Overview
divination
Quick Reference
Art of knowing that which cannot be known by empirical or rational means. The Quran condemns practices connected with pagan cults, and divination is officially abrogated in Islam, but many Islamic thinkers consider it a divine gift and a type of prophecy. Considered a part of folk religion, it incorporates astrological and magical methods. Types include interpretation of dreams, observation of footprints, morphoscopic and genealogical lines, chiromancy, observation of shoulder blades, invocation of celestial bodies, making oneself invisible, incantations, recitation of beautiful divine names, science of Islamic personal prayers, conjuring, catarchic astrology, geomancy, and omens. Its characteristic feature in Islamic practice is its consideration as a systematic art and science.
