Home » Hanafi Fiqh » Askimam.org » I recently heard in a lecture that a person that engages in fortune telling , their salaah will not be accepted for forty days… My concern and confusion is that some molanas often give u advice by looking into the Qur’an and seeing if something is good for u . Example a friend of mine got proposed, her parents went to a moulana to “see” if the guy was compatible. The moulana looked into the Qur’an and told her parents That if they marry thier daughter off to that guy then their marriage will not last , they will get divorced. My question Is , firstly how does the moulana see into the Qur’an and can tell what will happen in the future ? Isn’t it fortune telling? Secondly ,what if a couple is compatible with things being positive after istikaarah is read and they are told by a moulana that their marriage won’t last. Must they make nikkah or forget each other ?

I recently heard in a lecture that a person that engages in fortune telling , their salaah will not be accepted for forty days… My concern and confusion is that some molanas often give u advice by looking into the Qur’an and seeing if something is good for u . Example a friend of mine got proposed, her parents went to a moulana to “see” if the guy was compatible. The moulana looked into the Qur’an and told her parents That if they marry thier daughter off to that guy then their marriage will not last , they will get divorced. My question Is , firstly how does the moulana see into the Qur’an and can tell what will happen in the future ? Isn’t it fortune telling? Secondly ,what if a couple is compatible with things being positive after istikaarah is read and they are told by a moulana that their marriage won’t last. Must they make nikkah or forget each other ?

Answered as per Hanafi Fiqh by Askimam.org

I recently heard in a lecture that a person that engages in fortune telling , their salaah will not be accepted for forty days…

My concern and confusion is that some molanas often give u advice by looking into the Qur’an and seeing if something is good for u . Example a friend of mine got proposed, her parents went to a moulana to “see” if the guy was compatible. The moulana looked into the Qur’an and told her parents That if they marry thier daughter off to that guy then their marriage will not last , they will get divorced.

My question Is , firstly how does the moulana see into the Qur’an and can tell what will happen in the future ? Isn’t it fortune telling?

Secondly ,what if a couple is compatible with things being positive after istikaarah is read and they are told by a moulana that their marriage won’t last. Must they make nikkah or forget each other ?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

1)     Fortune telling is a major sin and absolutely haram in Islam.[1] Consider the following hadiths:

عَنْ أَبِي مَسْعُودٍ الأَنْصَارِيِّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ: «أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ نَهَى عَنْ ثَمَنِ الكَلْبِ، وَمَهْرِ البَغِيِّ، وَحُلْوَانِ الكَاهِنِ»

Narrated Abu Mas`ud Al-Ansari: Allah’s Messenger () forbade taking the price of a dog, money earned by prostitution and the earnings of a soothsayer.[2]

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ – صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -: “مَنْ أَتَى حَائِضًا، أَوْ امْرَأَةً فِي دُبُرِهَا، أَوْ كَاهِنًا، فَصَدَّقَهُ بِمَا يَقُولُ، فَقَدْ كَفَرَ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ

It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said: “The Messenger of Allah said: ‘Whoever has intercourse with a menstruating woman, or with a woman in her rear, or who goes to a fortune teller and believes what he says, he has disbelieved in that which was revealed to Muhammad.'”[3]

Your understanding of fortune telling is correct. The practice of looking in the Quran and determining the future has no basis in Shari’ah. The Quran is a book of guidance. It is not meant to determine the outcome of a future event. 

2)     As mentioned earlier, the predictions of these moulanas have no basis in Islam. No one but Allah knows the future. You should act based on the outcome of your istikhaarah on condition that the istikhaarah is conducted the proper way with an open mind. It is also advisable to consult (mashwarah) with appropriate people if you are in doubt.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Muhammad Haris Siddiqui

Student Darul Iftaa
Melbourne, Australia  

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.


[1]  قال الحصكفي: وحراما، وهو علم الفلسفة والشعبذة والتنجيم والرمل وعلوم الطبائعيين والسحر والكهانة، ودخل في الفلسفة المنطق، ومن هذا القسم علم الحرف

قال ابن عابدين: (قوله: والكهانة) وهي تعاطي الخبر عن الكائنات في المستقبل وادعاء معرفة الأسرار. قال في نهاية الحديث: وقد كان في العرب كهنة كشق وسطيح، فمنهم من كان يزعم أن له تابعا يلقي إليه الأخبار عن الكائنات، ومنهم أنه يعرف الأمور بمقدمات يستدل بها على موافقها من كلام من يسأله أو حاله أو فعله وهذا يخصونه باسم العراف كالمدعي معرفة المسروق ونحوه، وحديث ” من أتى كاهنا ” يشمل العراف والمنجم. والعرب تسمي كل من يتعاطى علما دقيقا كاهنا، ومنهم من يسمي المنجم والطبيب كاهنا اهـ ابن عبد الرزاق.

رد المحتار على الدر المختار ١٤٥ – سعيد)

[2]  2237 – حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَالِكٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ أَبِي مَسْعُودٍ الأَنْصَارِيِّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ: «أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ نَهَى عَنْ ثَمَنِ الكَلْبِ، وَمَهْرِ البَغِيِّ، وَحُلْوَانِ الكَاهِنِ» (بخاري)

[3] 122 – بَابُ النَّهْيِ عَنْ إِتْيَانِ الْحَائِضِ

639 – حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَعَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ قَالَا: حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ حَكِيمٍ الْأَثْرَمِ، عَنْ أَبِي تَمِيمَةَ الْهُجَيْمِيِّ

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ – صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -: “مَنْ أَتَى حَائِضًا، أَوْ امْرَأَةً فِي دُبُرِهَا، أَوْ كَاهِنًا، فَصَدَّقَهُ بِمَا يَقُولُ، فَقَدْ كَفَرَ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ” (ابن ماجة)

This answer was collected from Askimam.org, which is operated under the supervision of Mufti Ebrahim Desai from South Africa.

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