Astrology

Author: Shaikh 'Abdul 'Azeez Bin Baaz

Source: Majmoo’ Fataawa Shaikh Ibn Baaz (2/123)

Published: Thursday 12th January, 2017



Question: What is the ruling regarding astrology and reading horoscopes?

Answer: Astrology, horoscopes, superstition and fortune-telling are all actions of Jaahiliyyah (ignorance) which Islaam came to show as false and to explain that they are shirk, because they involve depending on something other than Allaah and believing that benefit and harm come from something other than Him, and believing the words of fortune-tellers and soothsayers who falsely claim to have knowledge of the unseen in order to cheat people of their money and change their beliefs.

The evidence (daleel) for that is the hadeeth narrated by Abu Daawood in his Sunan with a saheeh isnaad from Ibn ‘Abbaas (رضي الله عنه‎), that the Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله علیه وسلم) said,

“Whoever learns anything of astrology has learned a branch of witchcraft (al-sihr)...”


And al-Bazzaar narrated with a jayyid (good) isnaad from ‘Imraan ibn Husayn that the Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله علیه وسلم) said,

“He is not one of us who practices augury or has it done for him, who tells fortunes or has his fortune told, or who practices witchcraft or has that done for him.”


Whoever claims to know some matter of the unseen either is a fortune-teller or is acting like a fortune-teller in some sense, because Allaah is the only One Who has knowledge of the unseen. Allaah says,

“Say: ‘None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghayb (Unseen) except Allaah...’ ”[/b] [Soorah an-Naml (27):65]


My advice to everyone who has anything to do with these matters is to repent to Allaah and ask for His forgiveness, and to depend only on Allaah and to put their trust in Him in all their affairs, whilst following the practical means that are prescribed or permitted in Sharee'ah.

They should give up these matters of Jaahiliyyah, keep away from them and avoid asking the people who practice them or believe what they say, out of obedience to Allaah and His Messenger (صلى الله علیه وسلم), and in order to protect his commitment to Islaam and his ‘aqeedah (religious belief).


 

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