In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Seek divine favour and guidance for Allah swt before doing or undertaking any work there is a supplication known as Istikhara Dua. Dua for Istikhara can be performed every day for each and every matter regardless of it nature. Dua e Istekhara is a powerful tool which is a truly a gift form Allah swt.
Istikhara Prayer
The purpose of Istikhara Prayer or Dua e Istikhara is “asking what is best and appropriate for us” from Allah swt. Whenever a Muslim is settling on a choice, he or she must look for Allah’s guidance and acumen. This means in all of one’s affairs, the person supplicates Salat Istikhara Dua to Allah, the merciful and sincerely ask Allah swt to make his path easy and have a good outcome.
Importance of Istikhara in Quran (ayat 216 surah al-baqara):
Salatul Istikhara Dua
The description of Salatul Istikhara Dua was reported by Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah al-Salami (may Allah be pleased with him) who said:
We pray Doaa Salat Istikhara with complete faith not begging or pleading, but asking Allah clearly for his supervision. We should not be hasty after dua and should not await for a miracle or a Dream (Istikhara Dream) full of signs. We simply say our prayers and trust that Allah has heard us and will answer us in the way which is the best for us.
What is Istikhara?
Whenever a Muslim is settling on a choice, he or she must look for Allah’s direction and will. Allah comprehends what is best for us, and there may be things which looks perfect for us but actually unfortunate for us, and dreadful things which we consider as great.
What is Istikhara? In the event that you are uncertain or unsure in the vicinity of a choice you need to make, there is Salat Istikhara for direction that you can perform to request Allah’s help in settling on your choice. Should you marry certain person? Should you attend a graduate school? Should you take a job offer? Allah knows what is best for you, and if you are not sure about the choice that you have, seek His guidance with the help of Istikhara Prayer.
Meaning of Istikhara
Meaning of Istikhara is “Seeking the best from Allah swt”. We have been advised by the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam to perform Istikhara prayer whenever we have a choice in our life, especially when we have to make major decisions of our life. Therefore, we should always make an effort to perform Salatul Istikhara.
Outcome of Salatul Istikhara
One must have complete certainty in whatever Allah has decided, and be pleased that Allah would do only what is good for His servants. Now this is the real analysis of our belief and Emaan in Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala). This is where we can see the understanding and hikmah of the Holy Quran:
“And it is very possible that you dislike something whereas it is good for you; and (similarly) it is very possible that you like something whereas it is bad for you”. (Baqarah 216)
According to one Hadith: “It is from the good fortune of man that he makes Istikharah (seeks good) from Allah, and it is from his misfortune that he discards Istikharah.”Sa’ d ibn Waqas reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, “Istikharah (seeking guidance from Allah) is one of the distinct favors (of Allah) upon man, and a good fortune for the son of Adam is to be pleased with the judgment of Allah. And a misfortune of the son of Adam is his failure to make istikharah (seeking Allah’s guidance), and a misfortune for the son of Adam is his displeasure with the judgment of Allah.” Ibn Taimiyyah.
May Allah guide us in the right direction from Himself and may Allah provide us the Knowledge to make the right choices and may Allah place righteousness in whatever He prefer for us to do. Aameen.
Istikhara Dua for Seeking Answers in the Light of Islam
Istikhara Dua, Istikhara Prayer, Salatul Istikhara Dua, Dua for Istikhara, Doaa Salat Istikhara, Dua e Istikhara, Istikhara ki Dua, Istekhara ki Dua, Salat Istikhara Dua, Dua e Istekhara, What is Istikhara, Meaning of Istikhara, Salat Istikhara, Istikhara Prayer,Salatul Istikhara, Salat el Istikhara, Istikhara Salah, Istikhara Dua,
Istikhara: The Prayer of Seeking Guidance
Question: How is salat ul-Istikhara prayed? Is it meant to be prayed several days in a row until a decision is made, or only once? Is it meant to be prayed after one has pretty much made up their mind, or when someone hasn’t really figured out what to do? Are their various valid opinions?
Answer: In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Walaikum assalam,
The istikhara prayer is a very simple prayer of seeking guidance.
- One prays two rakats at any time that is not disliked, after which one recites the supplication of istikhara.
- It is best to recite it before sleeping, though in no way necessary.
- Like other duas, it is recommended that one face the qibla.
- It is recommended to open the dua of istikhara, with praise of Allah and sending blessings on the Prophet ﷺ and to close it in this manner, too.
- It is disliked to ‘hasten’ in seeking the answer to one’s istikhara, like other duas, because the Prophet ﷺ said, “Your prayers are answered, unless you hasten, saying, ‘I prayed, but no answer came.’”
The Prayer in Arabic
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 لِي الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِي
Transliteration
Allâhumma inni astakhiruka bi ilmika wa astaqdiruka biqudratika wa as’aluka min fadlikal-azimi, fa innaka taqdiru walâ aqdiru wa ta’lamu walâ a’lamu wa anta allamul ghuyubi. Allâhumma in kunta ta’lamu anna hâdhal amra khayrun li fi dini wa ma-ashi wa aqibati amri faqdir-hu li wa yassir-hu li thumma barik li fihi wa in kunta ta’lamu anna hâdhal amra sharrun li fi dini wa maâshi wa aqibati amri fasrifhu anni wasrifni anhu waqdir liyal-khayra haythu kâna thumma ardini.
Translation
“O Allah, verily I seek the better [of either choice] from You, by Your knowledge, and I seek ability from You, by Your power, and I ask You from Your immense bounty. For indeed You have power, and I am powerless; You have knowledge and I know not; You are the Knower of the unseen realms. O Allah, if You know that this matter is good for me with regard to my religion, my livelihood and the end of my affair then decree it for me, facilitate it for me, and grant me blessing in it. And if You know that this matter is not good for me with regard to my religion, my livelihood and the end of my affair then turn it away from me and me from it; and decree for me better than it, wherever it may be, and make me content with it.”
Looking for signs
One should suspend one’s own judgement or inclination about the particular matter, and wait for Allah to show one a sign or to make things happen in a way that indicates what to do. When one is not clear about the result of the istikhara, the fuqaha mention that it is recommend to repeat it, up to 7 times if necessary (usually done on separate occasions). [cf: Radd al-Muhtar].
Shaykh Nuh Keller mentions that the more one prays the istikhara prayer, the clearer its answers become to one. He prays it for all matters, even things one would not imagine doing istikhara for.
It is not necessary that you get a dream or even a “feeling.” Rather, the istikhara is a prayer that Allah guide you towards that which is best (khayr) for you. If you do the prayer of guidance (istikhara) with the proper manners, the most important of which is to truly consign the matter to Allah and suspend your own inclinations, then Allah will make events unfold in the direction that is the best for your worldly and next-worldly affairs.
When unable to offer salah
In general, when it is not possible to perform the istikhara prayer itself (such as when one is out on the road, or in one’s menstrual period), it is recommended to simply read the dua itself. [Radd al-Muhtar]
For even the smallest things
The great Hanafi scholar and hadith expert from Aleppo, Shaykh Abdullah Sirajal-Din mentions in his book on the virtues of prayer that it is the way of many Sufis, including Shaykh al-Akbar Muhiyyuddin Ibn al-Arabi (Allah sanctify his secret), to pray the istikhara prayer at the beginning of their day, after sunrise, asking Allah to guide them in general to all good and to keep away all evil from them.
Istikhara gives the best answer, for one’s worldly and religious life (not worldly life alone), when coupled with another essential sunna: istishara (seeking sound counsel) of those worthy of being consulted and taking the sound means of assessing the situation at hand.
Imam al-Nawawi mentioned that before the istikhara prayer, one should seek advice from those whose knowledge, wisdom, and concern one is confident. Ibn Hajar al-Haytami and others mentioned that one of the benefits of this is to further distance oneself from the desires of one’s own egotistic inclinations.
The istikhara prayer may be made for a specific matter or be made for a general seeking of all that is best. Some scholars, including Imam Abd al-Wahhab al-Sha`rani and Ibn `Arafah before him saw this kind of istikhara prayer as being superior. Others, including Shaykh Ibn al-Arabi, recommended performing a general istikhara prayer for all that is good every day, ideally at the time of the Duha prayer (after sunrise).
One should be pleased with what Allah chooses for one, and not seek to follow one’s whims after the answer to one’s supplication becomes clear. We ask Allah to give us beneficial knowledge, and the success to act upon it in the way most beloved to Him, on the footsteps of His beloved Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace).
