Ṣalāt al-Istikhārah : Prayer for Seeking Good

Prayer for Seeking Good ‫صلوة االستخارة‬

ِ‫ حَدَّثَنَا عَبِدُ الرَّحِمَهِ بِهُ أَبِي ا مَلْوَالِي عَهْ مُحَمَّدِ بِهِ الْمُنْكَدِرِ عَهْ جَابِرٍ بِه‬:َ‫حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيِبَةُ قَال‬
‫ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيِهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُعَلِّمُنَا الِاسِتِخَارَةَ فِي‬:َ‫عَبِدِ اللَّهِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا قَال‬
ِ‫لُ إِذَا هَمَّ أَحَدُكُمِ بِالْأَمِرِ فَ يَلْرْكَعِ رَكْعَتَيِه‬: ‫الْأُمُورِ كُلِّهَا كَمَا يُعَلِّمُنَا السُّورَةَ مِهَ الْقُرْآنِ يَقُو‬
:ْ‫مِهْ غَيِرِ الْفَرِيضَةِ ثُمَّ لِيَقُل‬

‫َا ْس ُه ِخ َا َالآ َأ ْسق ِخ ُه َا َا ْس َال ُهي‬
‫َا َا َا ِخش َا َا قِخ َاب ِخة‬
‫َا ْس َال ُهي َأ َّلن َاه َاذ ْسلآ َأ ْس َاي‬
‫َا ْسص ِخي ْس ِخن َا ْسن ُه‬
‫َاالَّل ُه َّلي ِإِخ ِّن َأ ْس َا ِخ ُهي َا ِخ ِخ ْسل ِخ َا َا َأ ْس َا ْس ِخ ُه َا ِخ ُه ْس َا ِخ َا َا َأ ْس َأاُه َا ِخ ْس َا ْس لِخ َا اْس َا ِخ ِخي َا ِإِخ َّل َا‬
‫ َاالَّل ُه َّلي ِإِخ ْسن كُه ْسن َا َا ْس َال ُهي َأ َّلن َاه َاذ ْسلآ َأ ْس َاي َاخ ْس ٌي اِّن ِخ ِخدينِخ‬.‫َا َالآ َأ ْس َال ُهي َا َأ ْس َا َا َّل ُها ُهْسا ُه ِخو‬
‫َأ ْس يِخي ( َأ ْس َاق َاا َا ِخا ِخ َأ ْس يِخي َا ِخالِخ ِخ) َا ْسق ُه ْس ُه اِخ َا َاي ِّن ْسي ُه اِخ ُه َّلي َا ِخ ْس ـ ِخاي ِخ ِخ َا ِإِخ ْسن كُه ْسن َا‬
‫شَا ٌّي اِّن ِخ ِخدينِخ َا َا َا ِخش َا َا قِخ َاب ِخة َأ ْس يِخي ( َأ ْس َاق َاا ِخ َا ِخا ِخ َأ ْس يِخي َا ِخالِخ ِخ) َا ْسص ِخي ْس ُه َا ِّنن‬
. ‫َا ْسق ُه ْس ـ ِخا َاي اْس َا ْس َاي َاح ْس ُهث َاك َان ُه َّلي َأ ْس ِخضنِخ‬

. ‫ َا ُهي َا ِّن َاح َاا َا ُه‬:َ‫قَال‬

‫هكذ ى صح ح اب ي‬
It is related to us by Qutaybah , who said:

It was related to us by ʿAbdurraḥmān ibn Abu’l-Mawālī from Muḥammad ibn al-Munkadir from Jābir
ibn ʿAbdullāh , who said:

"The Messenger of Allah  used to teach us the istikhārah (seeking the good) in all matters, as he
would teach us a chapter of the Qur’ān. He said, 'When any of you intends to do something, he
should pray two units (of prayer) outside the obligatory prayer and then say:

'O Allah, I ask You for the best according to Your knowledge and I ask You for strength through
Your power and I ask You for some of Your immense bounty; You have power but I do not have
power, You know and I do not know, You are the Knower of the Unseen. O Allah, if You know that
this matter is good for me in my religion and in my livelihood and in the conclusion of my affair (or
he said, 'my affair sooner and later'), then decree it for me and make it easy for me and then bless
me in it. If You know that this matter is bad for me in my religion and in my livelihood in the
conclusion of my affair (or he said, 'my affair sooner and later'), then turn it away from me and turn
me from it and decree something better for me wherever it may lie and make me content with it.'

©Ṭāhir Maḥmood Kiānī (tmkiani) 2010

 Ṣalāt al-Istikhārah : Prayer for Seeking Good

He said, 'Then he should name the thing he wants to do.'" (Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ
al-Bukhārī)

Method of Performing Istikhārah

The prayer of istikhārah can be performed at any time of the day or night, but it is best
performed after ʿishā’ prayer, so that he/she can go to sleep immediately after its
completion.

The one performing istikhārah ought to take a shower, or bathe according to sunnah
method, and don fresh clothes. He/she then offers two units of supererogatory prayer, with
the intention of istikhārah, adding Sūrat al-Kāfirūn to the Sūrat al-Fātiḥah in the first unit, and
adding Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ to it in the second. Once this prayer is complete, the worshipper
supplicates using the following words:

‫َاالَّل ُه َّلي ِإِخ ِّن َأ ْس َا ِخ ُهي َا ِخ ِخ ْسل ِخ َا َا َأ ْس َا ْس ِخ ُه َا ِخ ُه ْس َا ِخ َا َا َأ ْس َأاُه َا ِخ ْس َا ْس لِخ َا َا ْساِخ ِخي َا ِإِخ َّل َا َا ْس ِخ ُه َا َالآ َأ ْسق ِخ ُه َا َا ْس َال ُهي‬
‫ َاالَّل ُه َّلي ِإِخ ْسن كُه ْسن َا َا ْس َال ُهي َأ َّلن َاه َاذ ْسلآ َأ ْس َاي َاخ ْس ٌي اِّن ِخ ِخدينِخ َا َا َا ِخش َا َا قِخ َاب ِخة‬.‫َا َالآ َأ ْس َال ُهي َا َأ ْس َا َا َّل ُها اْس ُه ُه ِخو‬
‫َأ ْس يِخي َأ ْس َا ِخا ِخ َأ ْس يِخي َا ِخالِخ ِخ َا ْسق ُه ْس ُه اِخ َاي ِّن ْسي ُه اِخ ُه َّلي َا ِخ ْس اِخـ ِخ ِخ َا ِإِخ ْسن كُه ْسن َا َا ْس َال ُهي َأ َّلن َاه َاذ ْسلآ َأ ْس َاي شَا ٌّي اِّن‬
‫ِخ ِخدينِخ َا َا َا ِخش َا َا قِخ َاب ِخة َأ ْس يِخي َأ ْس ِخ َا ِخا ِخ َأ ْس يِخي َا ِخالِخ ِخ َا ْسص ِخي ْس ُه َا ِّنن َا ْسص ِخي ْسنِخ َا ْسن ُه َا ْسق ُهاِخ ْسـ َا اْس َا ْس َاي‬
. ‫َاح ْس ُهث َاك َان ُه َّلي َأ ْس ِخضنِخ‬
'O Allah, I ask You for the best according to Your knowledge and I ask You for strength through
Your power and I ask You for some of Your immense bounty; You have power but I do not have
power, You know and I do not know, You are the Knower of the Unseen. O Allah, if You know that
this matter [ mention the matter in question ] is good for me in my religion and in my livelihood and in
the conclusion of my affair or in my affair sooner and later, then decree it for me and make it easy
for me and then bless me in it. If You know that this matter is bad for me in my religion and in my
livelihood in the conclusion of my affair or in my affair sooner and later, then turn it away from me
and turn me from it and decree something better for me wherever it may lie and make me content
with it.'

One then ought to sleep facing the qiblah, anticipating a sign from Allah  in his dream, or the
following day. If one sees whiteness or greenness, the sign is positive, whereas red and black denote
the negative. If there is no sign or it is vague, then the strongest inclination of belief would be the
result.

One may perform istikhārah on any day and no particular day is specified for this purpose, but it is
preferable to do so on a Thursday, i.e. the night prior to Friday. This method of istikhārah may
continue for up to seven nights, if one does not observe a clear sign before then. During this time,
making dhikr of Allah  and sending salutations and blessings in abundance upon the Beloved
Messenger Muḥammad  is highly recommended.

©Ṭāhir Maḥmood Kiānī (tmkiani) 2010