Before any major decision, pray Salat-ul-Istikhara

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Updated March 14, 2009

By Rafik Beekun at the Islamic Workplace weblog

Please click here to download “How to pray Salat-ul-Istikhara” in pdf format (Arabic, English, French, German and Spanish). BEFORE downloading this document, please view the videoclips included on this web page. They are meant to help you recite the Istikhara dua correctly, and to understand the significance of the Istikhara prayer, Insha Allah.

Source: Fiqh-us-Sunnah, volume 2, number 32 and volume 4, number 141.
Often, we have to make major life-changing decisions: whether to undertake a major project or not, whether to apply for a promotion or not, whether to change career or not, whether to invest in a certain company or not, whether to get married or not, whom to get married to, etc.

Istikhara (Arabic) means to ask Allah to guide one to the right thing concerning any affair in one’s life, especially when one has to choose between two permissible alternatives, e.g. a career choice, getting married, etc.  Similarly, a traveller should consult good righteous persons before setting out on a journey, because Allah says, “And consult them (O Prophet) in affairs (of moment),” (Qur’an, 3: 159) and one of the characteristics of the believers is that “they (conduct) their affairs by mutual consultation” (Qur’an, 42: 38). Qatadah said, “Every people who seek the pleasure of Allah and consult with one another are guided to the best course in their affairs.” The traveller should also make istikharah and seek guidance from Allah.

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 said, “He who seeks guidance from the Creator and consults the creatures will never regret it.”

Salatul Istikharah is a sunnah.   It is a prayer that one may pray if one must choose between permissible alternatives: it is two non-obligatory rak’at (that can be recited separately or in combination with the regular sunnah prayers or the prayer for entering the mosque [...] during any time of the day or night, and to recite therein whatever one wishes of the Qur’an after reciting al-Fatihah. After the two-rak’ats, one praises Allah and sends salutations to the Prophet sallallahu alehi wasallam and recites the following supplication which has been recorded by al-Bukhari in Jabir’s hadith (see full text below): “The Prophet sallallahu alehi wasallam would teach us al-istikhara for all of our affairs as he would teach us a surah from the Qur’an. He said: ‘If one of you is deliberating over an act, he should pray two non-obligatory rak’at and say: “O Allah, I consult You as You are All-Knowing and I appeal to You to give me power as You are Omnipotent, I ask You for Your great favor, for You have power and I do not, and You know all of the hidden matters . O Allah ! If you know that this matter (then he should mention it) is good for me in my religion, my livelihood, and for my life in the Hereafter, (or he said: ‘for my present and future life,’) then make it (easy) for me. And if you know that this matter is not good for me in my religion, my livelihood and my life in the Hereafter, (or he said: ‘for my present and future life,’) then keep it away from me and take me away from it and choose what is good for me wherever it is and please me with it.”

The Fiqh-us-Sunnah scholars maintain that there is nothing authentic concerning something specific (e.g. specific qur’anic ayats, etc.) that is to be recited in the prayer nor is there any authentic report concerning how many times one should repeat salat-ul-Istikhara.

An-Nawawi holds that “after performing the istikharah, a person must do what he is wholeheartedly inclined to do and feels good about doing and should not insist on doing what he had desired to do before making the istikharah. And if his feelings change, he should leave what he had intended to do, otherwise he is not completely leaving the choice to Allah, and would not be honest in seeking aid from Allah’s power and knowledge. Sincerity in seeking Allah’s choice, means that one should completely leave what he himself had desired or determined.” [Note from Br. Rafik Beekun: Please view the video on "Istikhara and Marriage" at the bottom of this web page where the Sheikh elaborates on the different ways in which your prayer will be answered, Insha Allah}

The following hadith (referred above in Fiqh-us-Sunnah) is narrated by Jabir bin Abdullah about Salat-ul-Istikhara in Sahih Bukhari (volume 2, hadith number 263 and again volume 9, hadith 487):

The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to teach us the way of doing Istikhara (Istikhara means to ask Allah to guide one to the right sort of action concerning any job or a deed), in all matters as he taught us the Suras of the Quran. He said, "If anyone of you thinks of doing any job he should offer a two Rakat prayer other than the compulsory ones and say (after the prayer): 'Allahumma inni astakhiruka bi'ilmika, Wa astaqdiruka bi-qudratika, Wa asaluka min fadlika al-'azim Fa-innaka taqdiru Wala aqdiru, Wa ta'lamu Wala a'lamu, Wa anta 'allamu l-ghuyub. Allahumma, in kunta ta'lam anna hadha-l-amra Khairun li fi dini wa ma'ashi wa'aqibati amri (or 'ajili amri wa'ajilihi) Faqdirhu li wa yas-sirhu li thumma barik li Fihi, Wa in kunta ta'lamu anna hadha-lamra shar-run li fi dini wa ma'ashi wa'aqibati amri (or fi'ajili amri wa ajilihi) Fasrifhu anni was-rifni anhu. Waqdir li al-khaira haithu kana Thumma ardini bihi.'

(O Allah! I ask guidance from Your knowledge, and Power from Your Might and I ask for Your great blessings. You are capable and I am not. You know and I do not and You know the unseen. O Allah! If You know that this job is good for my religion and my subsistence and in my Hereafter--(or said: If it is better for my present and later needs)--then You ordain it for me and make it easy for me to get, and then bless me in it, and if You know that this job is harmful to me in my religion and subsistence and in the Hereafter--(or said: If it is worse for my present and later needs)--then keep it away from me and let me be away from it. And ordain for me whatever is good for me, and make me satisfied with it)." The Prophet added that then the person should name (mention) his need.

Note from Rafik Beekun: I have included the french, german and spanish translations of the above dua at the end of this post.

Similar hadiths were reported by Jabir (r) in Sahih Bukhari (volume 8, hadith number 391). 

Note from Rafik Beekun: If you have trouble with the arabic version of the dua for Istikhara, here is a dua video where the dua is being recited in arabic.  Both the arabic version of the du'a, its english transliteration, and translation are included. Please use it to practice reciting the dua correctly before praying Salat Istihara:

Salat ul Istikhara: Prayer for consultation

To summarize,  here is how you pray Salat-ul-Istikhara step-by step:

1. Perform Wudu (the ablution) if you do not have it already.
2. Pray 2 raka’at either with the intention of praying Istikhara separately by itself  or jointly with 2 rakat of, for example, tahajjud.
3. Immediately after you have completed the 2 rakats, recite the abovementioned Istikhara Dua.
4. Name the deed you wish Allah to provide you with guidance about.
5. Follow An Nawawi's advice on how to interpret Allah's guidance (again see above).
6. There is no limit on the number of times you can pray Salat-ul-Istikhara.

Note: This article was researched very carefully, and all sources were checked. Please do not reproduce in part or in whole on another website or in any other format without permission from the Islamic Workplace blog.

If you have questions about Salat Istikhara, its applicability in specific circumstances or its interpretation, here is a link that may help you Insha Allah: the Islamonline website. This website is excellent because you can ask some of the leading scholars in the Islamic world a specific question about your situation if you do not find an answer in their fatwa bank.

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Traduction francaise du Dua pour la Salate ul Istikahara

Traduction francaise de la priere istikara (la priere de la consultation ou demande du meilleur parti à prendre). D'abord, voici le Hadith Sahih rapporté par l’Imam Bokhari:

Selon Jaber Ben Abdallah (raa):

Le Prophète (saw) nous enseignait à demander l’inspiration à Dieu comme il nous enseignait les sourates du Coran. Il nous disait : Lorsque l’un de vous veut décider d’une chose qu’il fasse deux rakaates en dehors de la prière canonique puis qu’il dise

"O Seigneur je te demande en vertu de Ta Science de choisir pour moi la meilleure solution. je te demande de me l'accorder en vertu de Ta Prédestination, et je te demande de me faire bénéficier de Tes faveurs immenses, car Tu as la Puissance et j'en suis dépourvu, Tu es Celui qui Sait et je suis ignorant(e), et Toi seul connais le non-manifesté. O Seigneur si Tu sais que cette affaire m'est profitable pour ma vie en ce monde, pour ma religion ainsi que pour mes fins dernières (ou encor pour mon avenir immédiat ou lointain), destine la moi, rend la moi accessible et bénis la moi, mais si Tu sais que cette affaire m'est néfaste, tant pour ma religion que pour ma vie en ce monde et pour mes fins dernières, éloigne la de moi et éloigne moi d'elle, puis destine moi le bien où qu'il se trouve et rend moi satisfait(e) d'en avoir bénéficié"

Ensuite, qu’il indique son affaire.

Source of french translation: Forum de la grand mosquee de Lyon.

Salat-Al-Istikhara: Priere de la Consultation

Salate Istikhara (la prière de la consultation) est constituée de 2 raq'at, c'est à dire deux unités de prières, c'est la même que Salate el Fajar, la prière de l'aube.

Beaucoup ne la font que pour les grandes decisions, avant de prendre la decision de se marier par exemple, mais c'est une prière que tu peux faire pour n'importe quelle decision, que ce soit pour un voyage, un investissement, un travail... pour tout...

Il ne semble pas qu'il y ait un moment precis dans la journée pour la faire; le meilleur moment pour faire des prières surérogatoires, pour faire des Doh'as c'est la nuit, plus précisément le dernier tièrs de la nuit.

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Istikhara Gebet: Recite dieses DUA nach Istikahra Gebetaus"Riyad-us-Salihin"Kapitel 14Gebet um Gottes Führung (Istikhara) und Beratung untereinanderQur"an: Allah, der Erhabene, spricht:
"... und ziehe sie in (allen weltlichen) Angelegenheiten zu Rate." [3:159]“… und ihre Angelegenheiten in gegenseitiger Beratung regeln…” [42:38]Dschabir (r) berichtet: Der Gesandte Allahs (s) lehrte uns immer wieder, in jeder Angelegenheit, Gottes Führung {Istikhara) zu erbitten, wie er uns immer wieder eine Sure aus dem Qur’an lehrte.
Er sagte:”Wenn jemand von euch beabsichtigt, etwas zu tun, so soll er zusätzlich zwei Rak’a verrichten und dann sprechen: ‘Oh Allah! Ich bitte Dich um Deinen Rat aufgrund Deines Wissens; ich bitte Dich um Kraft aufgrund Deiner Kraft, und ich bitte Dich, mir von Deiner unermesslichen Güte (zu geben); denn Du allein hast die Macht und ich nicht. Du weißt alles und ich weiß nichts. Du allein weißt das Verborgene. Oh Allah! Wenn Du weißt, dass diese Sache gut für mich ist, für meine Religion, mein Leben auf Erden und für mein Leben im Jenseits, so bestimme sie mir, und erleichtere mir, sie zu erreichen! Dann segne dies (was Du mir gewährt hast). Weißt Du jedoch, dass diese Sache schlecht ist für mich, für meine Religion, für mein Leben auf Erden und für mein Leben im Jenseits, so wende sie von mir ab, und halte mich von ihr fern! Bestimme mir Gutes, wo immer es auch sei, und mache mich zufrieden damit.*” Er sagte: “Und er soll seine Sache nennen.”
(Al-Bukhari)* Auf Arabisch lautet das Istikhara-Gebet

“Allahumma inni astakhiruka bi’ilmika, wa astaqdiruka biqudratika, wa as’aluka min fadlikal-azim, fa innaka taqdiru wa la aqdir, wa ta’lamu wa la a’latn, wa anta alldmul-ghuyub. Allahumma in kunta ta’lamu anna hadhäl-amra khairun li fi dini wa ma’dschi wa aqibati amri. (oder: “adschili amri wa adschilih) fa-qdurhu li wayassirhu li, thumma barik li fih. Wa in kunta ta’lamu anna hadhal-amra schatrun li fi dini wa ma’aschi wa aqibati amri (oder: “adschili amri wa adschilih) fa asrifliu anni, wasrifni anh, yvaqdur lil-khaira haithu kan, thumma ardini bih.”

[Riyad us-Salihin Nr. 718]

Source of german translation of above dua: Maroc Oase

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Salat-ul-Istikara en Espanol: Jabir -r.a.- quien era uno de los compañeros del Profeta Muhammad (saws), narró:“El Mensajero de Allah (saws) solía enseñarnos el Istikhara en todos los asuntos, igual que nos enseñaba una Sura (versículo) del Corán. Él solía decir: Si alguno de vosotros tiene un asunto importante que dilucidar, que haga dos rakas (unidades) voluntarios, que no sean de las obligatorias, a cualquier hora del día o de la noche y luego suplicad: Allahumma inní astakhíruka bi-ilmik, wa astaqdiruka bi-qudratik, wa asaluka min fadlika al-adhím, fa-innaka taqdir wa la aqdir, wa taalamu wa la aalam, wa Anta allámul-quiúb. Allahumma in kunta taalamu anna hadhal-amra (aqui la persona menciona el asunto por el cual se solicita la guía) khairun li fi Diní wa maashí wa áqibati amrí, faqdurhu li wa iassirhu li, zumma bárik li fíhi. Wa in kunta taalamu anna hadha al-amra (aqui la persona menciona el asunto por el cual se solicita la guía) sharrun li fi Diní wa maashí wa áqibati amrí, fasrifhu anní wasrifní anhu, waqdur li al-khaira haizu kana, zumma arddini bihi.(¡Oh Allah! Te pido que escojas lo mejor para mí, por Tu conocimiento de ello. Y por Tu poder te pido que me capacites para la elección. Y así te pido de Tu inmenso favor. Porque Tú puedes y yo no puedo. Tú sabes y yo no sé. Y Tú eres el conocedor de todo lo oculto. ¡Oh Allah! Si sabes que este asunto (aqui la persona menciona el asunto por el cual se solicita la guía) es bueno para mí, tanto en mi religión como en mi vida y su objetivo final es sano, decrétalo para mí y facilítamelo. Después, bendíceme en él. Y si sabes que este asunto (aqui la persona menciona el asunto por el cual se solicita la guía) es malo para mí, tanto en mi religión como en mi vida y su objetivo final no es sano, apártalo de mí y apártame de él. Y decreta el bien para mí dondequiera que esté. Después, déjame satisfecho con el asunto decretado”.Habiendo solicitado la guía de Allah como lo antecedido, entonces la persona prosigue sus asuntos cotidianos y espera por la debida respuesta de Allah. Ésta se pude manifestar en la persona mediante la seguridad o más indecisión que se sienta en el corazón respecto al asunto.Así que cuando sientas en tu corazón una sensación de vigor, optimismo o confianza respecto al asunto en cuestión, debes interpretar esto como una respuesta positiva de Allah (SWT) y en adelante se debería proceder consecuentemente con el asunto en cuestión. Por otro lado, si lo contrario es verdadero y tus sensaciones de duda preocupaciones no se han aclarado, entonces deberías evitar el asunto en cuestión como si este significase malas consecuencias.Allah (SWT) dice: “… es posible que os disguste algo que sea un bien para vosotros y que améis algo que sea n mal. Sólo Allah sabe y vosotros no sabéis.”(Corán 2:216)De hecho la esencia de esta oración es probar la confianza que uno tiene en Allah, por lo tanto, la necesidad de atenerse a la guía de Allah aun si esto significase continuar o abandonar el asunto en cuestión. Allah dice también:“…y el que pone su confianza en Allah, Allah le es suficiente. Es cierto que la voluntad de Allah siempre se realiza y Allah le ha dado a cada cosa una justa medida” (Corán 65:3)

*SWT= Glorificado y Enaltecido sea

Source of the above dua in Spanish: Islam Bolivia La Verdad

Please click here to download “How to pray Salat-ul-Istikhara” in pdf format (Arabic, English, French, German and Spanish).

Notes from Rafik Beekun:

1. At least once during your life, you may also wish to pray Salat-ul-Tasbih because of the amazing blessings associated with it. Please click here to view the hadith and methodology relating to Sala-ul-Tasbih.

2. If it happens that one has sinned, one should recite the prayer of penitence. Please click here to read the post about Salatul Taubah. Remember that Allah is THE MERCIFUL one. His Infinite Mercy is what we can all count on. He is Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim (The Gracious and The Merciful).

Salat Istikhara and Marriage

Sunni Path Academy

Clip from SunniPath Answers Live event. This answer addresses the issue of how to pray Salat al-Istikhara, particularly in relation to marriage. Answered by Shaykh Hamza Karamali

Divine GPS: The Inner Dimensions of Salat Istikhara

This 39 minute lecture is by Imam AbdulBary Yahya. He was born in Vietnam during the Vietnam War, and very soon thereafter immigrated to the U.S. with his family. He grew up in Seattle, WA and after completing his primary and secondary education there, began his studies at the Islamic University of Madinah. It was at the University that he befriended Muhammad Alshareef, as they sat next to each other in the first year of their studies.

Upon graduation from the Islamic University of Madinah’s College of Shariah, AbdulBary Yahya returned to Vietnam and Cambodia and became a teacher and director of the Revival of Islamic Heritage Society in Cambodia and the Umm al-Qura Charity Organization in Vietnam.

He presently resides in Seattle, WA with his family, and is an instructor with AlMaghrib Institute, an organization that provides trademark double-weekend seminars leading students towards a bachelor’s degree in Islamic Studies. He is currently the Imam (spiritual leader and adviser) of Masjid Jaamiul Muslimeen in Seattle, WA. He also holds the positions of President of the Cham Refugee Community and Vice-President of the Islamic Center of Washington State.

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