Islamic Ruling on Sorcery and Fortune-Telling
All praise is due to Allah alone,
and may peace and blessings be upon the final Prophet. To proceed:
Given the increasing number of
charlatans today—those who claim to be “healers” and treat people through
sorcery or fortune-telling—and their spread in certain regions, exploiting the
simple-minded whose ignorance overwhelms them, I found it necessary, out of
sincere advice for the sake of Allah and His servants, to clarify the grave
danger this poses to Islam and Muslims. For it leads people to rely on other
than Allah the Almighty, and it violates His command and the command of His
Messenger (peace be upon him).
Permissibility of Seeking Treatment the Right Way
I say, seeking help from Allah:
medical treatment is permissible by consensus. A Muslim may visit a doctor specializing
in internal medicine, surgery, neurology, or otherwise, so he may diagnose his
illness and treat him with permissible medications in Islam, using the
knowledge of medicine he possesses. This falls under taking the lawful means
and does not contradict reliance on Allah. Allah, the Most High, has sent down
both illness and its cure, known to some and unknown to others. However, He has
not placed the healing of His servants in what He has forbidden to them.
Therefore, a patient may not go
to fortune-tellers who
claim knowledge of the unseen in order to identify his illness, nor may he
believe them in what they report. They speak through blind guesses about the
unseen or summon jinn to assist them in what they desire. They are ruled as
disbelievers and misguided if they claim knowledge of the unseen.
Prophetic Warnings Against
Fortune-Tellers and Sorcerers
Muslim recorded in his Sahih that
the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “He who
visits a diviner ('Arraf) and asks him about anything, his prayers extending to
forty days will not be accepted.”
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be
pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever goes to a fortuneteller and believes what he
says, he has disbelieved in that which was revealed to Muhammad.” Reported
by Abu Dawud, and the four books of Sunan, and authenticated by Al-Hakim, with
the wording: “Whoever goes to a diviner ('Arraf)
or a fortuneteller and believes what he says, he has disbelieved in that which
was revealed to Muhammad.”
And `Imran Ibn Husayn (may Allah
be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
said: “He is not one of us who reads omens or
has them read for him, or who performs soothsaying or has it performed for him,
or who practices magic or has it practiced for him. And whoever goes to a
fortuneteller and believes what he says, he has disbelieved in that which was
revealed to Muhammad.” (Reported by Al-Bazzar with a good chain of
narration.)
These noble hadiths forbid
approaching fortune-tellers, sorcerers, and their likes—asking them, believing
them, or seeking their services—and warn strongly against such actions.
Therefore, it is obligatory upon
those in authority, market inspectors, and anyone with power or influence to
forbid visiting sorcerers, fortune-tellers, and similar deceivers, and to
prevent anyone from practicing such acts in markets or elsewhere. They must
condemn them with the strongest condemnation, as well as those who approach
them.
No one should be deceived by the
fact that some of their statements occasionally come true, nor by the large
number of people who visit them, for such people are ignorant and must not be
imitated. The Prophet (peace be upon him) prohibited approaching, asking, or
believing them because such acts are grave sins, immense dangers, and lead to
disastrous consequences, as they are deceitful sinners.
The hadiths also indicate that
the fortune-teller and the sorcerer are disbelievers, for both claim knowledge
of the unseen, which is disbelief, and they only achieve their aims through
serving the jinn and worshiping them, which is another act of disbelief and
shirk. Whoever believes their claims of knowing the unseen is like them.
Anyone who receives such
practices from those who perform them has been renounced by the Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him). A Muslim must not submit to what they claim is
“treatment,” such as whispering talismans or pouring molten lead or similar
superstitions. All such actions are sorcery and deception. Whoever accepts them
assists them in their falsehood and disbelief.
Likewise, it is impermissible for
any Muslim to go to them seeking information about whom his son or relative
will marry, or about the affection or discord between spouses and their
families, or anything of this kind; for all this pertains to the unseen which
none knows except Allah the Almighty.
The Prohibition of Sorcery in the
Quran
Sorcery is among the prohibitions
that entail disbelief, as Allah the Exalted Said concerning the two angels: {The two angels never taught anyone without saying, “We
are only a test ˹for you˺, so do not abandon ˹your˺ faith.” Yet people learned ˹magic˺ that caused a rift ˹even˺ between husband and wife; although their magic could not harm
anyone except by Allah’s Will. They learned what harmed them and did not benefit them—although
they already knew that whoever buys into magic would have no share in the
Hereafter. Miserable indeed was the price for which they sold their souls, if
only they knew!} [Baqarah 2:102]
These noble verses show that
sorcery is disbelief and that sorcerers cause separation between husband and
wife. Additionally, the verses show that sorcery does not inherently bring
benefit or harm; rather, it affects only by the universal decree of Allah, for Allah
Created both good and evil.
The harm caused by these
impostors—heirs of pagan practices—has become immense. They deceive the
weak-minded with such forbidden acts. Indeed, we belong to Allah and to Him we
return. Allah is Sufficient for us and He is the Best Disposer of affairs.
The verse also shows that those
who learn sorcery learn only what harms them and brings them no benefit, and
that they would have no share in the Hereafter. This is a tremendous warning
indicating their severe loss in this world and the next. They sold their souls
for the lowest price. Thus, Allah Condemned them saying: {Miserable indeed was the price for which they sold their
souls, if only they knew!} Here “sold” means “traded away.”
We ask Allah for protection and
safety from the evil of sorcerers, fortune-tellers, and all charlatans.
We also ask Him, Glorified be He,
to shield Muslims from their harm, and to guide Muslim rulers to remain
vigilant against them and enforce the ruling of Allah upon them, so that people
may be relieved from their evil and corrupt practices. Indeed, He is Most
Generous and Most Noble.
Also Read:
- 4 Ways to Protect Yourself from Shaytan in Islam
- Envy, the Envious, and the Envied in Islam
- Industries of Peace and War
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