Excerpt Source
This excerpt is taken from the book Ṣaḥīḥ Ṣalāh an-Nabī ﷺ, published by Maktabah Dār al-Andalus, authored by al-Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ʿAzīz.
إذا هم أحدكم بالأمر فليركع ركعتين من غير الفريضة ثم ليقل
“When one of you intends to undertake an important matter, he should perform two rakʿahs besides the obligatory prayer, then he should say (the supplication of Istikhārah).”
❀ Istikhārah means that a servant seeks counsel from Allah the Exalted, the Knower of the unseen, regarding his affair. As the Messenger of Allah ﷺ conveyed, when a proposal of marriage came, Zaynab bint Jaḥsh رضي الله عنها said:
ما أنا بصانعة شيئا حتى أوامر ربي
“I will not do anything until I consult my Lord.”
Thereafter, she stood up to perform prayer (Istikhārah).
❀ The method of Istikhārah is that one performs two rakʿahs of voluntary prayer and then recites the following supplication:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ وَأَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْعَظِيمِ فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلَا أَقْدِرُ وَتَعْلَمُ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوبِ اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ خَيْرٌ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ وَاقْدُرْ لِيَ الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِي بِهِ
“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 immense bounty. Indeed, You have power and I have no power; You know and I do not know, and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah! If You know that this matter (mention your matter) is good for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the outcome of my affairs, then decree it for me, make it easy for me, and bless me in it. And if You know that this matter is bad for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the outcome of my affairs, then turn it away from me and turn me away from it, and decree goodness for me wherever it may be, then make me content with it.”
At the end of this supplication, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “And mention your specific matter.”
❀ Istikhārah may be performed at any time during the day or night, as Sayyidah Zaynab رضي الله عنها stood up immediately to perform Istikhārah when the need arose.
❀ Some people claim that one should perform two rakʿahs before sleeping, recite the specific supplication of Istikhārah, then sleep facing the Qiblah, and if the heart is not satisfied in one day, continue doing so for seven days. However, there is no evidence for this practice in any ḥadīth.
❀ Istikhārah should be performed by the person who is in need himself, because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“When one of you intends to undertake an important matter, he should perform two rakʿahs besides the obligatory prayer, then he should say (the supplication of Istikhārah).”
❀ Some people have developed the belief that if they ask a certain saint or elder to perform Istikhārah for them, they will receive a definite answer. Keeping this notion in mind, some individuals have turned Istikhārah into a business and established centers for it in various places. Their method is to recite certain supplications, close their eyes, and after a short while give an answer to the inquirer, calling it mukāshafah (spiritual unveiling). Some television channels even promote this practice. A large number of ignorant and weak-faith individuals fall prey to this fraud. It can be described as nothing other than a satanic game, and it is more dangerous for people’s faith than deadly poison.
❀ Some people believe that by performing Istikhārah, one will definitely see the correct situation in a dream at night. The correct view is that through Istikhārah, Allah the Exalted opens a person’s heart and inclines him towards one side, and the matter that is better for him becomes facilitated. As for dreams, a dream may occur, but it is not necessary.
❀ Istikhārah may be performed more than once for the same matter.
❀ Along with Istikhārah, one should also continue to consult righteous and well-intentioned people. Allah the Exalted says:
وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِي الْأَمْرِ فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ
“And consult them in matters. Then when you have made a firm decision, place your trust in Allah.”
This excerpt is taken from the book Ṣaḥīḥ Ṣalāh an-Nabī ﷺ, published by Maktabah Dār al-Andalus, authored by al-Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ʿAzīz.
Causative Prayers
Description of the Prayer of Istikhārah
❀ Whenever one intends to undertake any important matter, it is essential to perform Istikhārah beforehand. Sayyidunā Jābir bin ʿAbdullāh رضي الله عنهما states that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to teach Istikhārah in all matters just as he would teach a sūrah of the Qur’an. He ﷺ said:إذا هم أحدكم بالأمر فليركع ركعتين من غير الفريضة ثم ليقل
“When one of you intends to undertake an important matter, he should perform two rakʿahs besides the obligatory prayer, then he should say (the supplication of Istikhārah).”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Tahajjud, Bāb mā jā’a fī al-taṭawwuʿ mathnā mathnā: 1162, after ḥadīth: 1171
❀ Istikhārah means that a servant seeks counsel from Allah the Exalted, the Knower of the unseen, regarding his affair. As the Messenger of Allah ﷺ conveyed, when a proposal of marriage came, Zaynab bint Jaḥsh رضي الله عنها said:
ما أنا بصانعة شيئا حتى أوامر ربي
“I will not do anything until I consult my Lord.”
Thereafter, she stood up to perform prayer (Istikhārah).
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Nikāḥ, Bāb zawāj Zaynab bint Jaḥsh: 3502
❀ The method of Istikhārah is that one performs two rakʿahs of voluntary prayer and then recites the following supplication:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ وَأَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْعَظِيمِ فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلَا أَقْدِرُ وَتَعْلَمُ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوبِ اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ خَيْرٌ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ وَاقْدُرْ لِيَ الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِي بِهِ
“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 immense bounty. Indeed, You have power and I have no power; You know and I do not know, and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah! If You know that this matter (mention your matter) is good for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the outcome of my affairs, then decree it for me, make it easy for me, and bless me in it. And if You know that this matter is bad for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the outcome of my affairs, then turn it away from me and turn me away from it, and decree goodness for me wherever it may be, then make me content with it.”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Tahajjud, Bāb mā jā’a fī al-taṭawwuʿ mathnā mathnā: 1162, after ḥadīth: 1171
At the end of this supplication, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “And mention your specific matter.”
❀ Istikhārah may be performed at any time during the day or night, as Sayyidah Zaynab رضي الله عنها stood up immediately to perform Istikhārah when the need arose.
❀ Some people claim that one should perform two rakʿahs before sleeping, recite the specific supplication of Istikhārah, then sleep facing the Qiblah, and if the heart is not satisfied in one day, continue doing so for seven days. However, there is no evidence for this practice in any ḥadīth.
❀ Istikhārah should be performed by the person who is in need himself, because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“When one of you intends to undertake an important matter, he should perform two rakʿahs besides the obligatory prayer, then he should say (the supplication of Istikhārah).”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Tahajjud, Bāb mā jā’a fī al-taṭawwuʿ mathnā mathnā: 1162, after ḥadīth: 1171
❀ Some people have developed the belief that if they ask a certain saint or elder to perform Istikhārah for them, they will receive a definite answer. Keeping this notion in mind, some individuals have turned Istikhārah into a business and established centers for it in various places. Their method is to recite certain supplications, close their eyes, and after a short while give an answer to the inquirer, calling it mukāshafah (spiritual unveiling). Some television channels even promote this practice. A large number of ignorant and weak-faith individuals fall prey to this fraud. It can be described as nothing other than a satanic game, and it is more dangerous for people’s faith than deadly poison.
❀ Some people believe that by performing Istikhārah, one will definitely see the correct situation in a dream at night. The correct view is that through Istikhārah, Allah the Exalted opens a person’s heart and inclines him towards one side, and the matter that is better for him becomes facilitated. As for dreams, a dream may occur, but it is not necessary.
❀ Istikhārah may be performed more than once for the same matter.
❀ Along with Istikhārah, one should also continue to consult righteous and well-intentioned people. Allah the Exalted says:
وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِي الْأَمْرِ فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ
Reference: Āl ʿImrān: 159
“And consult them in matters. Then when you have made a firm decision, place your trust in Allah.”
