Islam and Astrology

    Within this post I will discuss the reasons why astrology is largely rejected within Islam.

    Even though astrology was often practiced within early Islamic societies, according to David Cook, Muslim scholars began to doubt the religious acceptability of astrology during the tenth century (p. 76-77). Occasionally, astrologers made incorrect predictions, for example, the prediction of a deluge of fire and water which the Ghaznavid historian al-‘Utbi predicted on August 17, 1186. Cook suggests that this prediction was recorded all over the Muslim world, as well as in Europe, and when the prediction did not occur it caused a large number of treatises attacking astrology. Therefore, due to ridicule by religious leaders, astrology was largely rejected within Islam - other than within some Sufi groups, particularly those based on the thought of Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-‘Arabi.

    One of the reasons why horoscopes and astrology are largely unpopular within Islam is because within the Qur’an it suggests that predicting the future is forbidden: 

    ‘Prohibited to you... that you seek decision through divining arrows. That is grave disobedience. This day those who disbelieve have despaired of [defeating] your religion; so fear them not, but fear Me.’ (Qur'an 5:3)

    It is important to note that according to divining arrows were kept at the Ka’bah to make supernatural inquiries about courses of action. Therefore, they were used to make predictions about future events. It can also be suggested that those who claim to ‘see into the future’ are claiming that they have knowledge of the unseen. The Qur’an teaches that ‘None in the heavens and earth knows the unseen except Allah…’ (Qur'an 27:65)  Abdurrahman suggests that ‘… anyone who believes that he possesses such knowledge is certainly claiming the acquisition of a Divine attribute that Allah (alone) possesses.’ Within Islam only Allah has knowledge of the unseen, consequently, astrology is largely rejected by Muslims today.