Shiqq the soothsayer

شق الكاهن

Tarifa

The famous half-formed diviner of the Arabs, named by al-Mas'udi among the marked-bodied kahins beside Satih, Samalqa, Zawba'a, Sadif bint Humas and Tarifa 1.

Depth

At a glance

Era
Pre-Islamic Arabia

In space

Tarifa

Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph

Overview

Shiqq, a well-known soothsayer among the Arab soothsayers. al-Mas'udi mentions him in the section on soothsaying, among the soothsayers known for their deformed bodies, together with Satih, Samalqa, Zawba'a and others 2.

Jinn and voices

al-Mas'udi reports that among the jinn there are some in the form of half a human, who appear to the Arabs on their journeys and in their solitude, and whom they call "Shaqq". He reports that one appeared to Alqama ibn Safwan al-Kinani, and they struck each other until both fell dead 3.

The entry needs an additional source.

Connections

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Lived in
Tarifa

People and things also explored

Battle of Río Salado· Battle of Tarifa and the Testing of the Muslims· Zawba'a the seeress· Tarifa

Sources

  1. Muruj al-Dhahab — al-Masʼudi , p. 484
  2. Muruj al-Dhahab — al-Masʼudi , p.484
  3. Muruj al-Dhahab — al-Masʼudi , p.473-474
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Shiqq the soothsayer”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/shiqq-al-kahin/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-11-10.

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Related

Battle of Río Salado

Draft card for the Battle of the Río Salado near Tarifa in 1340, Castile and Portugal's victory over the Marinids and Granada; its sources are not yet checked on the page.