Question
Some people believe in the permissibility of palmistry. Please provide an answer in the light of the Quran and Hadith.
Answer
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام علىٰ رسول الله، أما بعد!
The ruling on palmistry (fundamental issue)
Considering palmistry permissible is completely against the clear texts of the Quran and Sunnah, because it is connected to knowledge of the unseen, and knowledge of the unseen is exclusively Allah’s attribute. Therefore, it is stated:
﴿وَعِندَهُ مَفاتِحُ الغَيبِ لا يَعلَمُها إِلّا هُوَ…﴿٥٩﴾…
And with Allah are the keys of the unseen treasures; none knows them except Him.
﴿قُل لا يَعلَمُ مَن فِى السَّمـوتِ وَالأَرضِ الغَيبَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَما يَشعُرونَ أَيّانَ يُبعَثونَ ﴿٦٥﴾…
Say, “None in the heavens and earth knows the unseen except Allah; nor do they know when they will be resurrected.”
﴿ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عِندَهُ عِلمُ السّاعَةِ وَيُنَزِّلُ الغَيثَ وَيَعلَمُ ما فِى الأَرحامِ وَما تَدرى نَفسٌ ماذا تَكسِبُ غَدًا وَما تَدرى نَفسٌ بِأَىِّ أَرضٍ تَموتُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَليمٌ خَبيرٌ ﴿٣٤﴾…
Indeed, with Allah is the knowledge of the Hour; He sends down the rain and knows what is in the wombs. No one knows what he will earn tomorrow, nor does anyone know in which land he will die. Indeed, Allah is All-Knowing and Well-Acquainted.
﴿يَسـَٔلونَكَ عَنِ السّاعَةِ أَيّانَ مُرسىها قُل إِنَّما عِلمُها عِندَ رَبّى لا يُجَلّيها لِوَقتِها إِلّا هُوَ ثَقُلَت فِى السَّمـوتِ وَالأَرضِ لا تَأتيكُم إِلّا بَغتَةً يَسـَٔلونَكَ كَأَنَّكَ حَفِىٌّ عَنها قُل إِنَّما عِلمُها عِندَ اللَّهِ وَلـكِنَّ أَكثَرَ النّاسِ لا يَعلَمونَ ﴿١٨٧﴾…
These people ask you about the Hour (Day of Judgment), when it will occur? Say, its knowledge is only with my Lord; none but Him will reveal its time. It will be a great calamity in the heavens and the earth. It will suddenly come upon you. They ask you as if you have thoroughly investigated it. Say, its knowledge is only with Allah, but most people do not know.
﴿قُل لا أَملِكُ لِنَفسى نَفعًا وَلا ضَرًّا إِلّا ما شاءَ اللَّهُ وَلَو كُنتُ أَعلَمُ الغَيبَ لَاستَكثَرتُ مِنَ الخَيرِ وَما مَسَّنِىَ السّوءُ إِن أَنا۠ إِلّا نَذيرٌ وَبَشيرٌ لِقَومٍ يُؤمِنونَ ﴿١٨٨﴾… سورةالأعراف
Say, I do not possess for myself any benefit or harm except what Allah wills. And if I knew the unseen, I would have acquired much good and no harm would have touched me. I am only a warner and a bringer of good tidings to those who believe.
Explanation
The explanation of the first verse is clarified in the third verse that “Mafatih al-Ghaib” refers to those five matters which no one knows except Allah. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ also designated these as Mafatih al-Ghaib:
Mafatih al-Ghaib: Five matters known only to Allah
When will the Day of Judgment come?
The signs of the approaching Day of Judgment have indeed been described by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, but the exact knowledge of its occurrence is with Allah alone; neither any angel nor any sent prophet possesses it.
When will it rain?
It can be estimated and is estimated from signs and indications, but everyone has experienced that these estimates sometimes turn out to be correct and sometimes wrong. Even despite meteorological department announcements, not a single drop of rain may fall. This makes it clear that the exact time of rain is known only to Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He.
What is or is not in the wombs of mothers?
With today’s machinery, it might be possible to make a rough estimate in the womb whether the child is male or female; but whether the child will be born alive or dead? Will they have a long life or a short one? Will they be imperfect or perfect? Will they be beautiful or ugly? Will they be fortunate or unfortunate? Will they be rich or poor? Will they have children or be childless? Will they be a believer or a disbeliever? Will they be knowledgeable or ignorant?—All this knowledge belongs to Allah alone.
What will man do tomorrow?
Whether it is a matter of religion or the world; how many marriages one will have or remain single; what one will gain and what one will lose; what will be the outcome of one’s worldly efforts—no palm reader or so-called professors of astrology sitting on the pavement know anything about the coming tomorrow.
Sayyiduna Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) says that Allah Almighty created the stars for three purposes: (i) adornment of the sky, (ii) means of guidance, (iii) to pelt Satan. But ignorant astrologers and so-called palm readers have fabricated the pretense of clairvoyance from these: for example, such and such star is auspicious, such and such is inauspicious; a child born under such a star will be fortunate, and a girl born at such a time will be unfortunate, etc. All these are deceptions and often their predictions turn out to be false. How can knowledge of the unseen be obtained from stars, birds, and animals? Whereas in Surah An-Naml, verse 5, the verdict is that none knows the unseen in the heavens and the earth except Allah. Even the contractors of astrology and claimants of palmistry themselves do not know whether the coming tomorrow will arrive in their lives or not; and if it does, what they will do, what they will gain, and what they will lose?
Where and How Will Death Come?
At home or outside the home? In the homeland or in a foreign land? After desires are fulfilled or carrying desires in the heart? — All this is hidden. And Surah Al-A’raf, verse 188 clarifies that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is not the Knower of the unseen; no one knows the unseen except Allah. Yet the height of oppression and ignorance is that those fond of polytheism and innovation make people believe that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is the Knower of the unseen.
Is it not a fact that in the Battle of Uhud, your ﷺ blessed tooth was wounded? Lady Aisha رضي الله عنها was falsely accused, and because of this, you ﷺ remained distressed for an entire month? A Jewish woman named Zainab poisoned the food given to you ﷺ and the noble companions رضي الله عنهم, the pain of which you ﷺ felt throughout your life, and one companion passed away due to that poisonous food? Many such incidents are mentioned in the books of Hadith and Seerah, which make it clear that these hardships and harms occurred due to lack of knowledge. This is a testimony to the Quranic truth that: “If I had known the unseen, I would have gathered much benefit, and no harm would have touched me.”
Sayyida Aisha’s (RA) Clarifying Statement (Advice)
من حدثك ان محمدا رأى ربه فقد كذب وهو يقول (لاترركه الابصار ) ومن حدثك انه يعلم الغيب فقد كذب وهو يقول لا يعلم الغيب الاالله. (صحيح البخارى)
Whoever tells you that Muhammad ﷺ saw Allah the Exalted is lying, because Allah Almighty says that eyes cannot perceive Him. Similarly, whoever says that you ﷺ knew the unseen is lying, because Allah Almighty says that no one knows the unseen except Allah.
Hanafi Jurist and Mufti Kurdi’s Fatwa (Important Warning)
The fatwa of Imam Muhammad ibn al-Ma’ruf Ibn al-Bazzar al-Kurdi, who died in 847 AH, regarding astrologers, palm readers, and those who make people believe that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was a knower of the unseen, is noteworthy:
ان تزوجها بشهادة الله ورسوله اعلم لا ينعقد ويخاف عليه الكفر لانه يوهم انه عليه السلام ﴿وعنده مفاتيح الغيب …. الاية ﴾ وما اعلم الله الخيار عباده بالوحى او الالهام الحق لم بيق بعد الاعلام غيبا فخرج عن الحصرين الستفادين من تقديم المسند والحصير بالا.
That a person who marries by taking Allah Almighty and His Messenger ﷺ as witnesses, such a marriage will not be valid, and there is a fear that this person may become a disbeliever before Allah because in this way he is making it appear that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ knew the unseen, whereas Allah Almighty has said: The keys of the unseen are with Allah alone, and none knows them except Him. And what has been revealed to His chosen servants through revelation or true inspiration, after revealing it, does not fall under the definition of knowledge of the unseen because it is excluded from the definition of knowledge of the unseen due to the precedence of the Musnad and the exclusive wording of the statement.
Summary of proofs and warnings (soothsayer, astrologer, palm reader)
From these five explicit texts of the Holy Quran and authentic Hadiths, it is clear that those innovators who believe in the Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ ability of clairvoyance are astrologers, palmists, liars, and fabricators. According to Hanafi jurist Allama Kardari, there is a concern that due to such beliefs, they may be declared disbelievers before Allah. Finally, remember these warnings for those who confirm astrologers, soothsayers, and palmists:
(1) عن حفصة رضى الله عنها قالت رسول اللهﷺ من اتى عرافا فسالة عن شىء لم يقبل له صلوة اربعين ليلة .
Whoever goes to a soothsayer or astrologer and asks about the future, his prayers for forty days will not be accepted.
(2) When it rained during the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, the Prophet ﷺ said:
هل تدرون ماذا قال ربكم قالوا الله ورسوله أعلم قال قال أصبح من عبادي مؤمن بي وكافر فأما من قال مطرنا بفضل الله ورحمته فذلك مؤمن بي كافر بالكوكب وأما من قال مطرنا بنوء كذا وكذا فذلك كافر بي مؤمن بالكوكب .(متفق عليه)
(3) عن ابى هريره ان رسول اللهﷺ قال من اتى كاهنا فصدقه بما يقول …. فقد برى مما انزل على محمد ﷺ .
The Prophet ﷺ said that whoever goes to a soothsayer, palmist, or astrologer and confirms what they say, has turned away from the Shariah that was revealed to Muhammad ﷺ.
This is the reality of soothsayers, astrologers, and palmists, and the bad end of those who go to them. May Allah Almighty protect all Muslims from such false beliefs and corrupt thoughts. Ameen.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
