Back to search

What is the ruling on seeking the help of a religious man to ask a child who, after certain rituals, sees the thief of an important invoice book?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is forbidden to consult fortune-tellers and soothsayers, to ask them questions, or to believe them. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: (Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and asks him about something, his prayer will not be accepted for forty nights), and (Whoever has intercourse with a menstruating woman, or with a woman in her anus, or with a soothsayer and believes what he says, has disbelieved in what Allah revealed to Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him). A fortune-teller is defined as someone who claims to know things based on premises they use to deduce information about stolen items, the location of lost things, and so on. This includes those who claim to know the thief by using jinn. As for the ruling on consulting a fortune-teller and believing him, it is divided into four categories: merely asking a question is forbidden; asking with belief is disbelief (kufr); asking to test them is permissible; and asking to expose their incompetence and lies is obligatory or desirable. Whoever has consulted a fortune-teller and asked him a question must repent to Allah. One should not accuse anyone of theft based on the word of a fortune-teller or jinn. A Muslim must turn to Allah in times of calamity and prioritize their religion over any lost possession.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy