Arabian Tongue Institute Blog (How to Perform the Istikhara Prayer)

How to Perform the Istikhara Prayer

Istikhara prayer is prescribed because a believer comes across numerous choices in their lifes that leaves them puzzled and uncertain about which choice to make. This may lead them to be unable to make a decision due to fear of making the wrong choice. Therefore Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) advised the believers to use this prayer as a form of seeking guidance from Allah on the matter. The specific supplication dua prescribed by the Prophet pbuh asks Allah to guide the decision of the person to whatever is good for him/her in this life and the afterlife.

The word Istikhara linguistically means to ask for good in a matter. Istakhar (zabar on "ta" (Arabic alphabet) signifies past tense and points towards some demand. Thus it means demanding or asking well. Ibn-e-Aseer says it means when something good is asked from Allah the Merciful. 

Istikhara is a Sunnah prayer taught by the Prophet In a hadith:

"Amongst the happiness of the son of Adam is the abundance in performing Istikhara (seeking the best) from Allah the exalted and contentment upon what is ordained by Allah for him. And amongst the misery of the son of Adam is his disregard for Istikhara to Allah the exalted and his resentment for what is ordained by Allah for him." (Sunan At-Tirmizi)

Istikhara prayer is performed in two raka’at like other Sunnah prayers. 

First, establish the niat (intention) is as follows:

أُصَلِّي سُنَّةَ الاِستِخَارَةِ رَكعَتَينِ لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى

Usolli sunnatal-Istikharati rak'ataini lillah ta'ala

I intend to pray the Sunnah Istikhara prayer, two raka'at, for Allah 

Second, give the Takbir (Takbiratul-Ihram) and perform a two raka’at prayer.

After ending the prayer with the Salam, invoke upon Allah with the adab of making a Dua

As taught by our Prophet Muhammad start reading the following Dua:

"O Allah! I seek Your counsel from Your knowledge and power from Your might, and I ask for Your great blessings, You are capable and I am not, You know and I do not, and You are All-knowing of the unseen (hidden),

"O Allah! If You know that this matter is good for me in my religion, my livelihood and my affairs in the Hereafter, if it is better for my present and later, then ordain it for me and make it easy for me, and then bless it for me, 

And if You know that this matter is harmful (bad) for me in my religion, my livelihood and my affairs in the Hereafter, or if it is bad for my present and later, then ward it off from me and keep me away from it. Then ordain for me with whatever is good for me wherever it may be found, and help me be content with it."

The Prophet added that afterwards, the person should name (mention) his need.   (Sahih Al-Bukhari)

Unlike the 5 obligatory prayers, which have their own specific timings, there is no set time to perform Solat Istikhara. You may perform it at any point of the day

 

Many harbor the misconception that the answer they seek will come in a dream or a vision, or that the answer will appear magically to them. While that is possible, the Divine response will not necessarily arrive in the form of a dream.

 The Istkhara Prayer is not mean to change or play with one’s emotions necessarily; yet in answering the prayer, God might place an inclination in one’s heart that will guide him to go through with the action He chose for them, enabling them to feel a sense of peace and contentment with their decision. On the contrary, the one that gets a negative response may feel doubtful, apprehensive, and averse to moving forward with their matter. The main way that God answers the prayer is by clearing the right path while closing all other avenues. If the Divine answer was no, then one might oversleep that day, suffer a flat tire on their vehicle, experience the rejection of their marriage proposal, or encounter another circumstance that blocks the path they initially chose. One should lookout for signs that lead them in the right direction.

 

May Allah provide us with wisdom to make the best decisions and guide us throughout our journey in this world.