Chapter 26: That which has been reported in the Quran and Sunnah concerning the Soothsayers, Fortunetellers, Astrologers and those who are like them: Kitāb at-Tawheed of Imām Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhāb

In the name of Allāh, Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy.

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All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation; may Allah extol the mention of our noble Prophet Muhammad in the highest company of Angels, bless him and give him peace and security―and his family, his Companions and all those who follow him correctly until the establishment of the Hour.

Shaikh Al-Islam Muhammad Ibn ‘Abdul-Wahhāb (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

It has been reported by Imām Muslim in his Saheeh from some of the wives of the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) that he said: “Whoever comes to a fortune-teller and asks him regarding an affair and then believes in what he says, his prayer will not be accepted for forty days.”¹ Muslim, 2230.

Abu Hurairah (radiAllahu ‘anhu) also narrated that the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) said: “Whoever comes to a fortune-teller and believes in that which he says then he has disbelieved in that which was revealed to Muhammad (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam).” ²Reported by Abu Dāwud (3904) and authenticated by Sheikh al-Albāni in Saheeh ibn Mājah (522).

It has also been reported by the four (books of Sunan) and by al-Hākim (who said that it is authentic upon the conditions of Bukhāri and Muslim) from Abu Hurairah (radiAllahu ‘anhu) that Allah’s Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) said: “Whoever comes to a soothsayer or fortune teller and believes him, then he has disbelieved in that which was revealed to Muhammad (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam).” ³Reported by Abu Dāwud (3904), Imām Ahmad in his Musnad (2/476, no. 10170), al-Hākim in his Mustadrak and graded Saheeh by Sheikh al-Albāni in at-Targheeb wat Tarheeb (3047).

Abu Ya’lā also narrates in his Musnad with a good chain of narration from ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’oud, that which is like the above, however, this narration is mawqoof (the saying of a Companion).⁴Abu Ya’la in Al-Musnad (9/680, no. 5408).

It is also reported from ‘Imrān bin Hussayn marfoo’an, i.e., it is considered as a saying of the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam), where he said: “He is not from us who seeks omens or has omens interpreted for him, or the one who practices fortune-telling or has his fortune told, or the one who practices magic or the one for whom magic is done. And whoever approaches a fortune-teller and believes in that which he has said, then he has disbelieved in that which was revealed upon Muhammad (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam).”⁵Reported by al-Bazzār with a good chain of narration, cited by al-Haythami in Majma’ az-Zawā’id (5/201). Graded saheeh by Al-Albani in Saheeh At-Targheeb (3041).

Imām at-Tabarāni also reported the above from the Hadeeth of ibn Abbās, in al-Awsat with a good chain of narration but without the saying, “Whoever goes to a fortune-teller…”

Imām al-Baghawi said in Sharh as-Sunnah (12/182), “The ‘Arrāf is the one who claims knowledge of the affairs by using preceding or impending signs and using them to point out the locations of stolen items. It is said that this person is a kāhin (soothsayer/fortune teller), and he is the one who informs regarding the hidden affairs that will occur in the future. It is also said that the kāhin is the one who informs regarding that which is in the hearts.”

Abul ‘Abbās ibn Taymiyyah said in Majmoo’ al Fatāwa (35/173), “The ‘Arrāf is another term used for the kāhin (soothsayer/fortune teller), and for the munajjim (astrologer), the rammāl (diviner) and others like them who claim knowledge of the unseen using these means.”

Ibn ‘Abbās said regarding those who write down the Abā Jād and those who look into the stars: “I do not believe that those who do this will have any share of reward with Allah.”⁶Reported by ‘Abdur Razzāq in his Musannaf (26/11, no. 19,805) and ibn Abi Shaybah in his Musannaf (5/240, no. 25,648).

(Note: Sheikh al-Fawzān mentions in his explanation of Kitāb at-Tawhid that Abā Jād are the individual alphabetical letters that are separated out and used for the purpose of divining.)

Explanation:

It has been reported through numerous ahādeeth (mutawātirah) that the one who goes to the fortune-teller, soothsayer or astrologer and asks him concerning an affair from the unseen, and believes in that which he says, then such a person is considered to have disbelieved in that which was revealed upon Muhammad (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam). This is because the Book of Allah proves that Allah, the Most High, is alone and singled out with the knowledge of the unseen. Allah (the Most High) has said:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ عِندَهُ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ وَيُنَزِّلُ الْغَيْثَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الْأَرْحَامِ ۖ وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ مَّاذَا تَكْسِبُ غَدًا ۖ وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ بِأَيِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ

“Verily Allah, with Him alone is the knowledge of the Hour, He sends down the rain, and knows that which is in the wombs. No person knows that which he will earn tomorrow, and no person knows in what land he will die. Verily Allah is All-Knower, All-Aware of things.” (Surah Luqmān 31:34).

The Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) said in the Hadeeth of Ibn al-Muntafaq which was reported by Ibn Khuzaymah in his Kitāb at-Tawhid and also cited by ibn al-Qayyum in Al-Hadi An-Nabawi:

“There are five affairs that none know except for Allah, (and then he recited this ayah), “Verily Allah, with Him alone is the knowledge of the Hour, He sends down the rain, and knows that which is in the wombs. No person knows that which he will earn tomorrow, and no person knows in what land he will die. Verily Allah is All-Knower, All-Aware of things.” ⁷This narration has been reported by at-Tabarāni in al-Mu’jam al-Kabeer (19/211,214, no. 16,147) from the Hadeeth of Abi Razeen al-Uqayli and Sheikh al-Albāni graded it to be authentic in Dhilāl ul-Jannah (636), the original source of the narration being in Bukhāri (4777) and Muslim (9) from Abu Hurairah.

Therefore, whoever goes to a fortune-teller, soothsayer or astrologer and then asks him about the knowledge of the unseen and believes in his lies, then he has disbelieved in that which is in this ayah. Indeed, Eemān in this ayah prevents one from approaching the soothsayers and asking them, let alone believing in that which they say. Some of the people of knowledge have harmonized between these two narrations saying that the one who approaches the fortune teller and does not believe in him, then his prayer is not accepted for forty days, and this is a punishment for him. As for the one who goes to the fortune teller and believes in him, then he is considered to have disbelieved in that which was revealed upon Muhammad (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam).

Therefore, in this, there is a warning from entering upon the fortune-tellers and listening to them. There occurs in the Hadeeth of Abu Hurairah a description of the shayāteen when they stack on top of one another in order to reach the heavens so that they may hear the speech of the angels. If the devil hears even one word, then he passes it to the devil below him and so on, until it reaches the last one who then casts it upon the tongue of the magician or fortune-teller who then mixes it with a hundred lies. The Hadeeth reported by Imām al-Bukhāri (rahimahullah), where Abu Hurairah (radiAllahu ‘anhu) said that the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) said: “When Allah decrees an affair in the heavens the angels strike their wings in submission to His statement as if His speech was a chain being dragged upon smooth rocks. It penetrates them causing those angels to be terrified, and then he recited the statement of Allah the Most High:

حَتَّىٰ إِذَا فُزِّعَ عَن قُلُوبِهِمْ قَالُوا مَاذَا قَالَ رَبُّكُمْ ۖ قَالُوا الْحَقَّ ۖ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْكَبِيرُ

‘Until when fear is removed from their hearts and they ask, ‘What is it that your Lord has said?’ They say, ‘The Truth, and Allah is the Most High, the Most Great.”) Surah Saba 34:23)

Then the eavesdroppers from the devils hear this order and they are like this – Sufyān demonstrated it by turning his hand to one side and separating out his fingers, showing that the devils are one over the other up until they reach the heavens.

So, the eavesdropper conveys the word to the one who is below him, and so on and so on until the last of them conveys it to the tongue of the magician or the fortune teller. Sometimes a shooting star may strike the devil before he can convey it, and sometimes he manages to convey it before he is struck, whereupon he adds to it a hundred lies. Thereafter, it is said by the people, ‘Did he not tell us such and such an affair on such and such a day?’ Thus, the fortune-tellers and the soothsayers are believed due to that statement that was heard from the heaven.”⁸Al-Bukhari (4701)

So, when the truthful word which they conveyed from the angels takes place, then the people say, “Did the fortune-teller not say to you on such and such a day, such and such a matter?” And thus they believe in him.

So, one should be aware and be warned from believing in those people. This is regardless of if they are astrologers who tell you your star signs, or magicians or fortune tellers, for indeed there occurs in the Hadeeth of the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) reported by Abu Dāwud from Ibn Abbās that he said, “Whoever acquires knowledge of a branch of astrology then indeed he has acquired a branch of magic and sorcery, and he increases in it as he increases in seeking it.”⁹Abu Dawood (3905), saheeh

Ibn Abbās (radiAllahu ‘anhumā) said regarding those people who write the Abā Jād, and those who look at the stars: “I do not see that those people who do such a thing, that they have any share of reward from Allah, the Most High.” This has also been mentioned in an ayah regarding the male and female magicians, that Allah (the Most High) said:

وَلَقَدْ عَلِمُوا لَمَنِ اشْتَرَاهُ مَا لَهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلَاقٍ                       

“…And indeed, they knew that the buyers of it would have no share in the Hereafter…” (Surah al-Baqarah 2:102).

The fortune-tellers say that if a particular star appears along with the moon, then such and such a thing will take place, and if another star was to align itself with the moon, then such and such will occur – so they are claiming knowledge of the unseen, thus leading people astray and misleading and deceiving them, and we seek refuge in Allah from that.

As for the saying, “Those who write the Abā Jād,” then they are words taken from letters that are enumerated into numbers – each letter is given a number starting from 1 to 10, after 10 they then count in tens until they reach 100. After 100, they count in hundreds until they reach 1000 – this is the writing of the Abā Jād and is used by the astrologers. So, it is upon the Muslim to be far away from these affairs and to abhor them and those who persist in them.

From Shaikh Ahmad Ibn Yahyā An-Najmi’s (rahimahullāh) explanation with added notes from Abu Khadeejah.

الحمد لله رب العالمين وصلى الله على نبينا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم

End.

This article was transcribed by Umm Maryam (may Allah reward her) from the classes of Abu Khadeejah (SalafiSounds.com). Please share it with others.

Footnotes:

• 1
  Muslim, 2230.
• 2
  Reported by Abu Dāwud (3904) and authenticated by Sheikh al-Albāni in Saheeh ibn Mājah (522).
• 3
  Reported by Abu Dāwud (3904), Imām Ahmad in his Musnad (2/476, no. 10170), al-Hākim in his Mustadrak and graded Saheeh by Sheikh al-Albāni in at-Targheeb wat Tarheeb (3047).
• 4
  Abu Ya’la in Al-Musnad (9/680, no. 5408).
• 5
  Reported by al-Bazzār with a good chain of narration, cited by al-Haythami in Majma’ az-Zawā’id (5/201). Graded saheeh by Al-Albani in Saheeh At-Targheeb (3041)
• 6
  Reported by ‘Abdur Razzāq in his Musannaf (26/11, no. 19,805) and ibn Abi Shaybah in his Musannaf (5/240, no. 25,648).
• 7
  This narration has been reported by at-Tabarāni in al-Mu’jam al-Kabeer (19/211,214, no. 16,147) from the Hadeeth of Abi Razeen al-Uqayli and Sheikh al-Albāni graded it to be authentic in Dhilāl ul-Jannah (636), the original source of the narration being in Bukhāri (4777) and Muslim (9) from Abu Hurairah.
• 8
  Al-Bukhari (4701)
• 9
  Abu Dawood (3905), saheeh