WHAT DOES ISLAM SAY ABOUT ASTROLOGY, PALMISTRY, FORTUNE-TELLING, AND HOROSCOPES?
The Islamic Ruling on Fortune-Telling, Astrology and Claims to Know the Unseen
In today's world, astrology, horoscopes, palm reading, fortune-telling and various forms of so-called spiritual or psychic knowledge have become increasingly popular. They appear in newspapers, magazines, websites, social media and even mobile applications.
A person may casually ask, “What is my star sign?” Another may read a horoscope simply for entertainment. Someone else may visit a palm reader to discover what the future holds. Others may claim that they can receive information through telepathy or other supernatural methods.
But an important question arises:
What does Islam say about these practices?
The fundamental Islamic principle is clear: the knowledge of the unseen (الغيب) belongs to Allah alone, except for whatever He chooses to disclose to His messengers through revelation. Therefore, a Muslim cannot believe that stars, planets, lines on the palm, psychic powers, spirits or other created things independently reveal the future.
1. What Does Islam Mean by “The Unseen”?
The Arabic word الغيب (al-ghayb) refers to matters that are hidden from human perception and ordinary knowledge.
Allah says:
وَعِندَهُۥ مَفَاتِحُ ٱلْغَيْبِ لَا يَعْلَمُهَآ إِلَّا هُوَ
“With Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him.”
Surah al-An‘am 6:59
Allah also says:
قُل لَّا يَعْلَمُ مَن فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ٱلْغَيْبَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ
“Say, ‘None in the heavens and the earth knows the unseen except Allah.’”
Surah al-Naml 27:65
These verses establish an essential principle of Tawhid: Allah possesses complete and independent knowledge of the unseen.
There is, however, an important qualification. Allah may disclose some knowledge of the unseen to His chosen messengers through revelation. Allah says:
عَٰلِمُ ٱلْغَيْبِ فَلَا يُظْهِرُ عَلَىٰ غَيْبِهِۦٓ أَحَدًا إِلَّا مَنِ ٱرْتَضَىٰ مِن رَّسُولٍ
“He is the Knower of the unseen, and He does not disclose His knowledge of the unseen to anyone, except a messenger whom He has chosen.”
Surah al-Jinn 72:26–27
Thus, Islam does not teach that created beings possess independent knowledge of the unseen. Whatever Allah reveals is only by His permission and revelation.
2. Can Anyone Know the Future Through Astrology?
Astrology is different from astronomy.
Astronomy is the scientific study of celestial objects such as stars, planets and galaxies. Studying the heavens as part of Allah's creation is not the same thing as predicting a person's future from the position of the stars.
Astrology, in the sense prohibited in Islam, claims that the positions or movements of celestial bodies determine or reveal a person's personality, destiny, relationships, wealth, marriage, health or future events.
This is precisely where the Islamic objection arises.
The Prophet ﷺ warned against astrology.
Ibn ‘Abbas رضي الله عنهما narrated that the
Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رضي الله عنهما قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ
مَنْ اقْتَبَسَ عِلْمًا مِنَ النُّجُومِ اقْتَبَسَ شُعْبَةً مِنَ السِّحْرِ، زَادَ مَا زَادَ
“Whoever acquires a branch of knowledge from astrology has acquired a branch of magic, the more he increases in it.”
📖 Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Hadith 3905.
This hadith demonstrates the seriousness with which Islam treats astrology when it is used for divination and claims concerning the unseen.
3. What About Horoscopes?
A horoscope generally takes a person's supposed zodiac sign and gives predictions concerning his or her future.
For example, a horoscope may tell someone:
You will receive unexpected money.
Someone from your past will contact you.
You will meet a new person.
You should avoid travelling today.
A major opportunity is coming.
Your relationship will experience difficulties.
Even when such statements appear accurate, accuracy by itself does not establish supernatural knowledge.
The Prophet ﷺ explained that fortune-tellers could sometimes report something that appeared to come true, but this did not make them truthful.
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رضي الله عنها قَالَتْ: سَأَلَ أُنَاسٌ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنِ الْكُهَّانِ، فَقَالَ لَهُمْ: «لَيْسُوا بِشَيْءٍ
‘A'ishah رضي الله عنها narrated:
Some people asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about fortune-tellers. He said that they were not to be regarded as possessing genuine knowledge.
📖 Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari, 6213
When they mentioned that fortune-tellers sometimes said something that later proved true, the Prophet ﷺ explained that a jinn could obtain a word and convey it to the fortune-teller, who would then mix it with many lies.
Therefore, the fact that a prediction occasionally appears correct is not evidence that the person possesses knowledge of the unseen.
4. Is Reading a Horoscope “Just for Fun” Allowed?
A Muslim should be very careful about this.
Reading a horoscope deliberately means engaging with material whose purpose is to assign future events or characteristics to a person based upon astrology.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
عَنْ بَعْضِ أَزْوَاجِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ
«مَنْ أَتَى عَرَّافًا فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْ شَيْءٍ، لَمْ تُقْبَلْ لَهُ صَلَاةٌ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً»
Narrator: Safiyyah, from some of the wives of the Prophet ﷺ
“Whoever goes to a diviner and asks him about something, his prayer will not be accepted for forty nights.”
Sahih Muslim, 2230
This does not mean that the person abandons prayer for forty days. Rather, the prayer remains an obligation and must still be performed; the hadith describes a serious spiritual consequence concerning its acceptance.
For this reason, a Muslim should not treat horoscope reading as harmless entertainment.
5. What If Someone Actually Believes the Horoscope?
The matter becomes considerably more serious when a person believes that an astrologer, fortune-teller or horoscope genuinely possesses knowledge of the unseen.
Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رضي الله عنه، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ
مَنْ أَتَى كَاهِنًا فَصَدَّقَهُ بِمَا يَقُولُ، فَقَدْ بَرِئَ مِمَّا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ
“Whoever goes to a soothsayer and believes what he says has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad.”
📖 Sunan Abī Dāwūd, 3904
This is why the issue is not merely about superstition or entertainment. It can become a matter affecting Tawhid and belief.
At the same time, individual cases should not be casually labelled kufr without understanding exactly what a person believes and without proper scholarly judgment. Muslims should distinguish between committing a serious prohibited act, falling into sinful superstition, and actually adopting a belief that contradicts the foundations of Islam.
6. What About Palmistry?
Palmistry (palm reading) is the practice of examining the lines and features of a person's hand and claiming that they reveal his personality, destiny or future.
From an Islamic perspective, if palmistry is being used as a method of divination or to claim knowledge of the unseen, it falls under the same general prohibition against fortune-telling and divination.
There is nothing in the lines of a person's hand that gives an ordinary human being independent access to Allah's knowledge of the unseen.
The Qur'an states:
قُل لَّا يَعْلَمُ مَن فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ٱلْغَيْبَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ
“Say, ‘None in the heavens and the earth knows the unseen except Allah.’”
— Qur'an 27:65
Consequently, a Muslim should not visit a palm reader in order to discover what will happen in the future, whom he or she will marry, how long they will live, whether they will become wealthy, or similar matters.
7. What About Telepathy?
The word telepathy can be used in different ways, so some distinction is necessary.
If someone uses “telepathy” to describe ordinary human communication, intuition, observation, psychological inference or a phenomenon that can be investigated scientifically, that is a different subject from fortune-telling.
However, if a person claims to possess a supernatural ability through which he can independently obtain hidden information, communicate with unseen beings, predict the future or discover matters known only to Allah, then such claims enter the area of divination and claims to knowledge of the unseen.
The Qur'an provides a powerful reminder regarding even the jinn.
When Prophet Sulayman (Solomon) عليه السلام died, the jinn working under him did not know that he had died until his body fell.
Allah says:
فَلَمَّا خَرَّ تَبَيَّنَتِ الْجِنُّ أَن لَّوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ الْغَيْبَ
“When he fell, it became clear to the jinn that if they had known the unseen...”
Saba 34:14
This is an important lesson: even the jinn do not possess independent knowledge of the unseen.
8. Can Jinn Give Information to Fortune-Tellers?
The authentic hadith of ‘A'ishah رضي الله عنها mentioned earlier explains that the jinn may obtain information and convey it to their human associates, after which many lies are added.
The Prophet ﷺ said that a statement which happens to be true may be taken by a jinn and passed to his associate, who then mixes numerous falsehoods with it.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6213.
A similar description is reported from Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه concerning the jinn attempting to eavesdrop upon heavenly information and passing what they hear down to others.
This helps explain why a fortune-teller might occasionally say something that appears remarkably accurate without possessing genuine, independent knowledge of the unseen.
The Qur'an also describes the protection of the heavens from attempts to eavesdrop upon the heavenly realm, further emphasizing that the unseen is not freely available to the jinn or human beings.
9. What About a Prediction That Comes True?
This is one of the most common arguments used in favour of astrology and fortune-telling:
“But the astrologer predicted it, and it actually happened!”
Islam teaches us not to confuse coincidence with knowledge.
A prediction can appear correct for many reasons. It might be a coincidence, a general statement that applies to many people, a calculated guess, information obtained beforehand, or—according to the hadith—information mixed with falsehood.
The Prophet ﷺ specifically addressed the fact that fortune-tellers sometimes say something that turns out to be true.
‘A'ishah رضي الله عنها reported that the Prophet ﷺ explained that a jinn could obtain a word and convey it to a fortune-teller, who would then add many lies to it.
Therefore, an occasional correct prediction does not establish that astrology, palmistry or fortune-telling provides legitimate access to the unseen.
10. Islam and the Stars: A Very Important Distinction
Islam does not teach Muslims to ignore the heavens.
Allah repeatedly calls upon humanity to contemplate the creation of the heavens and the earth.
Stars have legitimate purposes. They are part of Allah's creation and can be studied for navigation, calendars and other beneficial purposes.
What is prohibited is assigning them a supernatural ability to determine a person's destiny or reveal the unseen.
Therefore:
Astronomy is not the same as Astrology.
Studying the movement of planets and stars is one thing.
Believing that the position of Mars determines your marriage, that your zodiac sign determines your destiny, or that a horoscope reveals tomorrow's events is something entirely different.
11. What Should a Muslim Do Instead?
Islam does not leave a person helpless about the future.
Instead of trying to uncover the unseen through forbidden methods, a believer turns to Allah.
When faced with an important decision, a Muslim can:
🤲 Duʿāʾ (الدُّعَاء) — Supplication to Allah.
🕌 Ṣalāh (الصَّلَاة) — Prayer and worship.
🌙 Istikhārah (الاِسْتِخَارَة) — Seeking Allah’s guidance when making decisions.
🤍 Tawakkul (التَّوَكُّل) — Placing one’s trust and reliance upon Allah.
👥 Consult trustworthy and knowledgeable people (استشارة أهل العلم والثقة).
🧠 Consider the available facts (النظر في المعطيات المتاحة).
🛤️ Take lawful means (الأخذ بالأسباب المشروعة).
Accept Allah's decree with patience and faith.
Allah says:
وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَتَوَكَّلُوا إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ
“And upon Allah rely, if you are believers.”
— Qur'an 5:23
The believer does not need to know tomorrow in order to live today correctly.
12. A Simple Guide for Muslims
It may be helpful to summarize the issue:
Astrology
If astrology means using stars and planets to determine people's personalities, destinies or future events, it is prohibited.
Horoscopes
A Muslim should avoid horoscope columns, horoscope apps and similar predictions, particularly when they are treated as a source of knowledge about the future.
Palmistry
Using palm lines to predict a person's future or hidden destiny is a form of divination and should be avoided.
Fortune-Tellers
Visiting fortune-tellers and asking them about the unseen is prohibited. The Prophet ﷺ warned of serious consequences for doing so.
Believing Fortune-Tellers
Believing that a fortune-teller genuinely possesses knowledge of the unseen is a much more serious matter and conflicts with the Islamic doctrine that ultimate knowledge of the unseen belongs to Allah.
Telepathy
The term itself can refer to different claims. Ordinary psychological phenomena should not automatically be labelled occult. But claims of supernatural access to hidden knowledge or the future fall under the same Islamic concerns regarding divination.
Conclusion: Leave the Unseen to Allah
Human beings naturally want to know what tomorrow will bring.
We wonder:
Will I become wealthy?
Who will I marry?
Will I succeed?
Will something bad happen to me?
What does my future hold?
These questions are part of human nature. But Islam teaches us that the answer is not found in the stars, the lines of our hands, horoscope columns or fortune-tellers.
Allah says:
وَعِندَهُۥ مَفَاتِحُ ٱلْغَيْبِ لَا يَعْلَمُهَآ إِلَّا هُوَ
“With Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him.”
— Qur'an 6:59
And Allah says:
قُل لَّا يَعْلَمُ مَن فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ٱلْغَيْبَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ
“Say, ‘None in the heavens and the earth knows the unseen except Allah.’”
— Qur'an 27:65
The believer therefore does not need to uncover the future before it arrives. We worship Allah, take the lawful means available to us, make du‘a, seek guidance, and place our trust in Him.
What Allah has kept hidden, we leave hidden.
What Allah has commanded, we follow. And
what Allah has decreed, we accept with faith.
And Allah knows best.
References
The Qur'an, Surah al-An‘am 6:59 — knowledge of the unseen.
The Qur'an, Surah al-Naml 27:65 — none in the heavens and earth knows the unseen except Allah.
The Qur'an, Surah al-Jinn 72:26–27 — Allah's knowledge of the unseen and His disclosure to chosen messengers.
The Qur'an, Surah al-A‘raf 7:188 — the Prophet ﷺ was not claiming independent knowledge of the unseen.
The Qur'an, Surah Saba 34:14 — the jinn did not know the unseen concerning the death of Sulayman عليه السلام.
Sahih Muslim 2230 — narrated by Safiyyah from some of the wives of the Prophet ﷺ; prohibition of visiting a diviner and asking about matters.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6213 — narrated by ‘A'ishah رضي الله عنها; fortune-tellers and information mixed with falsehood.
Sunan Abi Dawud 3904 — narrated by Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه; warning concerning believing a soothsayer.
Sunan Abi Dawud / Riyad as-Salihin 1671 — narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas رضي الله عنهما; warning concerning astrology.
Sunnah.com
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