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Bukhari
narrates in his Saheeh, that Qatadah said:
"Allah
created these stars for three reasons: (i) To adorn
the heaven, (ii) as missiles against the devils and
(ii) as signs by which (the traveller) may be guided;
and so whoever claims more than this for them has is
emoneous and has lost his reward (on the Day of
Resurrection) and taken upon himself that of which he
has no knowledge."
In this
narration, Qatadah informs us that Allah (swt ), Most
High, Created the stars for only three things: The
first, to beautify the night sky; the second, as
projectiles against the devils who approach the lowest
heaven in order to overhear the angels speaking of the
Commandments of Allah (swt ) which they then attempt to
convey to the fortune-tellers and soothsayers; 2
and the third, as guidance for the wayfarer at night,
whether on land or at sea. He (saas ) added that anyone
who claims more than this for the stars such as the
claims of astrologers, that the positions of the stars
and planets exert an influence on our daily lives, is
acting out of ignorance, and will receive no reward from
Allah (swt ) on the Day of Judgement and has gone astray
from the Straight Path.
Benefits
Derived From This Narration
1. The
wisdom of creating the stars.
2. The
falseness of the claims of those who say otherwise.
3. The
forbiddance of belief in astrology.
4. The
punishment prescribed for those who practice or believe
in astrology.
Relevance
of This Narration to the Subject of the Chapter
That it
informs us of the view of Qatadah concerning astrology,
that it is false and forbidden.
Relevance
of This Narration to the Subject of Tawheed
That
Qatadah rejected that which the astrologers claim
concerning the stars and knowledge of the unseen because
it is an act of Shirk to claim knowledge of the
unseen; as such knowledge is only with Allah (swt ).
Harb
informs us that while Qatadah disliked the studying of
the lunar phases, Ibn `Uyainah forbade it, and Ahmad and
Ishaq permitted it.
Important
Note
(a) Study
of the stars is of three kinds: (i) That which is kufr,
and that is the belief that the heavenly bodies
themselves decide the events of our daily lives. (ii)
The belief that events may be predicted by studying the
courses and relative positions of the stars and planets
which they claim is by Allah's Ordainment and His Will
and there is no doubt of the forbiddance of this nor of
its being a form of Shirk. (iii) The study of the
stars and the planets in order to have knowledge of
their cycles for the purpose of aiding travellers in
order to know the direction of the Qiblah 3
and to know the time and season and this is permissible.
(b) The
suggestion that Allah's Words:
" And
marks and signs; and by the stars they are
guided" (Qur'an 16:16)
Are an
indication that astrology is permissible is totally
false and baseless, because its forbiddance has been
reported in many authentic Ahadith and therefore, it is
clear that the meaning of this verse is not as the
ignorant and misguided have claimed, but that Allah (swt
) has placed in the earth many natural sign-posts such
as mountains, valleys, rivers, trees, rocks, etc.; and
in the heaven stars to help the traveller find his way
and that we may know the time and the season.
..ooOOoo..
It is
reported on the authority of Abu Moosa (ra ), that he
said: "Allah's Messenger (saas ) said:
"There
are three who will not enter Paradise: (i) The
habitual wine drinker, (ii) the one who cuts family
ties and (iii) the one who believes in sorcery."
The
Messenger of Allah (saas ) informs us in this Hadith
that there are three categories of people who will not
enter Paradise because of the major sins which they
committed, all of which are harmful to themselves and to
the whole community: The first of them is the alcoholic
because when he is under the influence of alcohol, his
rationality and his inhibitions depart and he is likely
to commit any number of sins. The second is the one who
breaks family ties, because in so doing he causes
strife, division and enmity between members of his
family - the result of this may be the breakdown of the
family unit which is the basis of a healthy society. The
third is the one who believes in sorcery which includes
fortune-telling, astrology, palm-reading etc., because
this leads to cheating, fraud and deception for the
purpose of stealing the money of the innocent and the
gullible.
Benefits
Derived From This Hadith
1. The
prohibition of alcoholic drinks.
2. The
obligation to maintain family ties.
3. The
forbiddance of belief in sorcery.
Relevance
of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter
That it
proves that it is forbidden to believe in all kinds of
sorcery, including astrology.
Relevance
of This Hadith to the Subject of Tawheed
That the
Hadith forbids belief in sorcery, including
astrology, because belief in astrology necessitates the
belief that someone other than Allah (swt ) possesses
knowledge of the unseen and such a belief is Shirk.
Footnotes
1.
At-Tanjeem: Astrology.
2.
This refers to meteorites, not stars, which are referred
to in Arabic also as stars, as indeed they are in
English (shooting stars, falling stars).
3.
Qiblah: The direction towards which we face when we pray
i.e. the K'abah in Makkah.
Kitaab
At-Tawheed, Chapter: 27
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