Shaikh Salih Ala Shaikh (may Allah preserve him) said:
“From what clearly enters into astrology in this era, which a lot of people are oblivious of, is what appears a lot in the magazines. What is called Buruj (horoscopes). So they specify a page or less than that in the newspapers and place in it the symbols of the yearly horoscopes. The symbol of the lion, scorpion, bull etc. They place in front of each horoscope what will occur to it. So if a man or woman is born in that horoscope it will say: such and such will happen to you in that month. This is from the astrology which has effect and it is a type of fortunetelling . Its presence in the magazines and newspapers and the likes is the presence of fortunetelling. So it is a must to detest it, a detestation of shirk and claim to the knowledge of the unseen, magic, and astrology. This is because astrology is from magic as we mentioned and it is obligatory to detest it at every level. It is obligatory for every Muslim not to enter it into their house, not to read it, and view it. This is because viewing these horoscopes and what is in it- even simply for information, enters into the prohibition of going to the fortuneteller without detesting him.
If he reads this page and he knows his horoscope in which he was born or he knows the one that is appropriate to him, then it is as if he asked a fortuneteller. So his prayer is not accepted for forty days. If he believed in these horoscopes then he disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad (ﷺ). This proves to you the strangeness of Tawheed between its people and the strangeness of the correct understanding of this book, Kitab at-Tawheed even with the people of natural disposition and the people of Dawah. So it is obligatory to detest that at every level. It is not for a person to incriminate himself and nor those in his house by entering something of this newspaper in his house which has that on it. This is because this is from entering fortunetelling into the house. This is, and Allah’s refugee is sought, from the major sins. So it is obligatory to detest that, shred it, and take every means to defeat those people. This is because the people of astrology are fortunetellers. Astrology has a world institute in Lebanon and other than it that teaches the people the movements of the stars, what occurs by the well-known calculations, and specific schedules. They inform that whoever is from such and such horoscope, then such and such will occur. By the way of phony learning their heads and fortunetellers deceive them.
It is obligatory upon every student of knowledge to enlighten the people of the reality of that through their speech, after prayers, in the Friday Khutbah because this is what has increased in tribulations and its detestation has been little. The notification in regards to it is weak. And in Allah aid is sought”
[Tahmeed Sharh Kitab at-Tawheed pg. 333-334]
Translated by
Faisal Ibn Abdul Qaadir Ibn Hassan
Abu Sulaymaan
