What is the prayer of istikharah?
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The question: He also has a question in which he asks: What is the prayer of istikharah?
The answer: The prayer of istikharah is two rak'ahs. If a person intends to do something about which he is uncertain and does not know what is best, he should look into the matter and reflect on it. If it becomes clear to him that it is a suitable and beneficial matter, and he has no doubt about it, then there is no need for istikharah. However, if he remains hesitant, has resolved to do this matter, and fears that the outcome may not be good, he should pray two rak'ahs and then seek the choice of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) thereafter. This is because a person does not know what lies behind the matter he is seeking, whether it is marriage to a specific woman, buying land, or traveling to such and such. So, if he resolves to do something of this kind or similar, and the matter is ambiguous to him—whether it is suitable or not, and whether it is better to do it or not to do it—he prays two rak'ahs and then seeks the choice of his Lord. He says: "O Allah, I seek Your choice through Your knowledge, and I seek Your power through Your ability, and I ask You of Your great 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—and he names it specifically, meaning my travel to such and such, my marriage to so-and-so, my dealing with so-and-so, buying such and such land, or developing such and such land, or the like—O Allah, if You know that this matter is good for me in my religion, my worldly life, my livelihood, and the outcome of my affair, then decree it for me and then bless it for me. And if You know that this matter is evil for me in my religion, my worldly life, my livelihood, 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, and then make me content with it."
This is the legislated istikharah, where one entrusts the matter to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and asks Him what is best, meaning to expand his chest for what is best. Yes.
Then he consults afterwards. It is the Sunnah for him to consult his loved ones and those he trusts, asking them about this matter whether he should proceed with it or not. If his chest expands after the istikharah and the consultation, he proceeds. If his chest does not expand, he leaves it. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
The answer: The prayer of istikharah is two rak'ahs. If a person intends to do something about which he is uncertain and does not know what is best, he should look into the matter and reflect on it. If it becomes clear to him that it is a suitable and beneficial matter, and he has no doubt about it, then there is no need for istikharah. However, if he remains hesitant, has resolved to do this matter, and fears that the outcome may not be good, he should pray two rak'ahs and then seek the choice of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) thereafter. This is because a person does not know what lies behind the matter he is seeking, whether it is marriage to a specific woman, buying land, or traveling to such and such. So, if he resolves to do something of this kind or similar, and the matter is ambiguous to him—whether it is suitable or not, and whether it is better to do it or not to do it—he prays two rak'ahs and then seeks the choice of his Lord. He says: "O Allah, I seek Your choice through Your knowledge, and I seek Your power through Your ability, and I ask You of Your great 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—and he names it specifically, meaning my travel to such and such, my marriage to so-and-so, my dealing with so-and-so, buying such and such land, or developing such and such land, or the like—O Allah, if You know that this matter is good for me in my religion, my worldly life, my livelihood, and the outcome of my affair, then decree it for me and then bless it for me. And if You know that this matter is evil for me in my religion, my worldly life, my livelihood, 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, and then make me content with it."
This is the legislated istikharah, where one entrusts the matter to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and asks Him what is best, meaning to expand his chest for what is best. Yes.
Then he consults afterwards. It is the Sunnah for him to consult his loved ones and those he trusts, asking them about this matter whether he should proceed with it or not. If his chest expands after the istikharah and the consultation, he proceeds. If his chest does not expand, he leaves it. 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.