Books and Channels on Fortune-Telling
10-5-2018 | IslamWeb
Question:
Is it true that if you read in some book about prophecy predicting a future of a character in book, or you watch that in movie, or play in the game and your character's destiny is predicted, is it true that your prayer is not accepted for 40 days ?
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
If what is meant by the so-called predicting the future is claiming the knowledge of what will happen in the future, then this is divination and it is fortune-telling which Islamic Sharee’ah warned against believing what fortunetellers or even merely going to them.
The Prophet said: “A person who goes to a fortune-teller and asks him about something, his prayer will not be accepted for forty nights.” [Muslim]
Moreover, Abu Hurayrah 
narrated that the Prophet said: “If anyone goes to a fortune-teller and believes in what he says, then he has indeed disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad [].” [Ahmad and Abu Daawood]
Deliberately reading books of fortune-tellers and soothsayers, or watching their channels is part of what Islamic Sharee’ah prohibited, because even though the one who reads such books or watches such channels did not physically go to the fortune-tellers and soothsayers, yet he went to them with his heart and eyes.
We fear that the one who reads such books without believing what is in them will have his prayer rejected for forty days. However, if he believes in what is in them, then we fear that he has committed an act of disbelief –we seek refuge in Allah from that.
Shaykh Saalih Al-Fawzaan, may Allah preserve him, was asked:
“Some satellite channels have shows with their guests being magicians, fortune-tellers and soothsayers, and some Muslims –may Allah guide them – watch these programs as an entertainment and to know their methods and ways (in magic and fortune-telling). What is the ruling on those who watch them? Does the ruling of going to magicians apply to them, and that their prayer will not be accepted for forty days?
He replied: “The scholars have been warning against these channels, and they have repeatedly stated that it is prohibited. Therefore, a Muslim must refrain from watching them, and not to be lenient about them; he must not allow such channels in his home or shop. The Muslims must categorically beware of it. There is no doubt that one is sinful if he turns on such channels and watches them, because he did not abandon it nor stay away from them. It is feared that the warning that his prayer will not be accepted from him for forty days applies to him. This is because the one who turns these channels with the intention of watching what they say takes the same ruling as the one who physically goes to them; there is no difference.” [End of quote]
He, may Allaah preserve him, also said: “It is not permissible to watch magic whether it is real or fictional; it is not permissible because it is falsehood, and it is not permissible for one to watch falsehood. Watching it is endorsing it, unless one watches it (in case of physical presence) in order to forbid it and work to stopping it; in which case, it is permissible. However, watching it without condemning it and then talking to others about it is forbidden, because it is using falsehood as an entertainment.” [End of quote]
On the other hand, if one is reading a book that is not primarily a book on magic, and comes across some statements of magicians at random without intending to read on this topic or believing in it, then we hope that there is no sin on him.
Allah knows best.