Salat al-Istikhaara (), which translates as Prayer of Seeking Counsel, is a prayer recited by Muslims who seek guidance from God when facing a decision in their life. The prayer, known as salah in Arabic, is performed in two units of prayer or raka'ah followed by the supplication of Salat al-Istikhaara. It was revealed as a permissible substitute of belomancy and augury, which is haram in Islam, and was common in pre-Islamic Arabia.
In Quran
Historical example After the death of Muhammad, the method of digging his grave was selected through istikhara. Ibn Majah 1557, Ahmad 12007 During the reign of Yazid ibn Muawiyah, Ibn Jubayr decided to rebuild the Kaaba after three days of istikhara.Sahih Muslim 3115 (Islamic Foundation Bangladesh) Following the instructions of Caliph Umar (ra), Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf spent three days after Umar's passing engaged in prayer, supplication, and seeking divine guidance (Istikhara), while also consulting with men of wisdom to select the next Caliph.
Al-Miswar ibn Makhrama wrote to Hussain when he departed for Iraq that: "Be warned! Do not be deceived by the letters of the people of Iraq and the words of Ibn al-Zubayr that ‘You join them, they will help you’. Do not leave Mecca. Because if they really need you, they will come to you on camels until they reach you. Then you will be able to go out with strength and equipment. Hussain prayed for his well-being and said: I am doing Istikhara (asking Allah for His good) in this matter.Bidaya Wan-Nihaya Vol-8, Page:234
Imam Ahmad said: Ibrahim bin Khalid narrated to us, Umar bin Abdur Rahman narrated to us, I heard Wahb bin Munabbih say: Dawud (peace be upon him) said: O my Lord, who is the most beloved of Your servants to You? He said: The believer whose appearance is beautiful and whose deeds are good. He said: O my Lord, who is the most hated of Your servants to You? He said: The disbeliever whose appearance is beautiful; he disbelieves and he thanks you - these two (Abu Nuaim narrated this in Hilyatul Awliya' (4/55); and his narration is: "He disbelieves and he thanks you"). In a narration narrated by Ahmad bin Hanbal, it is stated: Who is the most hated of Your servants to You? He said: The disbeliever whose appearance is beautiful; he disbelieves and he thanks you. He said: That servant made Istikharah to me regarding something and was not satisfied with what I chose for him.Abu Nuaim narrated this in 'Hilyatul Awliya' (4/54)
Ibn Taymiyyah prayed Istikhara for Ghazan Khan: "O Allah! If You know that Ghazan is fighting to uphold Your Word and to strive in Your way, then help him. And if his aim is only to gain worldly power and wealth, then reward him accordingly."
Description of the prayer The description of Salat al-Istikhaara which translates to "Prayer of Seeking Counsel" was narrated by the well known disciple of Muhammad, Jabir ibn ‘Abd-Allah al-Salami, who said:Sahih Bukhari, Book 19, Chapter 25, Hadith 1162
The Messenger of Allah used to teach his companions to seek counsel from Allah (Istikhaara) in all things, just as he used to teach them chapters from the Qur'an. He said:
'If any one of you is concerned about a decision he has to make or wants to take an action then let him pray two units raka'ah of voluntary salah prayer and say: Pronunciation: Allah-humma inni astakhiruka bi-ilmika wa astakdiruka bi-qudratika wa asaluka min fazbalikal azeem, faynaka taqdiru wala aqdiru wata'lamu wala a'lamu wa anta Allah-mul ghayub. Allah-humma in kunta ta'alamu anna ha-zal amar ( ) khairul li fi deeni wa maashi wa aqibati amri wa a-jilihi wa a'-jilih, faqdurhu li, wa yassirhu li, summa ba-rik li fih. oya in kunta ta'lamu anna ha-jal amra sharrun lee fee dini, wa ma'ay-shi oya 'ay-kkibati amri, fasrifahu 'anni wasrifni 'anhu, wakdur lial-khair. hysu ka-na, summa ardwini bih.
"O Allah, I seek Your counsel through Your knowledge and I seek Your assistance through Your might and I ask You from Your immense favour, for verily You alone decree our fate while I do not, and You know while I do not, and You alone possess all knowledge of the Unseen. O Allah, if You know this matter ( mention matter here ) to be good for me in relation to my religion, my life and livelihood and the end of my affairs, my present and future, then decree it for me and facilitate it for me, and then place blessing for me within it, and if You know this affair to be harmful for me concerning my religion, my life and livelihood and the end of my affairs, then remove it from me and remove me from it, and decree for me what is good, wherever it may be, and make me content with it."'
in Al-Musnad. An-Nasa’i added in the supplication: (وأسألك الرضى بعد القضاء, wa'as'aluk alridaa baed alqada') “…and I ask You for contentment after the decree comes to pass.”
Another translation is as follows:Reported by al-Bukhaari, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nisaa'i, Abu Dawood, Ibn Maajah, and Ahmad 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 the hereafter, 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.
Umar told this quote as supplication of Istikhara,
Al-Bayhaqi and others narrated on the authority of Anas, may God be pleased with him, who said: The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, never set out on a journey without saying, when he stood up from his sitting: “O God, with You I have spread out, to You I have turned, in You I have sought refuge, and upon You I have relied. O God, You are my trust, and You are my hope. O God, suffice me in what concerns me and what I do not care about, and what You know better than I do. Your protection is mighty, Your praise is sublime, and there is no god but You. O God, provide me with piety, forgive me my sins, and guide me to good wherever I turn.” Then he would go out. Istikhara in marriage There is a Sunnah regarding Istikhara in such matters. In a Hadith recorded by Ibn Hibban, the Prophet (ﷺ) first instructed to keep the marriage proposal secret and to perform Istikhara.
If any man or woman wishes to perform Istikhara for an engagement (i.e., marriage), they should also seek consultation (istishara) and adopt the necessary practical measures, as found in the Hadith of Fatima bint Qais:
Conditions of the prayer Istikhara salat is prayed in case of seeking counsel about a matter, whereas either the action is worthy for oneself or the person is worthy of the action, as Zaynab bint Jahsh prayed istikhara at the marriage proposal from Muhammad, to ascertain whether she herself was worthy for him, as scholars explain.
One must wash themselves ahead of the Salat al-Istikharah, in the same manner as one would do when entering into any salah.
Ibn Hajr said, commenting on this hadith: "Istikharah is a word which means asking Allah to help one make a choice, meaning choosing the best of two things where one needs to choose one of them."
With the salaa completed one should immediately say the supplication of Istikhaara.
Istikhaara is done when a decision is to be made in matters which are neither obligatory nor prohibited. So one does not need to seek counsel from Allah for deciding whether he should go for hajj or not. Because if he is financially and physically able to do it then hajj is obligatory and he does not have a choice. But seeking counsel from Allah (Istikhaara) can be done in all kind of other permissible matters where a choice needs to be made such as buying something, taking a job, or choosing a spouse etc.
It is recorded in hadith that Muhammad used to teach his disciples to seek counsel from Allah (Istikhaara) for every matter just as he used to teach them the Sürah from the Qur'an.Sahih Al Bukhari, Book 97, Chapter 10, Hadith no. 7390 Scholars said that istikhara salat is any of two rakah prayers outside fard salat (The obligatory prayer), either it is sunnah or nafl, and during menstruation, women can pray the supplication without prayer and also one can perform this salat in forbidden time in case of emergency.
Range It is recommended for all acts except the fard and the haram, and the scholars have forbidden any act to be considered unnecessary for Istikhara, because even a small matter can have important consequences, and even a small matter can cause harm. Because Muhammad said take the Lord's advice even in the matter of tying shoelaces. Istikhara is also prescribed for taking Islamic political decisions where the solution can not be found in Quran and hadith clearly. Tahir ibn Husayn advised to his son Abdallah ibn Tahir after he had become a governor of Diyar Rabi'a:
Language The original Arabic text is below, followed by transliteration using Latin characters.
Allahumma innee astakheeruka bi ilmika wa-astaqdiruka biqudratika wa-as'aluka min fadhlika al-adheem. Fa innaka taqdiru walaa aqdiru. Wa ta'lamu walaa a'lamu wa anta 'alamul ghuyoob. Allahumma in kunta ta'lamu anna haadhal-amra (mention your concern) khayrun liy fiy deeniy wa-ma'aashiy wa-'aaqibati amriy, faqdur hu liy wa-'yassir hu- liy thumma baarik liy feehi. Wa in-kunta ta'lamu anna haadhal amra sharrun liy fiy deeniy wa-ma'aashiy wa-'aaqibati amriy. Fa-srifhu 'annee wa-srifni 'anhu. Wa aqdur lial khayra haythu kaana thumma a-rdhiniy biheeSahih Bukhari, Book 19, Chapter 25, Hadith 1162
Istishara Istishara (Arabic: الاستشارة) literally means seeking counsel or consultation. In Islamic practice, it refers to consulting a trustworthy and knowledgeable person before or after making a decision. Allah commands consultation in the Quran:
"And consult them in the matter" — Quran 3:159
Muhammad himself regularly consulted his companions in important matters, demonstrating that seeking human wisdom alongside divine guidance is encouraged in Islam.
Repetition