In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving

 

All praise is due to Allah. Peace and blessings be upon His Messenger Muhammad.

 

Islam has taken a strong position against visitation of fortune tellers and the art of fortunetelling. The Islamic ruling with regard to a Muslim who visits a fortuneteller and believes what he (the fortuneteller) tells him or believes that the fortuneteller knows the unseen and the future, is that it is kufr (disbelief), according to the scholars.

 

They based their evidence on the saying of Allah: “With Him are the Keys of the Ghayb (unseen); none knows them but He.” (Al-An`am 6:59)
Allah also told Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): “Say! I have no power to bring good to myself nor avert harm but it is only as Allah wills. If it were that I knew the unseen, I would have multiplied the good and no evil would have touched me.” (Al-A`raf 7:188)
Allah also said: “Say! None in the heavens nor the earth knows the unseen except Allah.” (An-Naml 27:65)
There are many similar verses in some other chapters of the holy book. But Allah, in some of the verses, said He revealed some of the knowledge of unseen to His chosen Prophets and Messengers in order to preach His message to the people.
Abu Hurairah and al-Hassan bin ‘Ali both reported from Prophet Muhammad that he said, “Whosoever approaches a fortuneteller and believes what he says, he has disbelieved in what had been revealed to Muhammad.” (Ahmad)
This is because such a belief assigns to creation some of the attributes of Allah with regard to the knowledge of the unseen and the future.
Islam also opposes any form of association with those who practice fortunetelling, except may be to advise them to give up their forbidden trade.
The prophet was reported by one of his wives, Hafsah bint Umar (May Allah be pleased with them), as saying, “The prayer of whoever approaches a fortuneteller and asks him about anything will not be accepted for 40 days and nights.” (Muslim)
The scholars said the punishment stated in this hadith is simply for approaching a fortuneteller and asking him/her out of curiosity. But believing him/her amounts to disbelief in Islam.
The above hadith is further supported by another hadith reported by Mu’awiyyah Ibn al-Hakam as-Sulamiin which he said: “O Messenger of Allah, verily there are some people among us who visit oracles.” The prophet replied: “Do not go to them.” (Muslim)
The Islamic scholars said there is prohibition on visiting the fortuneteller because it is the first step to belief in fortunetelling. For instance, if one went to him doubtful about the truthfulness of his predictions, and some of the predictions later come true, one may become a true devotee of the fortuneteller and a believer in fortunetelling.

 

Almighty Allah knows best.