On the du'a' of istikharah: “O Allah, if You know…” Is there any doubt in Allah’s knowledge in this?

The questioner : One. That is to say. And is this settled? But with Allah’s permission. What Allah willed.

The Shaykh : Be patient, be patient. This is a great, complex problem, O Hidayat Allah. He says: The one making istikharah says, “If You know…” Is this doubt? We say: No, my brother, because it is not doubt. “If You know that it is good, or if You know that it is evil.”

The questioner : That is to say, the doubt is in…

The Shaykh : It is not doubt. “If You know that it is good, and if You know that it is evil,” for Allah knows one of the two matters.

The questioner : We, that is to say…

The Shaykh : No, we do not know, but the statement is about Allah. In your knowledge, you do not know, but you are not saying only “If You know.” You are saying, “If You know that it is good, and if You know that it is evil.” And Allah certainly knows one of the two matters: He knows whether it is good for you or evil. So you say, “If You know that it is good, then decree it for me. If You know that it is evil, then turn it away from me.” Is that clear?

The questioner : All right.

The Shaykh : He is asking. He has a question, yes.

The questioner : Like a surah from the Qur'an.

The Shaykh : Yes, indeed. He teaches us istikharah just as He teaches us the evil eye. From the Qur'an, that is to say, He cares about this.