would have been better, if only they knew.” He thus explained that faith and fear of Allah are better for them in this world and the Hereafter. Allah Most High said:

“Indeed, the allies of Allah will have no fear, nor will they grieve—those who believed and were mindful of Him,”

and the passage continues. He also said in the account of Joseph:

“Thus We established Joseph in the land, free to settle wherever he wished. We bestow Our mercy upon whom We will, and We do not let the reward of those who do good go to waste. And the reward of the Hereafter is better for those who believe and are mindful of Allah.”

He thus declared that the reward of the Hereafter is better for believers who fear Allah than the dominion and wealth they are given in this world, such as Joseph was given. In numerous verses, He, glorified be He, has also declared the evil outcome, in this world and the Hereafter, of those who abandon faith and fear of Allah. Hence His statement:

“The magician will never succeed, wherever he goes.”

The successful person is one who attains what he seeks and escapes what he fears. The magician achieves neither. In the Sunan of Abū Dāwūd, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is reported to have said:

“Whoever acquires a branch of astrology has acquired a branch of magic.”

Magic is forbidden by the Quran, the Sunnah, and scholarly consensus. The astrology that constitutes magic is of two kinds. The first is theoretical: inferring events from the movements of the stars. This is akin to seeking decisions through divining arrows. The second is practical: what they describe in terms of celestial forces in conjunction with receptive earthly forces, as in talismans and the like. This is among the highest forms of magic. Everything Allah and His Messenger have forbidden causes more harm than benefit.