This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Hussain bin Mubarak Al-Mawsili's Arabic book Al-Awamer wal-Nawahi, whose Urdu translation has been done by Muhammad Sarwar Gohar Sahib under the title Ahkamat o Mamnoaat.
① Sayyiduna Abu Dharr رضي الله عنه narrates that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:
كيف أنت إذا كانت عليكم أمراء يؤخرون الصلاة عن وقتها أو يميتون الصلاة عن وقتها؟
"What will be your condition when there will be rulers over you who delay the prayer beyond its time or show negligence in performing the prayers at their appointed times?"
The narrator says, I asked, O Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم, what do you command me regarding this? The Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:
صل الصلاة لوقتها فإن أدركتها معهم فصل فإنها لك نافلة
"Perform the prayer at its time, and if you catch it with them, then pray with them; it will be a voluntary prayer for you."
Reference: Muslim, Book of Mosques and Places of Prayer 648/238. Abu Dawood, Book of Prayer 431. Ibn Majah, Establishing Prayer and the Sunnah in it 1256.
② Sayyiduna Abu Dharr رضي الله عنه narrates that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:
يا أبا ذر إنه سيكون بعدي أمراء يميتون الصلاة فصل الصلاة لوقتها فإن صليت لوقتها كانت لك نافلة وإلا قد أحرزت صلاتك
"O Abu Dharr! Soon after me, there will be rulers who will show negligence in performing the prayer at its time, so perform the prayer at its time; if you pray it on time, it will be voluntary for you, otherwise, you have saved your prayer."
Reference: Muslim, Book of Mosques and Places of Prayer 648/239.
③ Sayyiduna Abu Saeed Khudri رضي الله عنه narrates that when the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم saw his companions falling behind in prayer, he said to them:
تقدموا فأتموا بي وليأتم بكم من بعدكم ولا يزال قوم يتأخرون حتى يؤخرهم الله
"Move forward, follow my leadership, and those who come after you will follow your leadership; people will continue to fall behind until Allah causes them to fall behind."
Reference: Muslim, Book of Prayer 438/130. Abu Dawood, Book of Prayer 680.
④ It is narrated from Sayyidah Aisha رضي الله عنها that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:
لا يزال قوم يتأخرون عن الصف الأول حتى يؤخرهم الله فى النار
"People will continue to fall behind from the first row until Allah pushes them back into Hell."
Reference: Abu Dawood, Book of Prayer 689.
① Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah رضي الله عنهما narrates that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم used to teach us to perform Istikhara in all matters just as he taught us any Surah from the Holy Quran. His صلى الله عليه وسلم command was that when any one of you faces an important matter, he should pray two Rak'ahs besides the obligatory prayer, then recite this supplication:
اللهم إني أستخيرك بعلمك وأستقدرك بقدرتك وأسألك من فضلك العظيم فإنك تقدر ولا أقدر وتعلم ولا أعلم وأنت علام الغيوب اللهم إن كنت تعلم أن هذا الأمر خير لي فى ديني ومعاشي وعاقبة أمري (أو قال:) عاجل أمري وآجلهفاقدره لي ويسره لي ثم بارك لي فيه وإن كنت تعلم أن هذا الأمر شر لي فى ديني ومعاشي وعاقبة أمري (أو قال: ) عاجل أمري وآجلهفاصرفه عني واصرفني عنه واقدر لي الخير حيث كان ثم أرضني به ويسمي حاجته
"O Allah! I seek good from You by virtue of Your knowledge, and by Your power I seek strength, and I ask You from Your great bounty; for You have power and I do not have power, You know and I do not know, and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah! If You know that this matter is good for my religion, my livelihood, and my end (or he said: for my immediate and later affairs), then decree it for me, make it easy for me, and bless me in it. O Allah! If You know that this matter is bad for my religion, my livelihood, and my end (or he said: for my immediate and later affairs), then turn it away from me, and turn me away from it, and decree for me what is good wherever it may be, and make me pleased with it." Then mention your need.
Reference: Bukhari, Kitab al-Tawheed, Hadith 7390. Abu Dawood, Kitab al-Salat, Hadith 1538.
This indicates that the gift from the Lord is superior to it. No one has any right over His blessings, as is the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah.
Reference: Fath al-Bari 189/11.
It is established from this that this prayer is two Rak'ahs separate from the obligatory prayer. There is also the possibility that it does not mean the obligatory prayer but whatever is related to it. Also, it is established that this is a separate prayer apart from the two Sunnah Rak'ahs of Fajr. Sheikh Nawawi رحمه الله said in "Al-Adhkar": If Istikhara is made after the Sunnah of Dhuhr or after any Nafl prayer, it is correct whether it is two Rak'ahs or more; both cases are permissible.
Hafiz Ibn Hajar رحمه الله said: It is not correct to consider it absolute. What is apparent is that if the person intends both the mentioned prayer and the Istikhara prayer together, then it is correct. But if he does not intend both prayers together, then it is not correct. The prayer of Tahiyyat al-Masjid should be distinguished; because that means being engaged in supplication, whereas Istikhara prayer means that the supplication is made after it or during it and after finishing the prayer. Because according to the apparent report, the prayer and supplication should be after the intention of the matter.
Reference: See Fath al-Bari 189/11.
