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In the name of Allah, the Gracious the Merciful
Istikharaah
The Guidance Prayer
We are humans, powerless in this sphere of life,
knowledgeable only enough to survive. So why shouldn't
we turn to Allah and seek His perfect help whenever we
require it? Allah responds to the call of His servant
when he asks for guidance, and we are after all seeking
to do something in order to please Him.
Istikharaah means to ask Allah to guide you to the path
best for you concerning an affair with two halal
options. In matters that are waajib (obligatory),
haraam (forbidden) or makrooh (disliked) there is no
need to pray Istikharaah. Salaat-ul-Istikharaah should
only be used for matters that are mubaah (allowed) or
in matters that are mustahabb (liked or encouraged), in
which there is a decision to be made as to which one
should be given priority (i.e. get married or go to
grad school).
Many wrong notions exist concerning istikharaah. Many
Muslims will pray, read the du'a, and run to bed
expecting to see a dream showing them their future
wife, what her favourite colour is, and some other
weird fantasy. That is not the purpose of this salaat.
The results of an istikharaah can take many forms.
Basically, you go by your feelings, whether you now
feel more favourable or not. Also, you may notice
events have changed, either for or against you. Note
that you must follow the results of an istikharaah,
because not doing so is tantamount to rejecting Allah's
guidance once you've asked for it. Also, you should
firstly clear your mind, not have your mind already
decided, and then afterwards follow the results
willingly.
It is a sunnah that, if one must choose between
permissible alternaratives, one may pray two
non-obligatory rak'at, even if they are of the sunnah
prayers or a prayer for entering the mosque, and so on,
during any time of the day or night, and to recite
therein whatever one wishes of the Qur'aan after
reciting al-Fatihah. Then one praises Allah and sends
salutations to the Prophet
 and
recites the supplication in the Hadith below.
The description of Salaat-ul-Istikharah was narrated by
Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allah al-Salami (may Allah be pleased
with him) who said:
“The Messenger of Allah
used
to teach his companions to make istikharaah in all
things, just as he used to teach them surahs 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 Allah, 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 Allah, 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.”
The Prophet,
,
added that then the person should mention his need."
[Sahih Bukhari]
Salaat-ul-Istikharaah is just two rakats of a
non-obligatory prayer, prayed at anytime during the
day, with a specific dua at the end. While reciting the
dua, you should be thinking about the situation you
want to be advised about with pure intentions and from
the bottom of your heart. And Allah says that whenever
he guides a heart aright it can never be misguided.
Afterwards, you should “have a good feeling” about one
of your options. Whatever option you feel is best right
after you say the dua should be your decision. If
you’re still in doubt, you can repeat.
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." Some people mistakenly wait for
a dream to give a clear sign as to what decision to
make, but this is not true, and often times it never
really happens. In fact, dreams may lead you away from
what Allah wants you to do, as Shaytaan might try to
deceive you in your dreams.
Salat-ul-Istikharaah is for everybody. It’s a way for
all of us to implore Allah for divine guidance and
mercy. It is yet another invaluable resource from Allah
to keep us on the straight and narrow Siraat al-Mustaqeem.
The Prophet
told
all Muslims about Istikharaah, not just the scholars.
Despite this gift, too many of us take the advice of
our friends and parents, or accept the norms of our
society and act without ever wondering what Allah wants
us to do. We must stop looking to the dunya for
guidance. We must begin to consult Allah.
I
cannot provide a better conclusion than saying that you
must put your trust in Allah. You must have trust in
His concern for us, and His ability to help us. Allah
says:
"Put your trust in Allâh, certainly, Allâh loves those
who put their trust (in Him)."
[Surah Surah Al-Imran Ayah
159] |