تنبؤ المنجمين

[1] When Amīr al-mu’minīn decided to march towards Nahrawan to suppress the risings of the Khārijites, ‘Afīf ibn Qays al-Kindī said to him, “This hour is not good. If you set out at this time, then instead of victory and success you will face defeat.” But Amīr al-mu’minīn paid no heed to his view and ordered the army to march that very moment. In the result the Khārijites suffered such a clear defeat that out of their nine thousand combatants only nine individuals saved their lives by running away while the rest were killed. Amīr al-mu’minīn has argued about astrology being wrong or incorrect in three ways, firstly, that if the view of an astrologer is accepted as correct it would mean falsification of the Qur’ān, because an astrologer claims to ascertain hidden things of the future by seeing the stars while the Qur’ān says: “Say: None (either) in the heavens or in the earth knoweth the unseen save Allāh . . .” (27:65) Secondly, that under his misconception the astrologer believes that he can know his benefit or harm through knowing the future. In that case he would be regardless of turning to Allāh and seeking His help, while this indifference towards Allāh and selfreliance is a sort of heresy and atheism, which puts an end to his hope in Allāh. Thirdly, that if he succeeds in any objective, he would regard of this success to be the result of his knowledge of astrology, as a result of which he would praise himself rather than Allāh, and will expect that whomever he guides in this manner he too should be grateful to him rather than to Allāh. These points do not apply to astrology to the extent it may be believed that the astrological findings are in the nature of effect of medicines which are subject to alteration at will of Allāh. The competence achieved by most of our religious scholars in astrology is correct on this very ground that they did not regard its findings as final.