What are the matters for which istikharah is prescribed?
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Question:
Our sister asks and says: In what cases is istikharah performed? Is it when a person is about to undertake a matter, hoping that Allah will choose what is good for him in that matter, or is istikharah performed when a person is in doubt about his matter?
Answer:
Istikharah is performed in cases of doubt and confusion, either regarding the intended goal itself, or regarding the path to it and the means to it.
As for a matter that is known to be an act of drawing near to Allah, or an act of obedience, or that it is permissible and there is no doubt regarding the path to it, there is no need for istikharah. One does not perform istikharah on how to pray, nor on how to fast in Ramadan, nor on how to perform Hajj, nor on how to be dutiful to his parents. All these are known, prescribed matters. Likewise, one does not perform istikharah on eating dates, or eating rice, or eating what Allah has made permissible from animals that one knows are permissible.
So istikharah is for doubtful matters, such as a woman one is courting, where it is doubtful whether it is appropriate to court her or not; one performs istikharah. Or a journey to one of the countries, where one performs istikharah on whether it is a suitable and beneficial journey or not. Or regarding the route to Hajj, whether this route is better or that route is better, because some involve fear, some are not suitable, or some have little water; so one performs istikharah on the means to Hajj because it is doubtful, or similar matters that are doubtful.
As for matters that are clearly acts of drawing near to Allah, or that are permissible, and there is no doubt in them or in the path to them, there is no need for istikharah, and istikharah is not prescribed for them. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good. When a person performs istikharah, Your Eminence, and it appears to him that his istikharah was not successful, how do you explain this?
The Shaykh: He repeats the istikharah, he repeats it, and he consults people of opinion, people of love, and people of good. He consults them after the istikharah, and whenever his chest opens up to something, he does it, after the istikharah and after the consultation.
The presenter: But if the matter is carried out and it becomes clear to him that it was not successful?
The Shaykh: Praise be to Allah, this is one of the calamities. You say: "Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we return." Praise be to Allah. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good. So istikharah has no role in this?
The Shaykh: Yes, istikharah has no role in this. Yes, if he did what was required, what may happen does not harm him. Or if he did what Allah prescribed that does not require istikharah, or what Allah made permissible and something happened to him, this is one of the calamities. He says: "Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we return." And if it requires treatment, he treats it and takes the medicines. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Our sister asks and says: In what cases is istikharah performed? Is it when a person is about to undertake a matter, hoping that Allah will choose what is good for him in that matter, or is istikharah performed when a person is in doubt about his matter?
Answer:
Istikharah is performed in cases of doubt and confusion, either regarding the intended goal itself, or regarding the path to it and the means to it.
As for a matter that is known to be an act of drawing near to Allah, or an act of obedience, or that it is permissible and there is no doubt regarding the path to it, there is no need for istikharah. One does not perform istikharah on how to pray, nor on how to fast in Ramadan, nor on how to perform Hajj, nor on how to be dutiful to his parents. All these are known, prescribed matters. Likewise, one does not perform istikharah on eating dates, or eating rice, or eating what Allah has made permissible from animals that one knows are permissible.
So istikharah is for doubtful matters, such as a woman one is courting, where it is doubtful whether it is appropriate to court her or not; one performs istikharah. Or a journey to one of the countries, where one performs istikharah on whether it is a suitable and beneficial journey or not. Or regarding the route to Hajj, whether this route is better or that route is better, because some involve fear, some are not suitable, or some have little water; so one performs istikharah on the means to Hajj because it is doubtful, or similar matters that are doubtful.
As for matters that are clearly acts of drawing near to Allah, or that are permissible, and there is no doubt in them or in the path to them, there is no need for istikharah, and istikharah is not prescribed for them. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good. When a person performs istikharah, Your Eminence, and it appears to him that his istikharah was not successful, how do you explain this?
The Shaykh: He repeats the istikharah, he repeats it, and he consults people of opinion, people of love, and people of good. He consults them after the istikharah, and whenever his chest opens up to something, he does it, after the istikharah and after the consultation.
The presenter: But if the matter is carried out and it becomes clear to him that it was not successful?
The Shaykh: Praise be to Allah, this is one of the calamities. You say: "Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we return." Praise be to Allah. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good. So istikharah has no role in this?
The Shaykh: Yes, istikharah has no role in this. Yes, if he did what was required, what may happen does not harm him. Or if he did what Allah prescribed that does not require istikharah, or what Allah made permissible and something happened to him, this is one of the calamities. He says: "Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we return." And if it requires treatment, he treats it and takes the medicines. 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.