Firstly:
The one who reads the horoscopes in newspapers and magazines, or watches such things on TV, if he believes that the stars, planets and other heavenly bodies have an impact on people and their actions, then he is a mushrik (one who associate others with Allah), and if he reads these things for fun, then he is disobeying Allah and sinning, and Allah will not accept any prayer from him for forty days.
See the answer to question no. 82704.
As for thinking or believing that people born under a particular Zodiac sign have certain characteristics, this is incorrect thinking. Every hour thousands of people are born, and they do not all have the same nature and characteristics, let alone those who are born on the same day, let alone those who are born in the same month.
What proves that this belief is false is the difference of opinion among astrologers themselves about the number of Zodiac signs, their names, how long the period for each sign lasts, and what they indicate about people's nature and character.
Dr. `Abd al-Majid ibn Salim al-Mash`abi (may Allah take care of him) said:
The seventh reason is the difference of opinion amongst the astrologers regarding the principles on which they base their conclusions and work out their rulings. For example:
Firstly: their differences regarding the constellations that have an impact on this world – as they claim – and on which they base their rulings. The differences have to do with three matters:
1.
The names of the constellations. The names of the constellations clearly differ from one nation to another. According to the Greeks, ancient Egyptians and Arabs, there are 12 constellations, which in English are known as: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.
In Chinese astrology, on the other hand, the constellations are as follows: Rat, Rabbit, Horse, Rooster, Ox, Dragon, Goat, Dog, Tiger, Snake, Monkey, Pig.
Their rulings about what these constellations indicate about people’s nature and characters, based on the differences in the names of the signs. They regard the nature and character of the individual as being connected to the nature or character of the animal after which the Zodiac sign is named. For example, Abu Mash`ar said about people born under the sign of Aries, which is regarded as the first sign of the Zodiac according to the ancient Greeks and those who followed them: the one who is born under this sign is a dark-skinned man, tall in stature, with a large head. He is difficult to deal with, hot-tempered, easy to please, moves quickly from one place to another, speaks the truth, hates lies, only acts on the basis of his own opinion, following his own opinion sometimes leads to a negative outcome, his condition is good, and he is patient in facing hardship.
They took some of the characteristics of the ram (Aries means ram) and attributed it to people who are born under this sign, as we see above in the quotation from Abu Mash`ar: “hot-tempered, easy to please, moves quickly from one place to another …” These are the characteristics of the ram.
The Chinese did likewise, but because they used different constellations, they attributed different characteristics from those suggested by the Greeks. The first Zodiac sign for the Chinese, as noted above, is the Rat, and they said regarding the characteristics of the one who is born under this sign: the Rat is a troublemaker and aggressive. He may initially appear calm, mature and joyful, but be careful, because underneath this peaceful appearance lurks a mixture of aggression and constant anxiety. The Rat always does embarrassing things and is concerned with trivial matters; he behaves in a crazy manner sometimes, and is always complaining. The Rat is inclined to be part of a group. These are the characteristics of the Rat, and they attribute them to one who is born at that time.
3.
The period of time for each Zodiac sign. Undoubtedly one day, and even a single hour, makes a difference to the impact of the stars – according to their claims. So how about if the time period goes on for several months? Undoubtedly there will be clear differences in the impacts of the stars – according to their claims – but we find that for the Greeks and those who followed them, the period for each Zodiac sign is approximately one month, and during this time there will be the impact of this sign. As for the Chinese, they ascribe each of their signs to an entire year, which puts people of all the Greek Zodiac signs under one year. This huge difference clearly indicates that these people are lying.
End quote from At-Tanjim wal-Munajjimun wa Hukm Dhalika fil-Islam, p. 215-217.
Based on that, it is not permissible to rely on finding out a person’s date of birth and the Zodiac sign ascribed to it in order to find out about his character. All of that is falsehood and a waste of time; it is of no benefit and has no basis. Moreover, there is the fear that the one who does that may reach the level of believing that these Zodiac signs have an influence on people, and thus he would fall into major shirk.
Our advice to you is that you should focus on memorising the Holy Quran and read the books of trustworthy scholars. You can also read books about calling people to Allah and how to deal with the people whom you are calling, and how to gain friends and win people’s trust.
We ask Allah to guide you.
And Allah knows best.
