1- Definition
2- Ruling
3- The wisdom behind prescribing it
4- Reasons for it
5- When Istikhaarah should be started
6- Consulting people before praying istikhaarah
7- What should be recited in istikhaarah
8- When should the du'aa' be recited?
1 – Definition
Istikhaarah in Arabic means seeking guidance to make a decision concerning something. It is said in Arabic Istakhir Allaaha yakhir laka (Seek guidance from Allaah and He will guide you (to the right decision)). In sharee'ah terminology, Istikhaarah means seeking guidance (to the right decision), i.e., seeking guidance as to what Allaah knows is the best and most appropriate choice, by means of prayer or the du'aa' narrated concerning Istikhaarah.
2 – Ruling
The scholars are unanimously agreed that Istikhaarah is Sunnah. The evidence that it is prescribed is the hadeeth narrated by al-Bukhaari from Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said:
"The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to teach his companions to make istikhaarah in all matters, just as he used to teach them soorahs from the Qur'aan.
He said: 'If any one of you is deliberating about a decision he has to make, then let him pray two rak'ahs of non-obligatory prayer, then say: Allaahumma inni astakheeruka bi 'ilmika wa astaqdiruka bi qudratika wa as'aluka min fadlika, fa innaka taqdiru wa laa aqdir, wa ta'lamu wa laa a'lam, wa anta 'allaam al-ghuyoob. Allaahumma fa in kunta ta'lamu haadha'l-amra (then the matter should be mentioned by name) khayran li fi 'aajil amri wa aajilihi (or: fi deeni wa ma'aashi wa 'aaqibati amri) faqdurhu li wa yassirhu li thumma baarik li fihi. Allaahumma wa in kunta ta'lamu annahu sharrun li fi deeni wa ma'aashi wa 'aaqibati amri (or: fi 'aajili amri wa aajilihi) fasrifni 'anhu [wasrafhu 'anni] waqdur li al-khayr haythu kaana thumma radini bihi
(O Allaah, I seek Your guidance [in making a choice] by virtue of Your knowledge, and I seek ability by virtue of Your power, and I ask You of Your great bounty. You have power, I have none. And You know, I know not. You are the Knower of hidden things. O Allaah, if in Your knowledge, this matter (then it should be mentioned by name) is good for me both in this world and in the Hereafter (or: in my religion, my livelihood and my affairs), then ordain it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me. And if in Your knowledge it is bad for me and for my religion, my livelihood and my affairs (or: for me both in this world and the next), then turn me away from it, [and turn it away from me], and ordain for me the good wherever it may be and make me pleased with it)."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari in several places in his Saheeh (1166).
3 – The wisdom behind prescribing it:
The reason why Istikhaarah is prescribed is that it is submission to the command of Allaah and a practical demonstration that one has no power and no strength of one's own. It means turning to Allaah and seeking to combine the goodness of this world and of the Hereafter. In order to achieve that, one has to knock at the door of the King, Allaah, may He be glorified, and there is nothing more beneficial in this regard than salaah (prayer) and du'aa' (supplication), because they involve venerating Allaah, praising Him and expressing one's need for Him. Then after praying istikhaarah one should do that which one feels is best.
4 – Reasons for it:
In what circumstances should one pray istikhaarah? The four madhhabs are agreed that istikhaarah is prescribed in cases where a person does not know the right decision to make. In matters where it is known whether a thing is good or bad, such as acts of worship, doing good deeds, sins or evil actions, there is no need to pray istikhaarah in these cases. But if a person wants to find out the right time to do something, such as whether to do Hajj this year, because there is the possibility of encountering an enemy or some tribulation, or whether to go with a certain person or not, then he may pray istikhaarah with regard to such decisions. But there is no room for Istikhaarah when it comes to things that are obligatory, haraam or makrooh. Rather Istikhaarah has to do with things that are recommended or permissible. Istikhaarah is not ordinarily required with regard to things that are recommended, rather it should be done in cases where there is a conflict, i.e., when a person has a choice of two things and must decide which one to start with or which one not to do. With regard to permissible things, he may pray Istikhaarah as a regular matter.
5 – When should he start praying Istikhaarah?
The person who wants to pray Istikhaarah should have an open mind, and not have decided on a specific course of action. The phrase "If any one of you is deliberating" indicates that Istikhaarah should be prayed when one starts to think of the matter, when through the blessing of prayer and du'aa' what is good will become clear to him, in contrast to when the idea has taken root and his resolve to do it is firm, in which case his inclination will sway him, and there is the fear that wisdom may not prevail because he is inclined to do that which he has already decided to do. It may be that which is meant by deliberation here is resolve, because a passing thought does not matter. And a person should not pray istikhaarah except when he has decided to do something but does not have a strong inclination towards it. Otherwise, if a person were to pray Istikhaarah for every thought that crosses his mind, he would never stop and he would waste all his time doing that.
6 – Consulting others before praying istikhaarah
Al-Nawawi said: It is mustahabb, before praying istikhaarah, to consult someone whom you knows is sincere, caring and has experience, and who is trustworthy with regard to his religious commitment and knowledge. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"and consult them in the affairs"[Aal 'Imraan 3:159]
7 – What is to be recited in Salaat al-Istikhaarah
There are three opinions as to what should be recited in Salaat al-Istikhaarah:
(a) The Hanafis, Maalikis and Shaafa'is said that it is mustahabb, after reciting al-Faatihah, to recite Qul yaa ayyuha'l-kaafiroon in the first rak'ah and Qul huwa Allaahu ahad in the second. Al-Nawawi said, explaining the reason for that: It is appropriate to recite these in prayer, to show sincerity and expressing your leaving your affairs to Allaah. They said that it is also permissible to add other verses from Qur'aan where the context refers to the idea of making a choice or decision.
(b) Some of the Salaf said that in praying istikhaarah it is good to add, after reciting al-Faatihah, the following verses in the first rak'ah:
"And your Lord creates whatsoever He wills and chooses, no choice have they (in any matter). Glorified is Allaah, and exalted above all that they associate (as partners with Him).
And your Lord knows what their breasts conceal, and what they reveal.
And He is Allaah; Laa ilaaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), all praises and thanks be to Him (both) in the first (i.e. in this world) and in the last (i.e. in the Hereafter). And for Him is the Decision, and to Him shall you (all) be returned"[al-Qasas 28:68 – interpretation of the meaning]
And the following verse in the second rak'ah:"It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allaah and His Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have any option in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allaah and His Messenger, he has indeed strayed into a plain error"[al-Ahzaab 33:36 – interpretation of the meaning]
(c) The Hanbalis and some of the fuqaha' did not say that any particular verses are to be recited when praying Istikhaarah.
8 – When one should pray Istikhaarah
The Hanafis, Maalikis, Shaafa'is and Hanbalis stated that the du'aa' should be recited immediately after the prayer. This is in accordance with what was stated in the hadeeth narrated from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). See al-Mawsoo'ah al-Fiqhiyyah, part 3, p. 241.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said in al-Fataawa al-Kubra: Part 2, p. 265 Question concerning Du'aa' al-Istikhaarah: should this du'aa' be recited during salaah (prayer) or after saying the salaam? The answer is that it is permissible to recite the du'aa' of istikhaarah before or after the salaam, whether you are praying salaat al-istikhaarah or another prayer. Reciting du'aa' before the salaam is preferable, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to recite a lot of du'aa' before the salaam, and the worshipper before saying the salaam still in a state of prayer, so it is better to recite the du'aa' then. And Allaah knows best
Assalam alaikum. How do I pray salat al istikhara, at what times , and are there special dua that I can read for different cicumstances?
Praise be to Allaah.Praise be to Allaah.
The description of Salaat al-Istikhaarah was reported by Jaabir ibn 'Abd-Allaah al-Salami (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said:
"The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to teach his companions to make istikhaarah in all things, just as he used to teach them soorahs from the Qur'aan. He said: 'If any one of you is concerned about a decision he has to make, then let him pray two rak'ahs of non-obligatory prayer, then say: Allaahumma inni astakheeruka bi 'ilmika wa astaqdiruka bi qudratika wa as'aluka min fadlika, fa innaka taqdiru wa laa aqdir, wa ta'lamu wa laa a'lam, wa anta 'allaam al-ghuyoob. Allaahumma fa in kunta ta'lamu haadha'l-amra (then the matter should be mentioned by name) khayran li fi 'aajil amri wa aajilihi (or: fi deeni wa ma'aashi wa 'aaqibati amri) faqdurhu li wa yassirhu li thumma baarik li fihi. Allaahumma wa in kunta ta'lamu annahu sharrun li fi deeni wa ma'aashi wa 'aaqibati amri (or: fi 'aajili amri wa aajilihi) fasrifni 'anhu [wasrafhu 'anni] waqdur li al-khayr haythu kaana thumma radini bihi (O Allaah, I seek Your guidance [in making a choice] by virtue of Your knowledge, and I seek ability by virtue of Your power, and I ask You of Your great bounty. You have power, I have none. And You know, I know not. You are the Knower of hidden things. O Allaah, if in Your knowledge, this matter (then it should be mentioned by name) is good for me both in this world and in the Hereafter (or: in my religion, my livelihood and my affairs), then ordain it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me. And if in Your knowledge it is bad for me and for my religion, my livelihood and my affairs (or: for me both in this world and the next), then turn me away from it, [and turn it away from me], and ordain for me the good wherever it may be and make me pleased with it."
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, 6841; similar reports are also recorded by al-Tirmidhi, al-Nisaa'i, Abu Dawood, Ibn Maajah and Ahmad).
Ibn Hijr (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, commenting on this hadeeth:
"Istikhaarah is a word which means asking Allaah to help one make a choice, meaning choosing the best of two things where one needs to choose one of them.
Concerning the phrase 'The Messenger of Allaah
The phrase 'If any one of you is concerned…' appears in the version narrated by Ibn Mas'ood as: 'if any one of you wants to do something…'
'Let him pray two rak'ahs of non-obligatory prayer.' This is mentioned to make it clear that it does not mean fajr prayer, for example. Al-Nawawi said in al-Adhkaar: He can pray istikaarah after two rak'ahs of regular sunnah prayer done at zuhr for example, or after two rak'ahs of any naafil prayers whether they are regularly performed or not… It seems to be the case that if he made the intention to pray istikhaarah at the same time as intending to pray that particular prayer, this is fine, but not if he did not have this intention.
Ibn Abi Jamrah said: The wisdom behind putting the salaat before the du'aa' is that istikhaarah is intended to combine the goodness of this world with the goodness of the next. A person needs to knock at the door of the King (Allaah), and there is nothing more effective for this than prayer, because it contains glorification and praise of Allaah, and expresses one's need for Him at all times.
The phrase 'then let him say' would seem to imply that the du'aa' should be said after finishing the prayer, and the word thumma (then) probably means after reciting all the words of the salaat and before saying salaam.
The phrase 'O Allaah, I seek Your guidance by virtue of Your knowledge' is explaining 'because You know best.' Similarly, 'by virtue of Your power' most likely means 'seeking Your help.' 'I seek ability' (astaqdiruka) means 'I ask You to give me the power or ability (qudrah) to do' whatever is being asked for, or it probably means 'I ask You to decree (tuqaddir) this for me.' So it may mean making it easy.
'I ask You of Your great bounty' refers to the fact that Allaah gives out of His great generosity, but no one has the right to His blessings. This is the opinion of Ahl al-Sunnah.
'You have power, I have none. And You know, I know not' refers to the fact that power and knowledge belong to Allaah alone, and the slave has no share of them except what Allaah decrees for him.
'O Allaah, if in Your knowledge this matter…' According to one report, he should mention it by name. It is apparent from the context that he should state it, but it is probably sufficient to be thinking of the matter whilst making this du'aa'.
'Then ordain it for me' means 'make it happen for me' or it may mean 'make it easy for me.'
'Then turn it away from me, and turn me away from it' means 'so that my heart will no longer feel attached to it after it has been turned away.'
'Make me pleased with it' means 'make me content with it, so that I will never regret asking for it or be sorry that it happened, because I do not know how it will turn out, even if at the time of asking I am pleased with it.'
The secret is that one's heart should not be attached to the matter in question, because that will result in a person becoming restless. Being pleased with something means that one's heart is content with the decree of Allaah.
(Summarized from the commentary of al-Haafiz Ibn Hijr (may Allaah have mercy on him) on the hadeeth in Saheeh al-Bukhaari, Kitaab al-Da'waat and Kitaab al-Tawheed.).
Knowing that the hadeeth narrated from Jaabir ibn 'Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with them both) states that the Prophet
Praise be to Allaah.There is no option when it comes to doing obligatory actions, because Allaah has enjoined them upon us. The same applies to abstaining from haraam things. There is no sense in praying istikhaarah concerning matters which we have no choice about doing. Salat al-istikhaarah was not prescribed for this purpose. Istikhaarah is for permissible matters where one needs to choose the better of two options, or when one has many permissible options. So one prays istikhaarah in order to choose one particular permissible thing, when one is confused as to which city to go to in order to seek knowledge, or which shaykh one should study with, or which halaqah one should attend. So you consult people, then you pray istikhaarah concerning the one that you think is more likely to be better. Similarly, you pray istikhaarah when you plan to propose marriage to a specific woman, or when deciding whether to do a naafil Hajj this year or next year, or when deciding about any matter in which there is hesitation (between choices). This is what is referred to by the words "He taught us to pray istikhaarah in all our affairs."
I need your advise on the following, please. What happens if two people who are planning to get married both read their Istikharaah namaaz and only the woman gets the message and not the man. This sister saw herself and her future husband as being happy and together and she feels that ALLAH is telling her that they are right for each other. But what if the man doesn't get any sign/feeling/dream whatsoever. What do they do then? And for how many days does one have to read this namaaz. Some people say for 3 days others say for 7.
Jazak Allah
The daleel (evidence) for Salaat al-Istikhaarah and the du'aa' to be recited is the report narrated by al-Bukhaari (1109) and others from Jaabir ibn 'Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with them both). For the commentary on this hadeeth and more details,
With regard to what some people say, "then he should go ahead with whatever he feels happy with", a hadeeth to this effect was narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) – narrated by Ibn al-Sunni – according to which he said, "If you are concerned about a matter, then make istikhaarah seven times, praying to your Lord, then see what you feel most drawn towards, and the good will be in that."
Al-Nawawi said: its isnaad is ghareeb, and it includes narrators whom I do not know. (al-Adhkaar, p. 132).
Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said: if this were proven, it could be taken as evidence, but its isnaad is very weak (waahin jiddan). (al-Fath, 11/223)
Al-Haafiz al-'Iraaqi said: it contains a narrator who is known to be da'eef jiddan (very weak), namely Ibraaheem ibn al-Baraa'.. Therefore the hadeeth is da'eef jiddan. (al-Futoohaat al-Rabbaaniyyah, 3/357)
The correct view is that when Allaah makes something easy for you – after having decreed it and accepted your du'aa' – this is a sign that it is good to go ahead and do it. The existence of obstacles and difficulties is an indication that Allaah is pushing His slave away from doing it. This meaning will be very clear when one ponders the meaning of the hadeeth of Jaabir concerning al-istikhaarah, where the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:"… O Allaah, if You know this affair – [and here he should mention it] – is good for me in relation to my religion, my life, and end, then decree and facilitate it for me, and bless me with it, and if You know this affair to be ill for me towards my religion, my life, and end, then remove it from me and remove me from it, and decree for me what is good wherever it be and make me satisfied with such."
Ibn 'Allaan – after transmitting the scholarly view that the hadeeth of Anas is da'eef (weak) – said: Therefore it was said: that after (doing istikhaarah) he should do what he wants (i.e., even if he does not feel that sense of being happy), because whatever happens after doing istikhaarah is good…
Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said: Al-Haafiz Zayn al-Deen al-'Iraaqi said (concerning doing something after praying istikhaarah): Whatever he does, there will be good in it. This is supported by what is said at the end of the hadeeth of Ibn Mas'ood according to some of its isnaads: 'Then let him make his decision.' I (Ibn Hajar) say: I have already discussed above and explained that its narrators (i.e., the narrators who added the phrase 'Then let him make his decision) are da'eef (weak). But this is still stronger than the narrator of that hadeeth (i.e., the hadeeth which says, 'then see what you feel most drawn towards'). (al-Futoohaat al-Rabaaniyyah, 3/355-357)
Another of the myths that are widespread among people is that after praying istikhaarah you should sleep, and whatever good you see in your dream that makes you happy means that what you want to do is good and will be made easy for you, otherwise it is not good. (This is what the questioner meant by saying "gets the message"). There is no saheeh daleel (evidence) for this as far as we know.
The above does not mean that if you feel happy it is not a sign, but this should not be regarded as the only sign about whether or not the matter is good. People often make istikhaarah about something they like or want to do, so they feel happy about it from the outset.
Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyah] (may Allaah have mercy on him) said concerning the matter of feeling happy about something: if he makes istakhaarah, then whatever Allaah makes him feel happy about and makes easy for him, this is what Allaah has chosen for him. (Majmoo' al-Fataawaa, 10/539).
There is a difference between making feeling happy the only sign and making it one of several signs. There is no set time period for salaat al-istikhaarah; it is permissible to repeat it more than once, but there is no limit to how many times. The person may offer the du'aa' before or after saying the salaam. And Allaah knows best.
Assalam-alai-kum,I was just going to ask wether looking up "Istikarrah" to get a dream when you sleep about a certain question is recommended and if so how many times should i do "Istikarrah" to be sure of what to decide on. Shukaran.
Praise be to Allaah.There is nothing wrong with repeating Istikhaarah if a person is still not sure what to do. Al-'Allaamah al-Mubaarakpoori said: "Is it liked (mustahabb) to repeat salaat and du'aa' about a particular issue if one is still confused as to whether it is right to do it or not do it? Al-'Iraaqi said: It seems to be something liked." (Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi, 2/593)
If a person performs Istikhaarah properly, according to Sharee'ah, then he should proceed with the intended action and not wait for a dream or whatever. Many people think that if a person performs Istikhaarah then sleeps straight afterwards, he will see the result in a dream, but this is not correct. A person may do that but not see anything at all in his dream.
For this reason the Muslim should be content with what Islaam has brought, and make a decision based on wisdom. He should consult knowledgeable and intelligent people whom he trusts, study the matter in depth and see which is the best course for him to take. If he decides to do a certain thing or is inclined towards a certain course of action, then he should pray Istikhaarah as it is prescribed in Islaam, then go ahead with the action, trusting that Allaah will choose what is best for him.
And Allaah knows best.
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