Ruling on Visiting Fortune-Tellers and Diviners and Believing Them

From the listener Husayn al-'Amiri from Syria, a message containing two questions. In one of his questions, he says: There are people called diviners who claim to know the unseen. What is the ruling of the religion regarding this, and is it permissible to believe them?
Answer: It is not permissible to believe diviners, fortune-tellers, or sorcerers, nor to ask them, nor to visit them. Rather, one must beware of them and disapprove of them. It is obligatory for the Muslim authorities to pursue them and punish them in a way that deters them and their like. If they claim knowledge of the unseen, they are to be given the opportunity to repent; if they repent, well and good, otherwise the authority executes them. For claiming knowledge of the unseen is major shirk (associating partners with Allah). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . This is merely a question without belief; what about if he believes him? . This is how it came in Sahih Muslim: forty nights.
If he believes him, the sin becomes greater. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (peace and blessings be upon him). If he believes him in his claim of knowledge of the unseen, he commits disbelief like his. The one who claims knowledge of the unseen, or the one who believes the one who claims knowledge of the unseen, commits major disbelief. We seek refuge in Allah. He is to be given the opportunity to repent; if he repents, well and good, otherwise he is executed. The authority, the ruler or his deputy among the judges, must give him the opportunity to repent; if he repents, well and good, otherwise he is executed as a disbeliever. We ask Allah for safety.
And he (peace and blessings be upon him) also said: . So these people are not to be asked, nor visited, nor believed. Rather, one must disapprove of them and warn against them, as mentioned earlier. May Allah guide them all. Yes.
The presenter: O Allah, amen.