Is astrology haram? Can a Muslim read horoscopes or believe in zodiac signs?

The short answer

Yes, astrology is forbidden. The Prophet ﷺ called learning astrology "a branch of magic", and only Allah knows the unseen. Believing that stars control events is a serious matter of belief. Astronomy, using the stars for direction, time and the calendar, is permitted.

Evidence 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Explanation

Astrology claims that the positions of stars and planets shape people's personalities and futures. Islam rejects this at its root.

The Prophet ﷺ said that whoever acquires any knowledge of astrology acquires a branch of magic, and the more he learns, the more magic he gains 1. After a night of rain, he reported that Allah said: some of My servants woke as believers and some as disbelievers. Whoever says the rain came by Allah's bounty and mercy believes in Allah and disbelieves in the stars; whoever says it came because of a particular star disbelieves in Allah and believes in the star 2.

The Quran is clear that "none in the heavens and earth knows the unseen except Allah" 3. No soul knows what it will earn tomorrow 4. A horoscope that says what your week will bring claims exactly that knowledge.

Consulting such claims is serious even without full belief. The Prophet ﷺ said that whoever goes to a diviner and asks him about anything, his prayer is not accepted for forty nights 5; and whoever goes to one and believes him has nothing to do with what was revealed to Muhammad ﷺ 6. Horoscope apps and columns are a modern form of the same thing.

This is different from astronomy. Allah placed the stars "that you may be guided by them through the darknesses of the land and sea" 7. Using the sky to find direction, calculate prayer times or study creation is lawful and beneficial.

If you have been reading horoscopes, simply stop, delete the app, and turn to Allah. Replace it with dua and istikhara (asking Allah for guidance), which reach the One who actually knows tomorrow.

The evidence

  1. 1
    Hadith Sunan Abi Dawud 3905
    Hasan graded by Al-Albani

    Whoever acquires knowledge of astrology acquires a branch of magic.

    Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If anyone acquires any knowledge of astrology, he acquires a branch of magic of which he gets more as long as he continues to do so

    العربية

    حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَمُسَدَّدٌ، - الْمَعْنَى - قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الأَخْنَسِ، عَنِ الْوَلِيدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ يُوسُفَ بْنِ مَاهَكَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ مَنِ اقْتَبَسَ عِلْمًا مِنَ النُّجُومِ اقْتَبَسَ شُعْبَةً مِنَ السِّحْرِ زَادَ مَا زَادَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

  2. 2
    Hadith Sahih al-Bukhari 846
    Sahih Bukhari

    Attributing rain to a star is disbelief in Allah and belief in the star.

    Narrated Zaid bin Khalid Al-Juhani:The Prophet (ﷺ) led us in the Fajr prayer at Hudaibiya after a rainy night. On completion of the prayer, he faced the people and said, "Do you know what your Lord has said (revealed)?" The people replied, "Allah and His Apostle know better." He said, "Allah has said, 'In this morning some of my slaves remained as true believers and some became non-believers; whoever said that the rain was due to the Blessings and the Mercy of Allah had belief in Me and he disbelieves in the stars, and whoever said that it rained because of a particular star had no belief in Me but believes in that star

    العربية

    حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ صَالِحِ بْنِ كَيْسَانَ، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُتْبَةَ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ الْجُهَنِيِّ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ صَلَّى لَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم صَلاَةَ الصُّبْحِ بِالْحُدَيْبِيَةِ عَلَى إِثْرِ سَمَاءٍ كَانَتْ مِنَ اللَّيْلَةِ، فَلَمَّا انْصَرَفَ أَقْبَلَ عَلَى النَّاسِ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ هَلْ تَدْرُونَ مَاذَا قَالَ رَبُّكُمْ ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالُوا اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ أَصْبَحَ مِنْ عِبَادِي مُؤْمِنٌ بِي وَكَافِرٌ، فَأَمَّا مَنْ قَالَ مُطِرْنَا بِفَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَرَحْمَتِهِ فَذَلِكَ مُؤْمِنٌ بِي وَكَافِرٌ بِالْكَوْكَبِ، وَأَمَّا مَنْ قَالَ بِنَوْءِ كَذَا وَكَذَا فَذَلِكَ كَافِرٌ بِي وَمُؤْمِنٌ بِالْكَوْكَبِ ‏"‏‏.‏

  3. 3
    Quran An-Naml · 27:65

    None in the heavens and earth knows the unseen except Allah.

    قُل لَّا يَعۡلَمُ مَن فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ ٱلۡغَيۡبَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُۚ وَمَا يَشۡعُرُونَ أَيَّانَ يُبۡعَثُونَ ۝٦٥

    Say, "None in the heavens and earth knows the unseen except Allah, and they do not perceive when they will be resurrected

  4. 4
    Quran Luqman · 31:34

    No soul knows what it will earn tomorrow or where it will die.

    إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عِندَهُۥ عِلۡمُ ٱلسَّاعَةِ وَيُنَزِّلُ ٱلۡغَيۡثَ وَيَعۡلَمُ مَا فِي ٱلۡأَرۡحَامِۖ وَمَا تَدۡرِي نَفۡسࣱ مَّاذَا تَكۡسِبُ غَدࣰ اۖ وَمَا تَدۡرِي نَفۡسُۢ بِأَيِّ أَرۡضࣲ تَمُوتُۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرُۢ ۝٣٤

    Indeed, Allah [alone] has knowledge of the Hour and sends down the rain and knows what is in the wombs. And no soul perceives what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul perceives in what land it will die. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted

  5. 5
    Hadith Sahih Muslim 2230
    Sahih Muslim

    Whoever visits a diviner and asks him anything, his prayer is not accepted for forty nights.

    Safiyya reported from some of the wives of Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) having said:He who visits a diviner ('Arraf) and asks him about anything, his prayers extending to forty nights will not be accepted

    العربية

    حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى الْعَنَزِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ سَعِيدٍ - عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، عَنْ صَفِيَّةَ، عَنْ بَعْضِ، أَزْوَاجِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ مَنْ أَتَى عَرَّافًا فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْ شَىْءٍ لَمْ تُقْبَلْ لَهُ صَلاَةٌ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً ‏"‏ ‏.‏

  6. 6
    Hadith Sunan Abi Dawud 3904
    Sahih graded by Al-Albani

    Whoever goes to a diviner and believes him has nothing to do with what was revealed to Muhammad ﷺ.

    Narrated AbuHurayrah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If anyone resorts to a diviner and believes in what he says (according) to the version of Musa), or has intercourse with his wife (according to the agreed version) when she is menstruating, or has intercourse with his wife through her anus, he has nothing to do with what has been sent down to Muhammad (ﷺ) - according to the version of Musaddad

    العربية

    حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادٌ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ حَكِيمٍ الأَثْرَمِ، عَنْ أَبِي تَمِيمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏"‏ مَنْ أَتَى كَاهِنًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ مُوسَى فِي حَدِيثِهِ ‏"‏ فَصَدَّقَهُ بِمَا يَقُولُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ ثُمَّ اتَّفَقَا ‏"‏ أَوْ أَتَى امْرَأَةً ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ مُسَدَّدٌ ‏"‏ امْرَأَتَهُ حَائِضًا أَوْ أَتَى امْرَأَةً ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ مُسَدَّدٌ ‏"‏ امْرَأَتَهُ فِي دُبُرِهَا فَقَدْ بَرِئَ مِمَّا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

  7. 7
    Quran Al-An'aam · 6:97

    The stars were placed to guide people through the darkness of land and sea.

    وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلنُّجُومَ لِتَهۡتَدُواْ بِهَا فِي ظُلُمَٰتِ ٱلۡبَرِّ وَٱلۡبَحۡرِۗ قَدۡ فَصَّلۡنَا ٱلۡأٓيَٰتِ لِقَوۡمࣲ يَعۡلَمُونَ ۝٩٧

    And it is He who placed for you the stars that you may be guided by them through the darknesses of the land and sea. We have detailed the signs for a people who know

This answer was compiled with the help of AI, using only the verified texts shown here. Every reference links to its source. If you find a mistake, please report it. Updated 2026-09-25

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