Home
Discover Islam
Quran Recitations
Lectures
Fatwa
Articles
Fiqh
E-Books
Women
Boys & Girls 
Enter Question
View By Subject
Fatwa Of The Week
Selected Fatwa
Fatwa CenterThis has nothing to do with divination
Question
1) Is the blood screening or X-ray at the medical laboratory is the same as divination, i.e. looking at the divining board?
2) There are Muslim scholars here in Tanzania who are said that the first person to get this knowledge (Divination) was Prophet Idrees and was taught by the angel Jibreel.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
A medical examination such as blood screening or an X-ray is a practical scientific procedure intended to help cure an illness. It has nothing to do with divination or fortune-telling. Conducting a medical examination is a part of seeking treatment for our diseases, which is a matter that we are urged to observe. The Prophet 
said: "O slaves of Allaah! Seek medical treatment (for your illness)."
As for divination and fortune-telling, they are mainly abominable acts practiced by those who falsely claim to have knowledge of the unseen (i.e., the matters of the past, present and the future) in order to deceive people. We should realize that fortune-telling and divination contrast sharply with medical examination and the scientific ways of treatment.
The Prophet warned us against visiting fortune-tellers or believing in their claims. He said "Whoever visits a fortune-teller or a diviner and believes in what he says, he has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad." [At-Tirmithi, Abu Daawood, Ibn Maajah and others]
The Prophet also said: "Whoever visits a diviner and asks him for something, his prayer will not be accepted for forty nights." [Muslim]
Actually, fortune-tellers and diviners tell lies when they claim to have knowledge of the unseen. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): {Say, ‘none in the heavens and earth knows the unseen except Allaah.’}[27: 65].
We infer from this verse that knowledge of the unseen is a matter that belongs exclusively to Allaah. He may bestow it upon whom He wills from His honorable Prophets, but surely not upon those deceitful fortune-tellers.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): {(He is) Knower of the Unseen, and He does not disclose His (knowledge of the) unseen to anyone, except whom He has approved of as Messengers… }[72: 26-27].
Definitely, diviners and fortune-tellers are not among those approved by Allaah to inform about the unseen.
We do not know of any authentic proof that supports the saying that Prophet Idrees (Enoch) 
was the first to be taught divination by the angel jibreel (Gabriel). There is a narration related by Muslim 
from Mu’aawiyah ibn Al-Hakam As-Sulami 
that the Prophet said, "There was a Prophet who used to practice divination (by means of lines and figures in the sand), if anyone's divination match that Prophet’s (his way of divination which is that Allaah would inspire him with what to say:), the target is struck, otherwise not (i.e. since it is impossible to receive revelation then it is not permissible)." However, no one can match that Prophet’s way of divination because divination in this narration denotes a knowledge that was granted by Allaah to this Prophet as a miracle and sign of his Prophethood which ceased with his demise. So, this narration cannot be deemed as an argument to make divination lawful. The purpose behind it is urging us to keep away from divination.
Finally, we should know that the sayings of our Prophet make it strictly forbidden to deal with swindler fortune-tellers.
Allaah knows best.
Search Fatwa
Fatwa Subject
