The Lawfulness of the Prayer of Istikharah
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Question:
This questioner from Jordan asks in his question: I request that you, O Noble Shaykh, please clarify the prayer of istikharah, and whether the fact that a person’s intention does not change, and the surrounding circumstances do not change, means that there is good for the person in this matter?
Answer:
Istikharah is prescribed when a person is about to do something in which he has hesitation. So he is about to get married… he is about to travel… he is about to engage in trade in certain things, and he hesitates. In this case, he seeks the choice of Allah, he prays two rak'ahs as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded him, then he supplicates to his Lord, he raises his hands and supplicates: He names it by its name, “O Allah, if You know that my marriage to so-and-so, the daughter of so-and-so, O Allah, if You know that my travel to such-and-such a country, and the like of that, he specifies the desired thing or he said: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 480Sahih (Darussalam) and he names it This is the supplication of istikharah.
And if he does not know this supplication; he supplicates with its meaning, he says: “O Allah, if this need contains good for me, if it contains benefit for me, and profit; then make it easy for me, and if it is otherwise; then turn it away from me, and turn me away from it.”
The point is: he supplicates with this meaning, with the supplication he knows, and the meaning he knows, and there is no harm, this is a recommended practice prescribed, after he says the taslim from the two rak'ahs.
And if he supplicates without prayer, or supplicates after the usual voluntary prayer, after the sunnah of the midday prayer, or the sunnah of the sunset prayer, or the sunnah of the night prayer, or otherwise; there is no harm, or he supplicates while sitting a normal supplication to his Lord, there is no harm. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
This questioner from Jordan asks in his question: I request that you, O Noble Shaykh, please clarify the prayer of istikharah, and whether the fact that a person’s intention does not change, and the surrounding circumstances do not change, means that there is good for the person in this matter?
Answer:
Istikharah is prescribed when a person is about to do something in which he has hesitation. So he is about to get married… he is about to travel… he is about to engage in trade in certain things, and he hesitates. In this case, he seeks the choice of Allah, he prays two rak'ahs as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded him, then he supplicates to his Lord, he raises his hands and supplicates:
O Allah, I seek Your guidance by Your knowledge, and I seek Your power by Your might, and I ask You of Your immense bounty. For You know and I do not know, and You have power and I do not have power, and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah, if You know that this matter
اللهم إني أستخيرك بعلمك، وأستقدرك بقدرتك، وأسألك من فضلك العظيم، فإنك تعلم ولا أعلم، وتقدر ولا أقدر، وأنت علام الغيوب، اللهم إن كنت تعلم أن هذا الأمرgood for me in my religion and my worldly life, and the outcome of my affair
خير لي في ديني ودنياي، وعاقبة أمريfor my present and future - then make it easy for me, then bless me in it. If You know that this matter
عاجل أمري وآجله فاقدره لي، ثم بارك لي فيه، وإن كنت تعلم أن هذا الأمرis bad for me in my religion and my worldly life, and the outcome of my affair, then turn it away from me and turn me away from it, and decree for me the good wherever it may be, then make me content with it
شر لي في ديني ودنياي وعاقبة أمري فاصرفه عني واصرفني عنه وقدر لي الخير حيث كان ثم أرضني بهAnd if he does not know this supplication; he supplicates with its meaning, he says: “O Allah, if this need contains good for me, if it contains benefit for me, and profit; then make it easy for me, and if it is otherwise; then turn it away from me, and turn me away from it.”
The point is: he supplicates with this meaning, with the supplication he knows, and the meaning he knows, and there is no harm, this is a recommended practice prescribed, after he says the taslim from the two rak'ahs.
And if he supplicates without prayer, or supplicates after the usual voluntary prayer, after the sunnah of the midday prayer, or the sunnah of the sunset prayer, or the sunnah of the night prayer, or otherwise; there is no harm, or he supplicates while sitting a normal supplication to his Lord, there is no harm. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.