أَخْبَرَنَا
الْحَسَنُ بْنُ سُفْيَانَ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنَا
قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنَا
عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ أَبِي الْمَوَالِ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنَا
مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُنْكَدِرِ ، عَنْ
جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ، قَالَ : كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى يُعَلِّمُنَا الاسْتِخَارَةَ كَمَا يُعَلِّمُنَا السُّورَةَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ ، يَقُولُ : " إِذَا هَمَّ أَحَدُكُمْ بِالأَمْرِ ، فَلْيَرْكَعْ رَكْعَتَيْنِ مِنْ غَيْرِ الْفَرِيضَةِ ، ثُمَّ لِيَقُلِ : اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ ، وَأَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْعَظِيمِ ، فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلا أَقْدِرُ ، وَتَعْلَمُ وَلا أَعْلَمُ ، وَأَنْتَ عَلامُ الْغُيُوبِ . اللَّهُمَّ فَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ هَذَا الأَمْرَ يُسَمِّيهِ بِعَيْنِهِ خَيْرًا لِي فِي دِينِي ، وَمَعَاشِي ، وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي ، فَقَدِّرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي وَبَارِكْ فِيهِ ، وَإِنْ كَانَ شَرًّا لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَادِي وَمَعَاشِي ، وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي ، فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي ، وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ ، وَقَدِّرْ لِيَ الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ، وَرَضِّنِي بِهِ " .
Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) used to teach us Istikhara just as he used to teach us the Qur'an. He would say: "Whenever any one of you intends to do something, he should first perform two units of voluntary prayer, then he should supplicate with this dua: 'O Allah! I seek goodness from You through Your knowledge, and I seek ability from You through Your power, and I ask You from Your great bounty. You have power, I have no power; You know, I do not know; You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah! If You know that this matter—here he should mention the matter by name—is better for my religion, my life, and my hereafter, then decree it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me. And if You know that this matter is bad for my religion, my life, and my hereafter, then turn it away from me and decree goodness for me wherever it may be, and make me pleased with it.'"