Islamic View of Palmistry

Name of Questioner
Amer - Pakistan
Title
Islamic View of Palmistry
Question
Respected scholar, As-Salamu `alaykum. Why is it that Palm-reading should not be practiced? I really need your advice based on Qur’an and Hadith about reading hand lines. Jazakum Allah khayran.
Date
24/Aug/2003
Name of Counsellor
Muzammil Siddiqi
Topic
Misconceptions, The Unseen

Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
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.
Dear questioner, we commend your pursuit of knowledge and your keenness to seek what is lawful and avoid what is not. We earnestly implore Allah to bless your efforts in this honorable way. First of all, it is to be stated that there is no room in Islam for anyone predicting the future. As Muslims we believe that only Allah has the full and accurate knowledge of the future. It is forbidden for Muslims to consult the future tellers or astronomers. Regarding the Islamic view of palmistry, Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, former President of the Islamic Society of North America, states: “The issue of hand lines is a complicated one. Reading of hands is called ‘palmistry’. Some people say that this is a science that emerged in ancient India about 4,500 years ago. It is referred to in Indian literature as a kind of Samudrik Shastra (ocean of knowledge). Its original intent was not to predict future, but to do hand analysis for personality assessment and counseling. Later it degenerated into future telling, fortune telling and prediction. I am not fully convinced of its scientific value and I do not believe that it can be of much use for any accurate information about a person, his or her personality and traits. The lines of hands keep changing. Some experts say that one can see distinct changes in as little as three months. So if they state anything they, probably, state the present condition of a person and nothing more than that. As Muslims we believe that only Allah has the full and accurate knowledge of the future. The Qur’an says, “No soul knows what it will earn tomorrow…” (Luqman: 34) It is forbidden for Muslims to consult the future tellers or astronomers. We should not believe in their predictions. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Do not associate with the astrologers [as-hab an-nujum].” (Reported by Ahmad) He also said, “Whoever goes to a fortuneteller and asks him something and believes in his words, will have his prayers rejected for forty days.” (Reported by Muslim) “Whoever visited a soothsayer and believed in his words has denied the Revelation to Muhammad (i.e., the Qur’an).” (Reported by Muslim)” Excerpted, with slight modifications, from: http://pakistanlink.com/religion/99/09-03.html You can also read:
Going to Fortunetellers
Reading Horoscopes
Allah Almighty knows best.

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