ‘arrāf (one who claims knowledge of unseen matters), asks him about something, and believes him, his Salah (prayer) will not be accepted for forty days.’” (صحیح مسلم)

Benefits:
This shows that going to soothsayers and astrologers with the intention of learning about unseen matters and then believing them is such a grave sin that one’s Salah for forty days is rendered void of acceptance. For example, some people consult such claimants of the unseen to trace stolen items or to inquire about success or failure in marriage and business, and then act according to their guidance. All such matters are حرام. Knowledge of the unseen belongs solely to Allah.