The Science of Weather Forecasting
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Questions twenty-five and twenty-six from Fatwa number ( 18612 )
Q25: Forecasting the weather based on specialized studies is permissible. Is it also permissible to forecast a person’s (near future) based on psychological, educational, and intellectual studies, by specialists, and by inferring from certain signs in the body about events that are on their way to happening? Is this considered shooting in the dark (rasm bi al-ghayb) or is it also permissible? The people of these affairs say that their work does not go beyond the scope of pure study and sincere intuition?
A25 : First: Forecasting the weather based on cosmic phenomena is permissible, on the condition that one does not believe that these phenomena are influential and effective in themselves, meaning that they are the ones who create events, for that is major shirk (associating partners with Allah). One must not make them a cause by which one claims knowledge of the unseen, or a cause for the occurrence of good and evil. One must not go beyond the scope of probability and conjecture based on those phenomena, so one does not assert with certainty or make a definitive statement, nor say as in the question "he forecasts it," for this is similar to what
is called in the science of astrology the science of influence, which is shirk (associating partners with Allah). Rather, it is conjecture and probability, and the matter is tied to the will of Allah the Exalted. Second: Intuition and hunches, such as it being possible that a person has a specific future based on what appears of his conditions and behaviors, is permissible, but subject to the conditions mentioned in the first point. One must not go beyond the scope of probability and conjecture in this, and it is tied to the will of Allah the Exalted. One would say: "I intuit that this person will be a merchant, for example, as his conditions indicate that he will be so, if Allah wills." One must be cautious regarding those who claim knowledge of the unseen, and those called palm readers, and those who predict the future from among fortune-tellers and diviners, and others, whom the ignorant and simple-minded seek out, and who predict to them falsely and play with their minds, saying that such and such will happen to them or to others.
Q25: Forecasting the weather based on specialized studies is permissible. Is it also permissible to forecast a person’s (near future) based on psychological, educational, and intellectual studies, by specialists, and by inferring from certain signs in the body about events that are on their way to happening? Is this considered shooting in the dark (rasm bi al-ghayb) or is it also permissible? The people of these affairs say that their work does not go beyond the scope of pure study and sincere intuition?
A25 : First: Forecasting the weather based on cosmic phenomena is permissible, on the condition that one does not believe that these phenomena are influential and effective in themselves, meaning that they are the ones who create events, for that is major shirk (associating partners with Allah). One must not make them a cause by which one claims knowledge of the unseen, or a cause for the occurrence of good and evil. One must not go beyond the scope of probability and conjecture based on those phenomena, so one does not assert with certainty or make a definitive statement, nor say as in the question "he forecasts it," for this is similar to what
is called in the science of astrology the science of influence, which is shirk (associating partners with Allah). Rather, it is conjecture and probability, and the matter is tied to the will of Allah the Exalted. Second: Intuition and hunches, such as it being possible that a person has a specific future based on what appears of his conditions and behaviors, is permissible, but subject to the conditions mentioned in the first point. One must not go beyond the scope of probability and conjecture in this, and it is tied to the will of Allah the Exalted. One would say: "I intuit that this person will be a merchant, for example, as his conditions indicate that he will be so, if Allah wills." One must be cautious regarding those who claim knowledge of the unseen, and those called palm readers, and those who predict the future from among fortune-tellers and diviners, and others, whom the ignorant and simple-minded seek out, and who predict to them falsely and play with their minds, saying that such and such will happen to them or to others.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.