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this world, unaffected by their stand against his faith, and to follow the path of those righteous Believers who
turn to Allâh and to leave the judgement between himself and his parents to the Most Just of Judges, on a
Day when the parents will not be able to benefit the child nor the child the parent. Indeed, such tolerant and
beneficent teachings are not to be found in any other religion.
Chapter 4: The Halal And The Haram In The Daily Life of The Muslim
Beliefs and Customs
Faith (iman) is the foundation of the Islâmic society, and tauheed (the belief in the existence and unity of
God) is the essence of this faith and the very core of Islâm. The safeguarding of this iman and of this pure
tauheed is the primary objective of all the Islâmic teachings and legislation. In order to keep the Muslim
society purified of all traces of shirk and remnants of error, a continuous war must be waged against all
belief-systems which originate in man s ignorance of the divine guidance and in the errors of idol worship.
Respect for Allâh’s Laws in the Universe
One of the fundamental beliefs which Islâm inculcates in the soul of Muslims is that this vast universe does
not run itself without any control and guidance, nor does it follow the misguided, blind, conflicting, and
contradictory desires of men or of any other creatures residing in it. The Qur‘ân says: If Reality had been in
accord with their desires, the heavens and the earth, and whosoever is therein, would have been in
corruption.... (23:71)
Quite to the contrary, the universe is bound by permanent laws, as the Qur‘ân states elsewhere: Thou wilt
not find any changes in the sunnah (practice or rule) of Allâh, nor wilt thou find in the sunnah of Allâh any
turning aside. (35:43)
Muslims have learned from the Book of their Rabb and the practice of their Prophet (s.a.w.s.) to respect
these laws of the universe, to understand and to use the causes and relationships which Allâh has
established among things, and to reject the alleged esoteric causes propagated by priests, charlatans, and
imposters.
The War against Superstitions and Myths
A class of deceivers known as soothsayers or diviners existed in Arab society during the Prophet’s time;
they pretended to know the events of the past and future through their contact with the jinn or through other
secret sources. The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) then declared war on this deception, which had no basis in
knowledge, divine guidance, or a revealed scripture. He recited to them what Allâh had revealed to him: Say:
No one in the heavens and the earth knows the Unseen except Allâh.... (27:65)
Accordingly, the Unseen is known neither to the angels, the jinn nor human beings. Acting on the command
of his Lord, the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) proclaimed,...If I had knowledge of the Unseen, I should have had
abundance of good and no evil should have touched me. Truly, I am but a warner and a bringer of good
tidings to those who have faith. (7:188)
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Concerning the jinn who labored for Solomon, Allâh Ta‘ala says:..It became clear to the jinn that if they had
known the Unseen, they would not have continued in the humiliating punishment (of their task). (34:14)
Accordingly, anyone who claims to know what pertains to the Unseen utters a falsehood against Allâh and
the truth, deceiving the people.
Once a delegation came to the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and, supposing him to be one of those who claimed to
have knowledge of the Unseen, they concealed something in their hands, asking the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) to
tell them what it was. The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) told them in plain words, “I am not a diviner. The diviner, (what
pertains to) the divination, and the soothsayers will all be in the Fire.”
Believing in Those Who Foretell the Future Constitutes Kufr
Islâm’s campaign was not confined to the soothsayers and diviners but included all those who go to them,
ask their help, and believe in their superstitions and errors. The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said, The salat of one who
goes to a soothsayer, asks him something and believes in what he says will not be accepted for forty days.
(Compiled by Muslim.) He also said, “Whoever goes to a soothsayer and believes in what he says has
denied what was revealed to Muhammad,” (Reported by al-Bazzar, from good and strong transmitters.) for
what was revealed to Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) asserts that the knowledge of the Unseen belongs to Allâh
alone and that Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) has no knowledge of it, much less anyone else: Say: I do not tell you
that the treasures of Allâh are with me or that I know the Unseen, nor do I tell you that I am an angel; I follow
only what is revealed to me....(6:50)
If, after being aware of this clear and explicit statement of the Qur‘ân, the Muslim believes that some people
can foretell future events and know the secrets of the Unseen, he has indeed denied what was revealed to
Allâh’s Messenger (s.a.w.s.).
Divination with Arrows
For the reason mentioned above, divination with arrows was prohibited by Islâm. The Arabs of jahiliyyah
used three arrows for divination; on one arrow was written, “My Rabb commanded me,” on another, “My
Rabb forbade me,” and the third was left blank. If they planned to go on a journey, to marry, to carry out a
raid, etc., they would go to the temple where these arrows were kept. One arrow would be selected
randomly. If they selected the “commanding” arrow they would proceed with their plan; if they selected the
“forbidding” arrow they would not proceed with it; while if the blank arrow was drawn they would replace it
and repeat the process until they received a clear indication.
The practices in our society of making decisions on the basis of what is observed in sand, seashells, tea
leaves, cards, palms, of opening a book at random, and the like are similar to this practice. (This also
indicates the practice of astrology, belief in horoscopes, and related matters. The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said, “If
anyone acquires any knowledge of astrology, he acquires a branch of magic.” (Ahmad, Abû Daoud, and
Ibn Mâjah) He also said, “The astrologer is a diviner, the diviner is a magician, and the magician is an
unbeliever.” (Razi))
Islâm has prohibited all such practices and considers them sinful. After mentioning the prohibited foods,
Allâh Subhanahu wa Ta‘ala says: “...And (also forbidden) is predicting the future by means of divining
arrows, for that is impiety.... ” (5:4 (3))
And the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said, “He who consults with soothsayers or divining arrows, or returns from a
journey because of an ill omen, shall not attain the high rank (in Paradise).” (Reported by al-Nisai.)
Magic
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