What Has Been Said About Fortune-tellers and Their Like
Muslim
has narrated, on the authority of one of the wives of
the Prophet (saas ) (Hafsah - may Allah be pleased with
her), that Allah's Prophet (saas ) said:
"Whoever
went to a fortune-teller and asked him about some
matter (i.e. of the unseen) and believed him, will
have his prayer rejected for forty days."
The
Prophet (saas ) informs us in this Hadith that if anyone
visited a fortune-teller and asked him about a matter of
the unseen - about which, in reality, none possesses
knowledge except Allah (swt ) - and believed in what
fortune teller said, Allah (swt ) will not accept his
prayers, nor reward them for forty days - and this is a
punishment for the major sin which he has committed.
Benefits
Derived From This Hadith
1. The
prohibition of fortune-telling.
2. The
forbiddance of believing the prophesies of soothsayers
and fortune-tellers.
3. That a
person may lose the reward of his prayers as a
punishment for his sins.
Relevance
of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter
That the
Hadith proves the forbiddance of fortune-telling and the
belief in it.
Relevance
of This Hadith to the Subject of
Tawheed
That the
Prophet (saas ) has condemned whoever visits a
fortune-teller for he has made him a partner with Allah
(swt ) in possessing knowledge of the unseen.
Important
Note
It has
been mentioned by the scholars - may Allah (swt ) have
mercy on them - that whoever believed in what the
fortune-teller says does not have to repeat his prayers
for this period of forty days, but that he receives no
reward for them.
..ooOOoo..
It is
reported on the authority of Abu Hurairah (ra ) that the
Prophet (saas ) said:
"Whoever
went to a fortune-teller and believed in what he said,
has disbelieved in what was revealed to
Muhammad."
The
Prophet (saas ) informs us in this Hadith, that whoever
visited a fortune-teller and asked him about the unseen
and believed in his words, has committed an act of
disbelief in the Qur'an and Sunnah, this is
because both of these Revelations have belied
fortune-telling, for Allah (swt ) is Alone in His
Knowledge of the unseen.
Benefits
Derived From This Hadith
1. The
forbiddance of fortune-telling.
2. The
accusation of lying against the fortune-teller.
3. That
believing the words of fortune-tellers is considered
disbelief.1
4. That
the Qur'an is revealed, not created.
Relevance
of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter
That the
Hadith proves clearly that the fortune-teller is a
disbeliever.
Relevance
of This Hadith to the Subject of
Tawheed
That the
Hadith is clear evidence that fortune-telling is kufr;
this is because the fortune-teller depends upon methods
of shirk.
The same
thing was narrated on the authority of Abu Hurairah by
"the four"2
and by Al-Haakim, who said that it is authentic
according to the strict conditions of acceptance laid
down by Bukhari and Muslim.
It has
also been reported, with a good sanad, on the
authority of Abu Y'alaa (ra ) that he said the same
thing, but in a mawqoof form.3
..ooOOoo..
On the
authority of `Imran Ibn Husain (ra ), in a marfoo'
form, it is reported: "Whoever practises at-tiyarah,
or tells fortunes or seeks advice from a fortune-teller,
or practises magic or asks another to do so, is not one
of us; and whoever goes to a soothsayer and believes
what he tells him has disbelieved in that which was
revealed to Muhammad." (Narrated by Al-Bazzaar,
with a good Sanad and by At-Tabarani, in his
book, Al-Awsat, with a good sanad, but
without the words: "...and whoever goes to a
soothsayer etc...")
In this
Hadith, the Prophet (saas ) declares himself free and
innocent of three kinds of people: (i) The one who seeks
omens or their interpretation, (ii) the one who tells
fortunes or seeks advice from fortune-tellers and (iii)
the one who practises magic, or seeks the services of a
magician. Then He (saas ) adds, as an extra warning to
the fortune-teller and his clients, that whoever
believes in the words of the fortune-teller has
disbelieved in the Revelation (the Qur'an and the Sunnah)
given to him (saas ); this is because Allah and His
Messenger (saas ) have informed us that knowledge of the
unseen is only with Allah (swt ), therefore belief in
the fortune-teller is a rejection of Allah's Words and
those of His Prophet (saas ).
Benefits
Derived From This Hadith
1. The
prohibition of interpreting omens, of sorcery and
fortune-telling.
2. The
forbiddance of seeking these three things.
3. That
believing the prophesies of the fortune-teller is kufr.
4. That
the Qur'an is Revelation, not created.
Relevance
of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter
That the
Hadith proves without doubt, that the fortune-teller is
a disbeliever.
Relevance
of This Hadith to the Subject of
Tawheed
That the
Hadith proves without question, that the fortune-teller
is a disbeliever, because he depends upon shirk
in order to predict the future.
Muhammad
Ibn `Abdil Wahhab says: "Al-Baghawi said: "The
seer (al-'arraaf) who claims to know the unseen
depends upon knowledge stolen (by the jinn, who
overheard it from the lowest heaven) and falsehood and
the like; It has been said that he is the same as the
fortune-teller (al-kaahin), but the latter is, in
fact, one who claims knowledge of the unseen events of
the future. It has also been said that he is one who
knows the secrets of the mind." Abul `Abbas Ibn
Taimiyah said: "The seer is a name for the
fortune-teller, the astrologer, the thrower of sand, and
all those who claim knowledge of these matters by such
means." Ibn `Abbas (ra ) said, concerning a people
who wrote Abaajaad4
and practised astrology: "I do not consider that
those who do this will have any share (of blessings or
reward) with Allah (swt )."
Footnotes
1.
It has been said by some scholars, based upon this
Hadith, that one who believes the prophecies of a
fortune-teller is a disbeliever. However, other scholars
maintain that what is intended here is that he who
believes the words of a fortune-teller has committed an
act of disbelief. This is because, in the previous
Hadith, the Prophet (saas) informed us that one who
visits a fortune-teller and believes in what he says
will have his prayers rejected for forty days, while if
it were true that he were a disbeliever, his prayer
would not be accepted at all.
2.
The Four: That is, Bukhari, Muslim, At-Tirmizi and An-Nasaa`i.
3.
Mawqoof: That is, the statement of a Companion, which he
does not attribute to the Prophet (saas).
4.
Abaajaad: An ancient system of prediction based on use
of the letters of the alphabet.