5. Divination

This is the act of foretelling future events or revealing occult knowledge by means of an alleged supernatural agency such as eavesdropping on news in the heavens. Soothsayers used to receive such news through the devils. The soothsayers used to communicate such news after adding dozens of lies to them. Allah Alone is the One Who knows the unseen. So, whoever alleges having the knowledge ofthe future either through divination or otherwise and whoever believes a soothsayer is regarded as one associating a partner with Allah and is held a denier of Him and His Messenger. Divination is an act of polytheism as it involves associating a partner with Allah in an attribute confmed solely to Him and having affection for evil spirits that help soothsayers to supposedly tell the future. It is related in Sahib. Muslim (Muslim's Authentic Book of Hadith) that on the authority of one ofthe wives of the Prophet (PBUH) that the Prophet said: "He who visits aforeteller and asks him about anything and believes him in what he says, his prayers extending to forty days will not be accepted." Also, Abu Dawftd related on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (PBUH) said: "Ifanyone visits a soothsayer and believes him in what he says, then he has disbelieved in what was revealed to Mub.ammad (PBUH):' It is worth warning that sorcerers, soothsayers and jugglers spread mischief in the earth. People may perceive them as healers whose main concern is to remedy diseases while, certainly, they work on corrupting people's belief. Sometimes, they may command a patient to slaughter a sacrificial animal not for the sake ofAllah. Others may write evil spells and charms. Moreover, some of those frauds may appear as fortune-tellers who know and inform people about the places of lost properties. For example, when an ignorant person loses an object, he may go to such a fortuneteller asking him about its place. Thereupon, he will tell that person about its place or may bring him such a missing object with the assistance of devils. Similarly, a group of those frauds disguise themselves in the appearance of devout and pious saints who are supported with inexplicable events such as casting themselves in fire without being burnt or striking themselves with swords without being wounded or grasping serpents without being harmed. Definitely, they are allies of Satan and they are truly fraudulent. All those persons solely aim at swindling people by securing unfair and unlawful gains and spoiling their faith. Therefore, Muslims should be warned against those frauds and avoid their plots. Moreover, the official authorities should call upon those who practice sorcery to repent from their sins; otherwise, they should be killed to relieve people oftheir corruption and mischief and to mainly implement the penalties of Allah. It is related in Sahih Al-Bukhad (Al-Bukharfs Authentic Book of Hadith) on the authority of BajaIah Ibn 'Abdah that 'Umar Ibnul-Khattab wrote to his governors: "Kill every sorcerer and every sorceress." Also, it is narrated on the authority of Jundub, as a marfo' hadith, that the Messenger ofAllah (PBUH) said: "The punishment a sorcerer is to receive is a stroke with the sword."