BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Islam Fortune Telling Forbidden in Islam

Trying to predict the future is forbidden in Islam. God forbids any form of fortune telling. Only God knows the future.

www.bellaonline.com/articles/art25586.asp

Peace

it says the same in the bible linda, but we cant go on everything, john the baptist , jesus, and isaiah told the future, i dont think it does any harm if it is meant in the right way. many people can predict and i believe it comes from a divine source so the accounts in the bible are contradictory. these books were penned by man and are not infallible, the bible was edited and parts were added to the real scriptures, anyone that goes on what people wrote hundreds of years ago should take this into account, if you live your life out of a book and not learn by your own experiences, then you will not learn the real truth. even though you may benefit by the koran it doesnt mean it and the bible are 100 percent accurate, hearsay is built into each mans thoughts, man is guilty of deception even though what is printed in these books, there is no true evidence of it being the truth, people go on faith and its very easy to believe in something just by reading or listening to anyone. i could start a rumour about religion and write a book and i would have thousands of followers, take joseph smith of the mormon faith and charles russell of jehovas witnesses faith, everyone of them believe what theyre reading and its not true? if you know what im saying, yet they think its true all the same? i found out myself whats true, and i dont need the bible or its teachings all the time my conscience tells me what is right and wrong.

Lawrence I do not need a book to tell me what is right or wrong. The Quran is a guidance. Religion is faith. People can take it or leave it. When I was a Christian I read the Bible for guidance, now as a Muslim I read the Quran.

I am the BellaOnline Islam Site editor and I write about Islam as it is written in the Quran. I cannot deny it or I would not be a Muslim and I could not be the Islam site editor.

I understand that not everyone on the planet has the same faith, and I understand that some people never read the scriptures.

I am not here to persuade anyone that I am right or you are wrong. I am here to write about Islam and give you information that maybe you were not previously aware of.

And fortune telling has always been forbidden. To the Jews, the Christians and the Muslims via all the scriptures sent by God.

Intuition is not the same as predicting the future. Intuition is God given and to guide us through life.

I truly believe that the Quran is the word of God, and that to lead a righteous life is to follow the word of God.

That does not mean I do not think for myself. In fact I am the only one who does any thinking for me. We should not turn to humans for guidance, because more often than not they do not understand religion themselves, but to God. That is why God sends us scriptures, so that we may gain knowledge and wisdom. The scriptures from God are enlightement, without them mankind would be totally lost.


Peace

Hi Tuculia

I think a lot of people mix up intuition with fortune telling.

For instance, sometimes I know when the phone is going to ring and who is phoning me.

But I cannot say that in a few weeks I am going to marry a millionaire and live happily ever after!

And what fun would it be if we knew what was going to happen next?

Thanks Linda

Great article Linda. I've known people who were addicted to psychic readings. They could not go grocery shopping without first consulting their psychic adviser - and THAT I think is terrible.

I see myself as a spiritual consultant. It does not take psychic abilities or secret info from the devil to know that if someone keeps having extra-marital affairs, or getting drunk on their lunch hour, they are headed for trouble LOL!

Do you know why fortune-telling is "forbidden?" Not that it is from the devil, although it can come from negative sources. But the future is yet open to so many possibilities and by "telling" someone about any "one" path, you are limiting their choices by instilling fear, greed, false hope, etc.

A person here on earth strengthens his or her own spiritual discernment and power by exercising free will based upon his or her own intuition or intuitive senses. Faith, if you will.

Seeking fortune telling or relying on someone else's spiritual perceptions only weakens your own.

"Telling the future" was done all the time by prophets who "foretold" of coming events, even the coming of the Messiah or the end of days.

But the type of fortune tellers, or "peeping wizards," mentioned in the scriptures tend to manipulate people for money. They play with people's fears and greed and tell them which path will provide love or money instead of allowing them to use their faith to create their own lives.

Those who have written religious materials have always used scare tactics to preach doom and damnation in order to keep followers in their ranks. God is love. It could very well be that God may prefer that we do not rely on fortune tellers or seek them out, but the forbidden thing is a bit alarmist. To "forbid" is just as bad because it too removes the choice of free will.

But some may like to consult their spiritual senses or tools to help them make choices for themselves. So be it. Is it any worse to constantly consult your family and friends for advice? Isn't my mother foretelling the future when she warned my sister not to marry a certain person because she saw them divorcing years later?

Just my thoughts.

I agree Lori. When we become reliant on someone else for answers all the time, it weakens our own ability to connect with our Source within us.

I think it's important to trust that God works in us and through us. But sometimes it's nice to have our friends to give us confirmation too

I totally agree too Lori.

The reason God 'forbids' fortune telling, or anything else that harms us, is for our own good, not to take away our freedom of choice, but for all the reasons you and Deanna have stated.

As we have freedom of choice, those of us who chose to avoid those 'forbidden' things, because they causes more harm than good, do so without question. But being told something is forbidden sometimes leads people to trespass into the 'forbidden zone'. Curiosity or ego, makes no odds.

Intuition is good. It keeps us safe. I am always asked, 'what do you think? or what would you do?' and I give my reply. Usually people come back and say. 'I wish I had listened to you, you were right, such and such happened.'

That is not fortune telling, that is wisdom and intuition and knowing as Deanne said, that if you stick your hand into the fire you are going to get burnt.

Humans have forgotten the reason why God put us here on Earth. Humans forget that this world is an illusion and that the purpose of our life on Earth is to return from where we were banished. God forbids things that will harm us. We all have the brains to decide which path to take.

And thank you for your thoughts Lori. You are always so wise. I always appreciate every word you type.

Yes Deanna, trust in God is vital because God guides our instincts and our intuition, sometimes our friends tell us what they think we want to hear.

We should all listen to and trust that voice that tells us, 'Don't put your hand in the fire.' But so many humans rely on their egos rather than God.

Dearest Linda, *You* are wise, my friend. I really love your articles and posts. I'm learning new things every day.

And yes, Deanna, it *is* nice to get a little help from our friends--those who are here and those on the other side.

But I can understand why scriptures warn against fortune telling because I am all too aware that some spiritual divination tools open doors through which all sorts of negative and evil-intentioned sources can come! It takes great spiritual strength and awareness to use such tools without risk.


For the innocent and uninitiated: "If you want to avoid the fruits of sin, stay out of the devil's orchard."

Lori your post made me think of William Blake's poem "A Poison Tree".

I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I watered it in fears,
Night and morning with my tears;
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright,
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine,

And into my garden stole,
When the night had veiled the pole.
In the morning, glad I see
My foe outstretched beneath the tree.

Hi Asha,

Nice poem, but now I am concerned... is the outstretched foe dead or just sleeping off the apple?

Did the apple poison him or did he choke? Oh dear, now my imagination is working overtime. I have to keep reading the poem to decide!

This used to happen to me as a kid. At the end of The Flintstones cartoon, Fred Flintstone would get shut out of his house by his sabre tooth tiger. I would fret all night about how Fred would get back into his house lol!

Linda, I used to worry about Fred Flinstone too!!!!

Silly sabre tooth tiger!

That poem is tricky... I need to read it again.

Is he saying the anger he never expressed turned to poison it killed his enemy?

Cuz I'd honestly think it would be that his anger would destroy himself?

Oh he did die!! Oh. Why do my thoughts go to Fred Flintstone at times like this lol?

Fred must have been a powerfully attractive male figure for us to both have worried about him Deanne LOL. Or we are just odd!

Anger, yes. Wow this is a hard peom Asha, brain testing. For some reason I have to keep reading it!

Okay I get it, I get it, I think!

Do not bottle up your anger? The first two lines say it all?


I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

If you tell someone how you feel, you no longer feel it?

I think??!!

Asha what have you done to us?? x

I've noticed that when I hold in my anger, say toward my husband, I just end up feeling worse and worse. I could even lose sleep over it.

When I tell him what's happening, and we talk about it, I ALWAYS feel better.

That why I wonder who really lies under that tree LOL!!