How to do Istikhara

What is Salat ul Istikhara?                                                                 

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 permiss

ible alternatives, e.g. a career choice, getting married, etc 

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.”

How does one pray Salat ul Istikhara?

Salatul Istikharah is a sunnah  of the Prophet (s).   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 (Peace Be Upon Him) and recites the following supplication which has been recorded by al-Bukhari in Jabir’s hadith (see full text below):

“The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) 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 the person reciting the du’a should mention the matter for which he is seeking Allah’s Guidance) 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.”

What happens after one prays Salat ul Istikhara?

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.

Please remember that the core of being a Muslim is to put your absolute trust in Allah.  Accordingly, once you perform the prayer of Istikharak, you need to follow the guidance of Allah whether it means pursuing or abandoning the intended undertaking.

Allah also says:

 “And He provides for him from (sources) he never could imagine. And if any one puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is (Allah) for him. For Allah will surely accomplish his purpose: verily, for all things has Allah appointed a due proportion.” (Qur’an 65:3)

Common Questions and Answers about Istikhara

1. What matters can one seek guidance from Istikhara and what matters are best dealt with the use of the intellect and not Istikhara?

Praise be to Allaah.

It is not correct to divide matters, when deciding whether it is permissible to pray istikhaarah regarding them, into the two categories of matters which are subject to rational thinking, in which one should not pray istikhaarah, and matters that are not subject to rational thinking, concerning which one may pray istikhaarah.

Rather what is prescribed in all cases – both major and minor – is to use one’s intellect and wisdom, and to study the options and available means. If a person is hesitant about some matter or it is not clear which choice is the correct choice on the basis of shar‘i evidence, if it is a shar‘i matter, or the basis of rational proof or proof based on experience, and so on, according to the nature of the matter in question – if he is uncertain and it is not clear based on whatever evidence is appropriate in that case, then he should delegate his affairs to Allah, asking Him for guidance and declaring his helplessness before Him, and pray istikhaarah, which is a supplication to Allah, asking Him for guidance and success after examining the available options on a rational basis.

Istikhaarah does not cancel out rational thinking or examining one’s circumstances; rather it is complementary to that.

3. What are common misconceptions about Salat Istikhara?

Misconception #1:

Some people think that the istikhârah prayer is only prescribed when a person has to decide between two options. People arrive at this misunderstanding since the word “istikhârah” literally means “to seek (someone else’s) decision on a matter”. Some people jump to the conclusion that this means that they must be in a situation where they have to decide between two things.

Therefore, the istikhârah prayer is prescribed for us whenever we have a concern to embark upon a course of action but have not yet developed a firm and unwavering resolve to do so. Even if it is a single course of action with no alternative option open to us, we still have the choice between undertaking that course of action or not undertaking it. We should offer the istikhârah prayer.

On the other hand, if there are multiple options open to us, we should first consult with knowledgeable people we trust as to which course of action is best for us. Then we should pinpoint the course that appears to be the best to us and offer the istikhârah prayer about that choice, seeking Allah’s decision on the matter.

Misconception #2:

Some people think that the istikhârah prayer is prescribed only for a limit set of actions, like marriage and travel. Others feel that the prayer is only for actions of paramount importance, and not for everyday decisions. Both of these ideas are wrong. This misconception leads people to avoid praying the istikhârah prayer on many occasions where it would benefit them to do so. The prayer is prescribed for all of our decisions.

The narrator of the hadîth tells us: “He used to teach us the istikhârah prayer for all of our concerns…” This is general for all decisions, major and minor.

Misconception #3:

There is an idea that the istikhârah prayer requires the offering of two units of formal prayer exclusively with the intention istikhârah. This is really not a misconception, since there is legitimate scholarly disagreement on this issue. Nevertheless, I would still strongly argue that such a restriction is incorrect, because the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “…offer two units of prayer other than the obligatory prayer.” This is general for all non-obligatory prayers, including the two-units we observe upon entering the mosque or after performing ablutions, and the two-unit Sunnah prayers we offer along with our obligatory prayers.

This means that we can beseech Allah with the istikhârah supplication after any two-unit voluntary prayer we make, whatever our initial intention was to offer that two-unit prayer. In this way, we can get the benefit of two acts of worship together, by intending a certain voluntary prayer and then offering the istikhârah supplication after it.

Misconception #4:

Some people assume that it is essential to experience some sort of resolve in the heart after performing the istikhârah prayer. There is no evidence to support this assumption. In fact, the istikhârah supplication belies this idea:

O Allah! I seek Your decision through Your knowledge and your facilitation through your power and I ask You of Your tremendous grace. For indeed, You are capable while I am not, and You know while I know not, and You are the Knower of the Unseen. O Allah! If you know this affair to be best for me in my religion, my livelihood, and in the final outcome (or: in my immediate life and my future one), then decree it for me and facilitate it for me and then bless me in it. And if You know this affair to be worse for me in my religion, my livelihood, and in the final outcome (or: in my immediate life and my future one), then turn it away from me and turn me away from it and decree for me what is good, wherever it may be, and then cause me to be contented with it.

If we consider what we are asking Allah in our istikhârah supplication, we are really leaving the decision in His hands. Whether or not we feel comfortable or happy with the course of action, we are asking Allah to bring it about for us if He knows it to be best for us and to keep it away from us if He knows it to be in our best interests not to be involved in it.

Allah says: “It is possible that you dislike a thing that is good for you, and that you love a thing that is bad for you. But Allah knows, and you know not. ” [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 216]

The assumption that some people have that the istikhârah prayer is supposed to manifest a sign or resolve in our hearts about the course of action has led to no end of confusion. They repeat their istikhârah prayers over and over again waiting to experience this resolve. When they do not experience it, their sense of confusion only increases. This is unfortunate, since the istikhârah prayer is supposed to help us shrug off our confusion by putting the matter in Allah’s hands.

Source: Zakir Naik