The worthlessness of astrology

The worthlessness of astrology from the point of view of the religious law, as well as the weakness of its achievements from the rational point of view, are evident.

Astrology does harm to human civilization.

It hurts the faith of the common people when an astrological judgment occasionally happens to come true in some unexplainable and unverifiable manner.

Ignorant people are taken in by that and suppose that all the other (astrological) judgments must be true, which is not the case. Thus, they are led to attribute things to some (being) other than their Creator.

Astrology often produces the expectation that signs of crisis 1055 will appear in a dynasty.

• This encourages the enemies and rivals of the dynasty to attack it and revolt against it.

Astrology must be forbidden to all civilized people because it may cause harm to religion and dynasty.

The fact that it exists as a natural part of human perceptions and knowledge does not speak against (the need to forbid it).

God and evil exist side by side in the world and cannot be removed.

Responsibility comes in connection with the things that cause good and evil. It is (our) duty to try to acquire goodness with the help of the things that cause it, and to avoid the causes of evil and harm.

That is what those who realize the corruption and harmfulness of this science must do.

This (situation) should make one realize that even if astrology were in itself sound, no Muslim could acquire the knowledge and habit of it. He who studies it and thinks that he knows it fully, is most ignorant of the actual situation. Since the religious law forbids the study of astrology, civilized people no longer gather to study it and to form classes 1056 for the study of astrology.

Those who are eager to learn it and they are very, very few - have to read the books and treatises on astrology in a secluded corner of their houses.

They have to hide from the people and are under the watchful eye of the great mass. And then, astrology is a very complicated subject with many branches and subdivisions and is difficult to understand. How could people under such conditions acquire a mastery of it?

Jurisprudence is of general usefulness in both religious and worldly affairs; its sources are easily available in the Qur’an and the accepted Sunnah, and it has been studied and taught by the great mass of Muslims.

There have been classes and seminars on jurisprudence.

There has been much instruction (in it) and a great many lectures. Still, only an occasional individual in each age and generation (race) has been able to master it.

How, then, can anyone learn a subject (such as astrology) that is discarded by the religious law, banned as forbidden and illegal, concealed from the great mass, its sources difficult of access, and that, after the study and acquisition of its basic principles and details, requires a great amount of support from conjecture and guesswork on the part of the student? 1057 How could anyone acquire and become skilled in such a subject in the face of all (these difficulties)?

Anybody who claims (such astrological skill) is frustrated and has no witness to attest (to his claim), because the discipline (of astrology) is unusual in Islam and few people cultivate it. When all this is taken into consideration, the soundness of our opinion (with regard to astrology) will become clear. God “knows the supernatural (secrets), and He does not disclose to anyone His supernatural (secrets).” 1058

Some of our contemporaries had an experience of the (futility of astrology) 1059 when the Arabs overpowered the army of Sultan Abul-Hasan.

They laid siege to him in al-Qayrawan.

There was much unrest among the two parties, both friends and foes.

On that occasion, the Tunisian poet Abul-Qasim ar-Rahawi, said:

Constantly, I ask God for forgiveness. Gone is life and ease.

In Tunis, both in the morning and in the evening and the morning belongs to God as does the evening -

There is fear and hunger and death, Stirred up by tumult and pestilence.

People are in rebellion and at war Rarely does anything good come out of rebellion.

The partisans of Ahmad think that perdition And ruin have descended upon Ali.

And the others say: He (‘Ali) will be brought (back) To you by a mild zephyr.

God is above this one and that one. He destines for His two servants whatever He wishes. O you observer of the retreating, running 1061 (stars)! What did these heaven(ly bodies) do? You have been putting us off while you pretended (each day) That today you would pay off. 1062 One Thursday went by after the other. Saturday came, and Wednesday. Half a month, and a second decade, And a third came to an end, And we see nothing but false statements. Is this stupidity or contempt? We belong to God. We know That destiny cannot be repulsed. I am pleased to have Allah as my God. You are satisfied with the moon or the sun. Those roving stars are nothing but Slaves, male or female. Their fate is destined. They do not destine (anybody’s fate). They have no power over mankind. Intellects 1063 erred in considering primeval What is subject to death 1064 and nonexistence.

They appointed as judge over (the world of) existence an element Created from water and air, Not considering sweet versus bitter, Both being nourished by soil and water. 1064a God is my Lord. I do not know What atom and vacuum are;

Nor what the hyle is which proclaims: “I cannot be without form”; Nor what existence is or nonexistence, Nor persistence and annihilation. I do not know what acquisition 1065 is except Something resulting from buying and selling. My dogma and religion are What (dogma and religion) were when the people were saints, Since there are no details, no basic principles, No dispute, and no doubting, As long as one follows early Islam and the remainder.1066 What a good thing it is to take (early Islam) as model! (The early Muslims) were as one knows them to have been. (In their time,) the babble (of the theologians) did not exist. O you contemporary Ash’aris! I Have been taught by summer and winter= 1067 I am requited for evil withevil, And good is the reward for good. If I am obedient (to God), I shall be saved. If I am disobedient, still, I have hope. I am under the control of a Creator 1068

Who is obeyed by the (divine) throne and the earth.1069 It 1070 is not in your writings, but The (divine) judgment and fate have predestined it: If al-Ash’ari were told who The (present-day) followers of his opinions are, He would say, “Tell them that I Have nothing to do with what they say.”