Following the stars
Question:-
What is the condition of the Imaan of those that follow the stars (in determining their destiny)?
Answer:-
We, as Muslims, believe in the Oneness of Allah Ta’ala and firmly believe that whatever affects our lives, whether good or bad, is purely and solely from Allah Ta’ala. It is only Allah that possesses complete and perfect knowledge of every single thing that ever existed in the past, that currently exists, and what will come into existence in the future, to the extent that even before birth, Allah Ta’ala was fully aware of whether we will be amongst the fortunate souls or unfortunate souls, how much of sustenance we will receive in our lifetime, how long we will live etc. and He is fully aware of whether we will be amongst the dwellers of Jannah or not, in the future. In short, it is Allah alone that has complete knowledge of everything.
The stars have absolutely no ability of predicting the future of a person, nor do the stars have the ability of indicating towards the character or personality of a person. This is in the knowledge of Allah alone. The ability of righteousness can be snatched away from a person at any moment resulting in him becoming a wretched and evil person, whilst the worst sinner could repent, and by the Taufeeq of Allah Ta’ala, become a pious person. In the event of such an occurrence, the character of the evil person can also change and the character of the good person can become evil. This cannot be understood by following the stars but is only in the complete Knowledge of Almighty Allah. By believing that the stars are able to predict or indicate towards the character and personality of a person, we are in actual fact, attributing a quality belonging to Allah alone, to another being or object, which is tantamount to Shirk and can cause a person to lose his Imaan.
It is mentioned in the Hadith that it rained during the era of Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam. Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam told the Sahaaba, “Did you hear what your Rabb said at night?” Your Rabb has said, “I favoured my servants with a bounty but a group of them became disbelievers saying that a certain star had caused it to rain. As for the one that believes in Me and praises Me for causing rain to fall upon them, has (truly) believed in Me and disbelieved in the stars. And as for the person that says that a certain star caused it to rain, he has certainly disbelieved in Me and believed in the stars.” [Re:- Nasai’ee Sharif]
عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ الْجُهَنِيِّ، قَالَ: مُطِرَ النَّاسُ عَلَى عَهْدِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ: ” أَلَمْ تَسْمَعُوا مَاذَا قَالَ رَبُّكُمُ اللَّيْلَةَ؟ قَالَ: مَا أَنْعَمْتُ عَلَى عِبَادِي مِنْ نِعْمَةٍ إِلَّا أَصْبَحَ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْهُمْ بِهَا كَافِرِينَ، يَقُولُونَ: مُطِرْنَا بِنَوْءِ كَذَا وَكَذَا، فَأَمَّا مَنْ آمَنَ بِي وَحَمِدَنِي عَلَى سُقْيَايَ فَذَاكَ الَّذِي آمَنَ بِي وَكَفَرَ بِالْكَوْكَبِ، وَمَنْ قَالَ: مُطِرْنَا بِنَوْءِ كَذَا وَكَذَا فَذَاكَ الَّذِي كَفَرَ بِي وَآمَنَ بِالْكَوْكَبِ “
We therefore strongly discourage you from following the stars irrespective of your intention. If you had been doing so in the past, then you should renew your Imaan as a precautionary measure and refrain from doing so in the future.
ALLAH TA’ALA KNOWS BEST!
ANSWERED BY:
Mufti Mohammed Desai
Date: 15 Shabaan 1443 / 18 March 2022