The Difference Between Astrology and Weather Forecasting
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Honorable Shaykh, how do we distinguish between astrology and the knowledge of weather conditions, such as cold, heat, the descent of cattle, and the like?
Answer:
We have answered a previous question regarding the knowledge of weather, which they call weather forecasting, and the knowledge of atmospheric conditions. This is not a claim to knowledge of the unseen. Rather, they observe the atmosphere, which contains signs and indicators that appear in their astronomical observatories. They observe the atmosphere and its fluctuations and say that such and such may happen. Is that not permissible?
They say that such and such may happen, that cold air may occur, or that rain may occur. This falls under the category of predictions based on the atmospheric conditions they perceive through astronomical instruments. They send balloons and other things into the air to observe these matters for them. They record the data and issue reports based on what they record with the instruments they use. This is a matter of predicting what is a matter of certainty or what is a matter of absolute conviction.
Honorable Shaykh, how do we distinguish between astrology and the knowledge of weather conditions, such as cold, heat, the descent of cattle, and the like?
Answer:
We have answered a previous question regarding the knowledge of weather, which they call weather forecasting, and the knowledge of atmospheric conditions. This is not a claim to knowledge of the unseen. Rather, they observe the atmosphere, which contains signs and indicators that appear in their astronomical observatories. They observe the atmosphere and its fluctuations and say that such and such may happen. Is that not permissible?
They say that such and such may happen, that cold air may occur, or that rain may occur. This falls under the category of predictions based on the atmospheric conditions they perceive through astronomical instruments. They send balloons and other things into the air to observe these matters for them. They record the data and issue reports based on what they record with the instruments they use. This is a matter of predicting what is a matter of certainty or what is a matter of absolute conviction.
Source
شرح قرة عيون الموحدين في تحقيق دعوة الأنبياء والمرسلين، باب ما جاء في الكهان ونحوهم — islamhouse.com (58:25)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.