Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
- Palmistry is not a science; it is simply based on guesswork and speculation about the future without any scientific basis.
- Islam does not allow palmistry, just as it does not allow all forms of superstitions and irrational practices.
In response to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Canada, states:
Consulting fortune-tellers in Islam
It is not permissible for to consult a so-called fortune-teller or astrologer. As Muslims, we believe that no one but Almighty Allah can have knowledge of the unseen.
Only Allah has the full and accurate knowledge of the future. We read in the Quran, {No soul knows what it will earn on the morrow.} (Luqman 31:34)
Palmistry from an Islamic viewpoint
Palmistry is not a science; it is simply based on guesswork and speculation about the future without any scientific basis.
Islam is opposed to it, just as it is opposed to all forms of superstitions and irrational practices.
There are so many ills associated with palmistry. It breeds laziness and sloth and encourages charlatans to exploit the gullible and credulous people.
One of the prayers of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was the following: “O Allah, I seek refuge in You from helplessness, laziness, cowardice, and miserliness.” (Al-Bukhari)
He also said, “Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and asks him [or her] about something and then believes in his [or her] words will have his [or her] Prayer rejected for 40 days.” (Muslim)
May Allah help us safeguard our faith against the actions that undermine or diminish it in any way. Amen.
Because palmistry entails speaking of Al-Ghayb (things exclusively known by Allah) based on mere guesswork, it is contrary to tawheed (belief in the Oneness of Allah), which is the cornerstone of Islam.
Therefore, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) warned the faithful against indulging in such practices. He said, “Whoever visits a foreteller [which includes palmists, tarot readers, etc.] and believes in his [or her] words has denied what was revealed to Muhammad [i.e. the Quran].”
Almighty Allah knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.