He—may Allah Most High have mercy on him—was asked:
What do the esteemed jurists, the imams of religion—may Allah be pleased with them all—say concerning these “astrologers” who sit along the roads, in shops, and elsewhere? Women sit with them, as do immoral men drawn there by the women. These astrologers claim to receive information about hidden matters through the practice of astrology. They write magic squares for people, practise sorcery, write talismans, and teach women sorcery to use on their husbands and others. Consequently, women and men gather at the shop entrances. This may lead to further consequences: turning wives against their husbands, corrupting people’s beliefs, and the ignorant among them becoming attached to sorcery and the stars and turning away from Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and from reliance upon Him when events and calamities befall them.
Is this lawful or not? Is the practice of “astrology” forbidden or not? Is it permissible to accept payment for this, and is making such payments forbidden or not? May anyone responsible for the shop—whether its administrator, owner, or agent—rent it out for such purposes or not? Is the rent forbidden or not? Must the ruler and every Muslim capable of doing so put an end to these practices or not?