Ruling on Claiming Knowledge of Underground Water Sources

Question:
We send you our peace and bear witness to Allah regarding your love for us. Some people resort to individuals who claim to know the locations of underground water, such that they know there is water in one place but not in another. Some of them claim to know the location of abundant water that is in a region far from the place where they are seeking water.
The question is: What is the ruling on going to such people and seeking their help in discovering a place where water is found, for the purpose of digging wells?

Answer:
First, I say: May Allah love you, for you have loved us for His sake. This is the affair of the Muslims; loving one another for the sake of Allah is among the characteristics of the Muslims. It is one of the causes of entering Paradise and being saved from the Fire, and one of the causes of Allah shading His servants under His shade on the Day when there is no shade except His. As in the authentic hadith: , which mentions among them: two men who loved each other for the sake of Allah, who gathered for it and separated for it. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: : My love is obligatory for those who love each other for My sake, who exchange gifts for My sake, who sit together for My sake, and who visit each other for My sake. Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated it with a sound chain.
And in the authentic hadith: , or as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding Allah the Exalted.
The point is that loving one another for the sake of Allah is among the greatest acts of drawing near to Allah. On the Day of Resurrection, Allah the Exalted will say: .
As for what concerns water: The scholars have mentioned that it is known by evidence. Among them is Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) and others. They stated that water is known by evidence: some of it is air, some is vegetation, some is the flow of water, some is trees, and so on. They know it by causes. They may err, but mostly they are correct. They know the locations of nearby, distant, and deep water, and other such things, by tangible evidence that they have tested and inherited. However, some people may exaggerate, or falsely claim other things, such as saying: "I know the water in such-and-such a place," when he has not seen it or witnessed it. This is lying, unless people informed him based on experience, having visited the place and seen it. Otherwise, this may be a false claim. And if he claims to know the unseen, he becomes a disbeliever.
But some people may be bold in this matter to show people that he is perceptive and that he is knowledgeable about these things. If his information about this is based on visiting the town, or that people informed him about those who know this thing, then there is no harm. But if he claims it merely by lying, or merely by guessing, this is not permissible.
The result is that this is well-known. It exists in Ha'il and in places other than Ha'il. People know this thing, and people have tested them. We have heard a lot about this, meaning: people have tested them and known. People we know in al-Kharj and other places brought some of them and informed them of locations. These locations have water, and these locations here and here and here do not have water. They dug in the locations they mentioned and found it good, and in the other locations they toiled in them and did not find water. This is an existing, well-known matter. But some people may add to it or lie to promote their trade, otherwise the matter is a reality.