Whoever acquires a branch of the knowledge of astrology acquires a branch of magic, of which he acquires more as long as he continues to do so

Arabic text

عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: «من اقتبَسَ علْمًا مِنَ النُّجُومِ اقْتبَسَ شُعبَة مِن السِّحرِ، زادَ ما زادَ».

Translation

Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever acquires a branch of the knowledge of astrology acquires a branch of magic, of which he acquires more as long as he continues to do so."

Explanation

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) points out that if a person acquires knowledge of the stars and planets and uses their movements and entry and exit as guidance for earthly events, like the birth of someone or his demise or illness, or any other future incident, he has thus learned part of magic, and the more he acquires of it, the more magic he learns.

Benefits

• The Hadīth prohibits astrology, which is telling about the future based on the conditions of the stars, for this falls under the claim of knowing the unseen.
• The prohibited astrology belongs to the types of sorcery that contradict monotheism. But it is permissible to look at the stars to determine the directions, the Qiblah, or the commencement of seasons and months.
• The more a person learns about astrology, the more branches of magic he learns.
• There are three benefits from the stars Allah has mentioned in His Book: an adornment for the sky, signs to serve as guidance, and missiles for stoning the devils.

Topics

• The Creed
• Names and Rulings
• Nullifiers of Islam