When you intended to set out for the battle against the Kharijites, a man said: O Commander of the Faithful, if you set out at this time, I fear from the standpoint of astrology that you will not be successful in your objective. Upon this you said: Do you think you can point to an hour such that if someone sets out in it, no harm will befall him, and warn about a moment such that if someone sets out in it, he will face loss? Whoever considers this correct has rejected the Quran and become independent of Allah's help in achieving his goal and avoiding calamity. Through these words of yours, you want those who act on your advice to praise you instead of Allah, because you have pointed to an hour in your opinion that becomes a cause of benefit and a means of protection from harm. (Then you turned to the people and said): O people! Avoid learning astrology except what helps you find your way on land and sea. For learning astrology leads to soothsaying and fortune-telling, and the astrologer is like the soothsayer, and the soothsayer is like the sorcerer, and the sorcerer is like the disbeliever, and the disbeliever's abode is Hell. So take Allah's name and proceed.