is Allah’s bounty, which He grants to whom He wills. And Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing.” Allah grants support and assistance in adhering to the religion and following the way of the believers. Allah, glorified and exalted, knows best and is most wise.

He—may Allah Most High have mercy on him—was asked:

“Is the practice of ‘astrology’ and its use to predict events lawful or forbidden? Is receiving or paying fees for it permissible? Must the ruler prevent its practitioners from practising and remove them from their places in shops?”

He replied:

“Rather, this is forbidden by the consensus of the Muslims, as is receiving payment for it. And [preventing them] (1) from setting up in shops and on the streets, preventing people from renting to them, and taking action in this matter are among the finest forms of striving in Allah’s cause. Allah knows best.”

He—may Allah have mercy on him—was asked:

“Concerning someone who said to a sharīf (a man of noble lineage), ‘You dog, you son of a dog! Do not put your hand into the bathhouse pool.’ He was told, ‘He is a sharīf,’ whereupon he said, ‘May Allah curse him and curse whoever ennobled him.’ He was then told, ‘Have you lost your senses? This man is a sharīf!’ He replied, ‘A dog, the son of a dog!’ Then he rose, went up to him, and struck him. Must he be put to death or not, when the person who testified against him concerning this was an enemy of his?”