Is one who consults a soothsayer but disbelieves him, then repents, forgiven his sin and exempted from the punishment of forty days during which his prayers are not accepted, or is he only forgiven the sin and not exempted from the punishment?

It is forbidden to consult fortune-tellers and ask them questions. If one consults a fortune-teller but does not believe him, his prayers will not be accepted for forty nights (meaning he will not be rewarded for them, though they are still valid). If one believes him regarding his claim to know the unseen, then he has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. This disbelief is a minor disbelief that does not expel one from the fold of Islam. As for one who repents from consulting and believing fortune-tellers, repentance removes the punishment from him.