restrictions about horoscopes in islam

7/28/2019 restrictions about horoscopes in islam

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"Do not ascribe partners to Allah. Indeed shirk is a great injustice." (Luqman:13)

Surely, Allah does not forgive that a partner is ascribed to Him, and forgives anything short of that for

whomsoever He wills. [QETafseerComment] Whoever ascribes a partner to Allah has indeed gone far

astray. (An-Nisa-116)

kon hai jo be-qarar ki dua sunta hai, jabkey woh isey pukarey aur kon iski takleef rafa'

kerta hai? Aur (kon hai jo) tumhain Zameen ka khalifa banata hai? Kia Allah ke saath koi

aur 'Ila' bhi hai (Al-Namal, V#62)

Tum subka ek hee Ma'bood hai, iske siwa koi Ma'bood ber Huq nahi (Al-Baqara, V#163)

ALLAH jisko chahta hai Suna deta hai, aur tum unko jo Qabro main Madfoon hain Suna nahi

sakte (Fatir,V#22) is shaks se bhar ker kon ghumrah hoga jo ALLAH ko chor ker inhain pukaarta hai, jo

Qayamat tak ise jawab nahi de sakte, bulke woh inki pukar se he be-khaber hain

(Al-Ahkaf,V#5)

Reading an article that was published in some newspapers boastfully celebrating some acts of

Jahiliyyah (Pre-Islamic time of Ignorance) and calling to them such as believing in the horoscopes,

astrology, luck and fortune telling. I found it is my duty to warn against the lies included in this

article. I state that astrology, horoscopes, and fortune telling are all practices of Jahiliyyah that

Islam came to remove. They fall under shirk (associating others in worship with Allah), for they

include adhering to other than Allah and believing in the existence of a support of other than Him.

They also include believing fortune-tellers and soothsayers who falsely claim to have the

knowledge of Ghayb (the Unseen), and manipulate the minds of inexperienced and naive people to

embezzle their money and spoil their creeds. It is reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him)

on the authority of `Abdullah ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both of them) that he (peace

be upon him) said:

Whoever acquires any knowledge of astrology has acquired a branch of witchcraft. The more they

acquire of Astrology, the more they acquire of witchcraft. Related by Abu Dawud with a sound

Isnad (chain of narrators). Al-Nasa'y had also related on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah

be pleased with him) that he also said: Whoever ties a knot and blows (magic) on it, has

practiced witchcraft and whoever practices witchcraft, has attained Shirk (associating others with

Allah in His Divinity or worship), and whoever wears a thing (amulet or talisman) will be left to it."

This indicates that witchcraft is an act of shirk towards Allah (Exalted be He) and that whoever

adheres to any of what the soothsayers or fortunetellers say shall be left to their care and

deprived of Allah's Support.
http://abdurrahman.org/tawheed/index-shirk.htmlhttp://abdurrahman.org/tawheed/index-shirk.htmlhttp://abdurrahman.org/tawheed/index-shirk.html


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Some people are widely known to rely on soothsayers, astrologers, diviners, and sorcerers to

unveil the future, bring luck, fulfill marriage, succeed in exams, and other matters that are only

known to Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He).

It isnarrated on theauthority of`Aishah (may Allah bepleased with her) that Some people asked Allah'sMessenger(peace be upon him) about the fortune-tellers and hesaid: ' They arenothing." They said,'O Allah's Messenger,sometimes they tell usof athing that turnsout tobe true."Allah's Messenger(peace be upon him) said,"A Jinn snatches that trueword and pours it intothe ear ofhis friend (thefortune-teller) (as oneputs something intoa bottle). Thefortune-teller then mixes

with that word one hundred lies." Related byAl-Bukhari.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said in the Hadith narrated on the authority ofIbn Abbas (may

Allah be pleased with both of them): "He who acquires a branch of the knowledge of astrology,

learns a branch of magic (of which he acquires more as long as) he continues to do so.'' Related

byAbu Dawud and its Sanad (chain of narrators) is Sahih (authentic).

Soothsayers claim knowledge of some matters of the Ghayb. This is widely common among those

who locate the positions of the stars to foretell the earthly occurrences or those who use jinn to

eavesdrop, as stated in the Hadith mentioned above. These people practice sand-reading, cup-

reading, and palm-reading claiming that these enable them to know the Ghayb and the future.

They are Kafirs (disbelievers), because this means that they share one of Allah's Attributes,

namely, knowledge of the Ghayb, with Him, and for disbelieving in the saying of Allah (Exalted be

He): Say: None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghaib (Unseen) except Allh Allah

also says: And with Him are the keys of the Ghaib (all that is hidden), none knows them but He.

Addressing HisProphet (peace be upon him), Allah said: Say (O Muhammad ): "I dont tell you that with meare thetreasures of Allh, nor(that) I know theUnseen; nor I tell you that I aman angel. I but follow what isrevealed Whoever consults asoothsayerabout a matterthat pertainstothe Ghayb isa Kafir.It is related by Ahmad and Ahl-ul-Sunan (authors of Hadith compilations classified by jurisprudential themes) on the authority ofAbu Hurayrah (may Allah be

pleased with him) that theProphet(peace beu pon him) said: Ifanyoneresorts toadivineror asoothsayerand believes in what hesays, then he disbelieves inwhat wasrevealed toMuhammad (peace beupon him). Also,Muslim related in hisSahih (authentic) Book of Hadith on the authority ofsome ofthe Prophet's wives (peace beupon him) that theProphet (peace beupon him) said: Hewho visits adiviner and askshim about anything, hisprayers will not beaccepted for

forty nights. It isnarrated on theauthority of Imran ibn Al-Husayn (may Allah bepleased with him) that theProphet (peace be upon him) said: He isnot of us: theone whosees omens orhas omens seen for him; predictsor has the futurepredicted for him; performsmagic orhas magic performed for him.And whoever goes toa soothsayer and believes what hesays,has disbelieved in what has been sent down upon Muhammad (peacebe upon him)." Related byAl-

Bazzar through agood Sanad. TheHadith swe have cited abovetell seekers of the truth that astrology, theso-called horoscope,palmistry, cup-reading, drawing lines or similarth ingsthat soothsayers, divinersand sorcerers practice -all pertain tothe sciences, which were common in thepre-Islamic era -are forbidden by Allah and His Messenger.Islam cancelled all such works and warned people against practicing them.Islam alsoforbad egoing to thosewho practicesuch works and

consulting themor believing what they tell.These mattersbelong to theknowledg eof Ghayb that only Allah knows.

In the end, I advise everybody who does these acts to repent to Allah and seek His forgiveness.

Let him rely on Allah Alone and put his trust in Him in all of his affairs along with utilizing the

Shar`y and lawful physical means and giving up these matters.

A Muslim should, out of obeying Allah and His Messenger, stay away from these acts and avoid

resorting to or believing those who practice them. By doing so, Muslims protect their religion and

creed and guard themselves against the wrath of Allah as well as the means of Shirk and Kufr that

bring those who dies while committing it to fatal loss in life and the Hereafter. We implore Allah

(Glorified be He) to grant us safety from that and we seek refuge with Him from committing what

is against Islam or commands His anger. May Allah (Glorified be He) guide all us and all Muslims to

the best understanding of His religion and keep us steadfast in it. We seek refuge with Allah from


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the misguiding trials, the evil of our souls and evil of our bad deeds - He is the One Who is Capable

of doing so. May Peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and

Companions!

And if one believes in these horoscopes?

Answer: If someone believes them in their claim to know the Unseen, then he is a disbeliever because

he has disbelieved in the statement of Allaah:

Say: No one in the heavens and the earth knows the Unseen

except Allaah. [Surah An-Naml: 65]

Giving credit to the influence of planets (Zodiac signs), is an act of Shirk:

Zaid bin Khalid bin Juhni {May Allah have mercy on him} narrated the following Hadith:

"One day the Prophet {Peace be upon Him} led us the morning prayer in Hudaibiyah pursuant to a

night-long rain. After completing the prayer, he diverted his attention to the people and said, 'Do you

know what your Rabb said?' The Companions {May Allah be pleased with Them} answered that Allah

and His Prophet {Peace be upon Him} knew the best. The Prophet {Peace be upon Him} answered,

'Allah said that among the slaves of mine who entered the morning, some were believers and some

disbelievers. The one who said that this rain was induced due to the blessing and mercy of Allah has

indeed affirmed his Faith in Me and denounced the stars and the one who said that this rain was caused

and brought by such and such star [2] , has denounced me and affirmed his Faith in stars." (Al-Bukhari

-Muslim)

It means that the one who cherishes such a belief that the stars (which are merely a creation of Allah)

exercise their influence in the matters of the universe, Allah considers him as the one who negates Him.

Such a person is none but a star-worshipper. The one who affirms that this universe is operative by

Allah's command, is His beloved slave and not a star-worshipper. Thus, we understand that believing in

propitious and unpropitious hours, making an inquiry as to which day or date is auspicious or

inauspicious (to commence an activity) and giving one's credit to the observations of an astrologer are

the activities which open the door to Shirk (polytheism). This is due to the fact that all these activities

belong to astrology and these are only the star-worshippers who believe in them.

The astrologers are magicians and the magicians are disbelievers:It is narrated by Ibn Abbas{May

Allah have mercy on him} that the Prophet {Peace be upon Him} said:

"The one who learns a chapter of astrology in a way contrary to the commandments of Allah, has learnt

a part of magic. An astrologer is a soothsayer, a soothsayer is a magician, and a magician is a


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disbeliever." (Razin) [3] . It means that the Noble Qur'an states that the stars are a manifestation of the

power and wisdom of Allah. They serve as an embellishment to the sky and a scourge to drive away

the Devil. [4] The Qur'an never states that these stars have the power to interfere in the running of

nature or that they have a direct bearing on the virtuosity and vices taking place in the world.

Now, if someone disregards the former merits of the stars and postulates that these heavenly bodies

influence the worldly affairs and thus claims to have the knowledge of the unseen, he indeed is a

polytheist. As the soothsayers, in the pre-Islamic period of ignorance, used to predict about the unseen

by consulting the jinns, the astrologers do the same by consulting the stars which means that a

soothsayer, an astronomer, a Rammal (a conjurer), a Jaffar (a soothsayer) all follow the same creed. A

Kahin (the one who prophesies about the future events) courts friendship with the jinns just like a

magician and the same is not possible until one believes in them, invokes them and makes an offer

to them. It all relates to infidelity and making partners to Allah. May Allah the Almighty save and

preserve Muslims from committing acts or Shirk. Amin.

The Sin of believing in Astrology:It is narrated by Hafsah {May Allah have mercy on Her} the Mother

of Believers, that the Prophet {Peace be upon Him} said: "The one who approaches a soothsayer and

consults him about any matter, his prayers shall not be accepted for forty days." (Muslim)

It means that anybody who approaches a certain person, claiming to have the knowledge of the unseen,

and thus enquires of him about any of his problems, his prayers shall not be accepted for forty days.

This is due to the fact that such a person has committed an act of Shirk, and Shirk destroys all acts of

worship. An astrologer, a conjurer, a diviner, the one who predicts about the unseen by casting lots etc.are all categorized as soothsayers.Deducing an Omen is an act of disbelief:

It is narrated by Qabisah {May Allah have mercy on him} that the Prophet {Peace be upon Him} said:

"The acts of making prophesies through making a bird fly, or casting lots to infer a good or bad omen

or declaring something to be carrying a foreboding presentiment are acts of disbelief and apostasy." [5]

It is narrated by Abdullah bin Mas'ud {May Allah have mercy on him} that the Prophet {Peace be upon

Him} said:

"Taking an omen is an act of Shirk, taking an omen is an act of Shirk, taking an omen is an act ofShirk!"

The custom of taking an omen was rife in the Arabian society and the Arabs had a great belief in it. The

Prophet {Peace be upon Him} reiterated that it is an act of Shirk so that the people should refrain from

having a faith in this absurdity.


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A view which was rife among the Arabs regarding the people suffering from Ju'ul-Kalb (an ailment

characterized by an insatiable hunger) was that his belly was inhabited by an evil spirit which in took

all the food he devoured and therefore his hunger was never satiated. This so-called evil spirit was

known as Safar. The Prophet {Peace be upon Him} declared that there is no such thing as a ghost or an

evil-spirit (i.e. inhabiting the belly of the sick person) and this was merely a superstition. Thus we

understand that the ailments are not induced by the evil spirits. Some people believe that some of the

diseases occur due to the influence of some evil spirits like Satila, Masani, Barahi [8] etc.

but this is untrue. During the pre-Islamic period, people used to consider the month of Safar as an evil

one and did not perform any activity during this month. This was wrong too. Thus, it becomes known

to us that considering the thirteen days of Safar as inauspicious and believing that the calamities befall

the earth during this specific period and deeming a thing, date, day or an hour to be of an evil

presentiment are all polytheistic concepts. It has been narrated by Ibn Majah on the authority of Jabir

{May Allah have mercy on him} that the Prophet {Peace be upon Him} took the hand of a leper, puthis hand along with his own hand in a bowl and said:

"Have an absolute Faith and trust in Allah and eat." It means that our trust lies in Allah Alone. He can

inflict disease on anyone whomsoever He wishes and can make anyone hale and hearty. We, on our

part, do not desist from eating with anyone and do not believe that a disease may be transmitted from

one person to another.

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Likewise, Luqman called his son to be upon Tawheed (maintaining the Oneness of Allaah) and forbade him from Shirk (to

associate partners with Allaah) then after that he ordered him with prayer and to enjoin good and forbid the evil. This clearly

shows his wisdom.

From wisdom is to tread the path of the Prophets (may the peace and blessings of Allaah be upon them) in calling the people

to Allaah and educate them to know the religion of Allaah such that you begin with the most important of all affairs

followed by the next most important things.

There is no doubt that (correct) belief and Tawheed and purifying the intellects and societies from Shirk is the most

fundamental affairs that one begins with and that it is not allowed to begin with anything else besides that. Whoever

transgresses this methodology and invents methodologies that oppose this way then they have strayed from the straight path.

"Do not associate partners with Allaah for indeed Shirk is a great oppression."

There isn't anything more dangerous than Shirk with Allaah because it is a sin that will not be forgiven. Allaah said:


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"Indeed Allaah does not forgive that partners are associated with Him but He forgives anything besides that to whomsoever

He wills."

Allaah said:

"Whoever commits Shirk with Allaah, it is as though he falls from the sky and a bird takes or he is taken by a wind."

Luqman (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, "indeed Shirk is a great oppression."

Abdullah (RadhiAllaahu anhu) said that when this Verse was revealed:

"Those who believe and do not taint their belief with oppression."[5]

It was hard on the companions of the Prophet (Sallaahu alayhi wa Sallam) and they said, "whom amongst us does not

oppress himself?" The Prophet r replied, "It is not what is meant. Rather, it is as Luqman said to his son: O my son do not

commit shirk with Allaah for indeed shirk is a great oppression."[6]

So he (Sallaahu alayhi wa Sallam) clarified to them what was implied with shirk that if it is mentioned generally then it

refers to the greatest shirk and greatest disbelief that its bearer deserves severe anger of Allaah leading to the eternal

punishment. It is a sin that is not forgiven and this is why Luqman said to his son, "Indeed Shirk is a great oppression.""

restrictions about horoscopes in islam

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