What does « Divination / Soothsayer » mean in the Quran?

Discover the meaning of the word Divination / Soothsayer (كهن) in the Quran, with 2 verses in which it appears, and a detailed explanation from Al-Raghib al-Asfahani's Mufradat fi gharib al-Qur'an.

كهن

Divination / Soothsayer

Root: ك - ه - ن

Jurisprudence (fiqh) 2 verses

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

📖 1 min read

Definition of Divination / Soothsayer

Al-Kāhin is the soothsayer who claims to know the unseen.

The Almighty says: 'And it is not the word of a soothsayer' (Al-Haqqah 42).

Al-kahānah is forbidden divination.

The Prophet was neither poet nor soothsayer.

Divination / Soothsayer in the Quran (2)

Meccan: 2 Medinan: 0

Distribution of verses by surah

At-Tur 1

Al-Haqqa 1

Surah At-Tur : 29 Meccan

﴿فَذَكِّرْ فَمَآ أَنتَ بِنِعْمَتِ رَبِّكَ بِكَاهِنٍ وَلَا مَجْنُونٍ﴾

So remind [O Muhammad], for you are not, by the favor of your Lord, a soothsayer or a madman.

Surah Al-Haqqa : 42 Meccan

﴿وَلَا بِقَوْلِ كَاهِنٍ قَلِيلًا مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ﴾

Nor the word of a soothsayer; little do you remember.

Words from the same root as Divination / Soothsayer

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم Fri 24 Muharram
الجمعة 24 محرّم