Question Summary:
Fortune telling

Question Detail:

I recently heard in a lecture that a person that engages in fortune telling , their salaah will not be accepted for forty days...
My concern and confusion is that some molanas often give u advice by looking into the Qur'an and seeing if something is good for u . Example a friend of mine got proposed, her parents went to a moulana to "see" if the guy was compatible. The moulana looked into the Qur'an and told her parents That if they marry thier daughter off to that guy then their marriage will not last , they will get divorced.
My question Is , firstly how does the moulana see into the Qur'an and can tell what will happen in the future ? Isn't it fortune telling?
Secondly ,what if a couple is compatible with things being positive after istikaarah is read and they are told by a moulana that their marriage won't last. Must they make nikkah or forget each other ?

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
1)     Fortune telling is a major sin and absolutely haram in Islam.[1] Consider the following hadiths:
عَنْ أَبِي مَسْعُودٍ الأَنْصَارِيِّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ: «أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ نَهَى عَنْ ثَمَنِ الكَلْبِ، وَمَهْرِ البَغِيِّ، وَحُلْوَانِ الكَاهِنِ»
Narrated Abu Mas`ud Al-Ansari: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) forbade taking the price of a dog, money earned by prostitution and the earnings of a soothsayer.[2]
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -: "مَنْ أَتَى حَائِضًا، أَوْ امْرَأَةً فِي دُبُرِهَا، أَوْ كَاهِنًا، فَصَدَّقَهُ بِمَا يَقُولُ، فَقَدْ كَفَرَ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ
It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said: "The Messenger of Allah said: 'Whoever has intercourse with a menstruating woman, or with a woman in her rear, or who goes to a fortune teller and believes what he says, he has disbelieved in that which was revealed to Muhammad.'"[3]
Your understanding of fortune telling is correct. The practice of looking in the Quran and determining the future has no basis in Shari’ah. The Quran is a book of guidance. It is not meant to determine the outcome of a future event. 
2)     As mentioned earlier, the predictions of these moulanas have no basis in Islam. No one but Allah knows the future. You should act based on the outcome of your istikhaarah on condition that the istikhaarah is conducted the proper way with an open mind. It is also advisable to consult (mashwarah) with appropriate people if you are in doubt.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Muhammad Haris Siddiqui
Student Darul Iftaa
Melbourne, Australia  
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.