Bismillah, alhamdulillah. In a recent shopping trip to a book store in Sharjah in the UAE I came across this book in the English section. The book was called “Palmistry Made Easy” by a J S Bright, the author of a previous book called “dictionary of Palmistry” and a practicing palmist – the fancy word for a fortuneteller.

I was only mildly surprised to find such a book in a well known store in conservative Sharjah. In a smilar vein books and articles on Feng Shui occur from time to time in the English press in even more strict Saudi Arabia. What twenty years ago was unthinkable has transformed itself into the common.

Saudi Arabia usually presents an air of impenetrability when seen from the outside but seen from the inside the picture is quite different. It has become quite porous and increasingly vulnerable to the storm of ideas that is happening in the world outside. The promotion and ready take up of English as a language especially by the young has provided a fertile ground for many ideas. Many, such as palmistry, represent an anti-thesis to the core principles of Islam. Speaking about fortunetellers the Prophet Muhammad (S) said:

“عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ مَنْ أَتَى عَرَّافًا فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْ شَيْءٍ لَمْ تُقْبَلْ لَهُ صَلَاةٌ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً“

Whoever came to a fortuneteller and asked him about something then his prayer will not be accepted for forty days. (Muslim)

Anyone who actually believes that a fortuneteller has the independent ability to know the future has committed major shirk, which takes a person out of Islam. Going to such a person for fun without believing in him/her results in a person’s reward for prayer being cancelled for almost 6 weeks.

A quick trip to our local cheap market called Souq Al-Shati in the north of Jeddah for some head scarves for the kids. As we stand at one stall negotiating a price for a pack of head scarves my attention falls on this pack of liquids.

As I watch my wife negotiating away I start dreaming about a nice jelly dish. How nice of the vendor to have pre-made jelly for parents to take home as a simple treat for the kids.

‘Excuse me what is this?’ I inquire just making sure that it was jelly before agreeing to buy it.

‘That’s …’ he pauses for a moment and then continues in Urdu, ‘not for you, it’s for black people.’

My dreams about jelly vanish into thin air, ‘It’s what?’ the rise in my voice goes unnoticed and my wife is still busy with the head scarves but her attention has shifted to the neatly arranged box of liquids.

‘African people use it to lighten their skin.’ he continues folding the open head scarves in a matter of fact way oblivious to my concern.

I recall a story of a man who ran a shop in London and was arrested by the Health and Safety officers for selling illegal products to lighten the colour of skin. The man was taken to court and the judge found him guilty and charged him over a hundred thousand pounds. His lawyer was about to appeal for leniency when he found his client the guilty business man was already leaving his chair. A cheque for the amount lay on the table. The lawyer ran to his client and said, if you give me a moment I can try and appeal for leniency.

The business man shrugged his shoulders telling him not to worry he was making much much more than this. Skin care products was one of the most lucrative items possible. Especially the ones full of illegal and very potent steroid creams. Steroid creams in the long term are known to damage skin by thinning it irreversibly. But the combination of money and vanity are symbiotic.