The Ruling on Claiming Knowledge of the Unseen
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Question:
He says: There are people among us who are described as righteous individuals. People visit them in their homes to find out about certain things. For example, a person goes to him and he says, "You will succeed in your studies." Or if a person wants to dig a well, he brings him and says, "Dig in this spot." And indeed, he digs and water comes out, even though he had dug in the same area, just a few meters away, and found no water. We find that these people predict future events, saying for instance, "This building will not last long," or "This year will be fertile." They ask about the rulings in such cases. May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
There is a distinction regarding these people: If they claim this without any causes, then they are charlatans, of the same kind as fortune-tellers, astrologers, and sand-readers. They are not to be believed, nor should they be asked. Their actions must be condemned, and it is obligatory for the authorities to demand their repentance and to punish those who engage in these matters. This is because their outward appearance is a claim of knowledge of the unseen and a claim of what elevates them in the eyes of people. They lure people and mislead them, making it seem as if they possess information about the unseen.
However, if the causes for this are clear, such as a person who practices the science of locating water, who has experience and goes to the site... and looks at it and considers the causes of the surrounding wadis, trees, and plants, and says, "This is a place for water," that is permissible. He knows by signs, and there are causes for knowing where water is. Similarly, if he says to someone, "You will succeed in your studies," after he has tested him and asked him questions, and it became apparent from his condition that he is good, and he says, "May Allah will it that you succeed," this has a valid basis. But if he says it based on the unseen, without having tested him or knowing what he knows, that is wrong. That is invalid. This is an invalid claim, and it is a claim of knowledge of the unseen. Allah is the One who knows the unseen , and no one knows it except Him (Exalted and Majestic is He).
The point is that these people who claim knowledge of the unseen and predict things without causes are charlatans who are astray. They must be dealt with through discipline and prevented from this matter, except for a person who engages in it through its legitimate causes, as mentioned earlier. For example, he tests the boy and knows his strength in his studies, in the text he is reading, or in the lesson he is studying, and says to him, "May Allah will it that you succeed," because his talent and skill have become apparent to him. Or a person who takes him to the water site, to the land where he will dig, and sees... he considers the location of the water and the surrounding mountains, crops, and trees, and it becomes apparent to him that there is water in the place, because he has tried these things and knows... These people may often be correct, and they may err and not be correct, and this is a reality. But this is possible, as Ibn al-Qayyim and others among the scholars have mentioned that water has signs. But a person who claims this without going to the site and without reviewing the evidence is a liar. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
He says: There are people among us who are described as righteous individuals. People visit them in their homes to find out about certain things. For example, a person goes to him and he says, "You will succeed in your studies." Or if a person wants to dig a well, he brings him and says, "Dig in this spot." And indeed, he digs and water comes out, even though he had dug in the same area, just a few meters away, and found no water. We find that these people predict future events, saying for instance, "This building will not last long," or "This year will be fertile." They ask about the rulings in such cases. May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
There is a distinction regarding these people: If they claim this without any causes, then they are charlatans, of the same kind as fortune-tellers, astrologers, and sand-readers. They are not to be believed, nor should they be asked. Their actions must be condemned, and it is obligatory for the authorities to demand their repentance and to punish those who engage in these matters. This is because their outward appearance is a claim of knowledge of the unseen and a claim of what elevates them in the eyes of people. They lure people and mislead them, making it seem as if they possess information about the unseen.
However, if the causes for this are clear, such as a person who practices the science of locating water, who has experience and goes to the site... and looks at it and considers the causes of the surrounding wadis, trees, and plants, and says, "This is a place for water," that is permissible. He knows by signs, and there are causes for knowing where water is. Similarly, if he says to someone, "You will succeed in your studies," after he has tested him and asked him questions, and it became apparent from his condition that he is good, and he says, "May Allah will it that you succeed," this has a valid basis. But if he says it based on the unseen, without having tested him or knowing what he knows, that is wrong. That is invalid. This is an invalid claim, and it is a claim of knowledge of the unseen. Allah is the One who knows the unseen , and no one knows it except Him (Exalted and Majestic is He).
The point is that these people who claim knowledge of the unseen and predict things without causes are charlatans who are astray. They must be dealt with through discipline and prevented from this matter, except for a person who engages in it through its legitimate causes, as mentioned earlier. For example, he tests the boy and knows his strength in his studies, in the text he is reading, or in the lesson he is studying, and says to him, "May Allah will it that you succeed," because his talent and skill have become apparent to him. Or a person who takes him to the water site, to the land where he will dig, and sees... he considers the location of the water and the surrounding mountains, crops, and trees, and it becomes apparent to him that there is water in the place, because he has tried these things and knows... These people may often be correct, and they may err and not be correct, and this is a reality. But this is possible, as Ibn al-Qayyim and others among the scholars have mentioned that water has signs. But a person who claims this without going to the site and without reviewing the evidence is a liar. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.