Chapter: The Reports Concerning Soothsayers and the Like

Muslim relates in his Ṣaḥīḥ, from one of the Prophet’s wives, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Whoever goes to a fortune-teller, asks him about something, and then believes him, none of his prayers will be accepted for forty days.” (1)

Soothsayers: the plural of kāhin—someone who claims to disclose future unseen matters by seeking the aid of devils.

Relevance of this chapter to the Book of Tawḥīd: Because soothsayers and their ilk claim knowledge of the unseen, a prerogative that belongs exclusively to Allah, such a claim amounts to sharing in Allah’s knowledge. The author therefore wishes to set out, in this chapter, the warnings that apply both to them and to those who believe them.

“What has been reported concerning soothsayers”: that is, the grave threats and stern warnings.

“and the like”: meaning fortune-tellers, astrologers, and sand-diviners.

“from one of the Prophet’s wives”: namely Ḥafṣah.

“none of his prayers will be accepted”: he will receive no reward for them.

Overall meaning of the ḥadīth: The Prophet ﷺ states the punishment for going to soothsayers and their likes to ask about matters of the unseen that only Allah knows: such a person is deprived of the reward of his prayers for forty days because he has committed a sin. This is a severe warning and an emphatic prohibition against the act, something that