The Prayer of seeking Allaah's Guidance (Salaat Al-Istikhaarah)

The Prophetwas keen to teach the believers theDu'aa' (supplication)
forIstikhaarah (seeking Allaah's guidance). Jaabirnarrated: "The
Prophetwould instruct us to pray for guidance in all of our concerns,
just as he would teach us a chapter from the Quran. Hewould say:"If
any of you intends to undertake a matter, then let him pray two
supererogatory Ra'kahs (units of prayer) after which he should
supplicate: "Allaahumma innee astakheeruka bi'ilmika wa astaqdiruka bi
qudratika wa asáluka min fadhlikal-'Atheem, fa innaka taqdiru wa laa
aqdir, wa ta'lamu wa laa a'lam, wa anta 'allaamul-Ghuyoob. Allaahumma
in kunta ta'lam inna– and here hementions his need – khayrun lee fee
deenee wa dunyay wa 'aaqibatu amree wa 'aajilihi wa aajilihi faqdurhu
lee wa yassirhu lee thumma baarik lee feeh, wa in kunta ta'lam inna
haatha al-Amra sharrun lee fee deenee wa dunyay wa 'aaqibatu amree wa
'aajilihi wa aajilihi fasrifhu 'annee wasrifnee 'anhu waqdur lee
al-Khayru haythu kaan thumma radh-Dhinee bih" (O Allaah! I seek Your
counsel by Your knowledge and by Your power I seek strength and I ask
You from Your immense favour, for indeed You are able while I am not
and indeed You know while I do not and You are the Knower of the
unseen. O Allaah! IfYou know this affair – and here he mentions his
need – to be good for me in relation to my religion, my life, and end,
then decree and facilitate it for me, and bless me with it; and if You
know this affair to be ill for me towards my religion, my life, and
end, then remove it from me and remove me from it, and decree for me
what is good wherever it be and make me satisfied with
such.)"[Al-Bukhaari]
The Benefits and Rulings of Istikhaarah:
1. This Hadeeth tells us the precise words with which to invoke Allaah
for guidance. There is, therefore, absolutely no doubt left about how
to seek guidance.
2. It is recommended to perform a two-Rak'ah prayer before the
Istikhaarah Du'aa' (supplication) is recited. Imaam Ibn Abu Jamrahwho
was one of the early scholars, stated: "The wisdom behind the
performance of the two-Rak'ah prayer before supplicating lies in the
fact that the purpose of Istikhaarah is to achieve success, both in
this life and in the Hereafter. For this purpose, the servant needs to
knock at the door of the King (i.e., Allaah) and nothing is better and
more effectivein this regard than praying to and glorifyingAllaah and
showing one'sneed for His bounty and constant assistance."
3- The believer should then praise Allaah Almighty as He deserves to
be praised, for Allaah loves that His servants do this.
4- An important rule for any Du'aa' is that one should ask Allaah by
His sublime Attributes; he should select that attribute which reflects
Allaah's power and ability to do the thing being asked of Him; one
should therefore supplicate by saying, for example: 'O Razzaaq (i.e.,
Provider)! Sustain me."
5- As with every Du'aa', the supplicant should have humility before
His Lord. The slave recognises that Allaah alone can do everything and
that there is no strength or power exceptHis, and that he is utterly
helpless without His Lord's help.
6- The Prophetwould teach his companions to begin their supplications
by asking Allaah for benefit and safety in their religion, for indeed
nothing is more precious than that and no calamityworse than its loss.
7- The Companionswere extremely diligent in performing Istikhaarah.
The Prophetwould teach his companionsto pray for guidance in all of
their concerns, just as he would teach them a chapter from the Quran.
Imaam Ibn Hajarstated that this shows thegreat importance of
consulting Allaah through supplication because it was mentioned here,
in the same breath, with the importance and necessityof reciting the
Quran in prayer.
What matters should Istikhaarah be performedfor?
The Hadeeth states that we should consult Allaah about all matters.
Imaam Ibn Abu Jamrahstated: "This is a general statement pertaining to
something specific. Istikhaarah should not beabout things understood
to be an obligation, nor about things that are known to be Haraam
(forbidden). For example,Salaat, (Prayer), is compulsory and so we
should not ask Allaah whether to perform it or not; when Allaah and
His Messengerhave made something clear to us we must accept it
completely."
Allaah confirms this by saying (what means):"It is not for a believing
man or a believing woman, when Allaah and His Messenger have decided
amatter, that they should [thereafter] have any choice about their
affair."[Quran 33:36]
This tells us that before we act, we should find out the Islamic
position regarding it and then comply accordingly. Istikhaarah is
performed for matters where we have a choice, (such as marrying a
particular person, buying a car, etc…) regardless of whether they are
small orbig matters or whether one finds them to be good or not. Yet
some people only resort to Istikhaarah when they are confused about a
matter; if they see good in it, they proceed, relying on their own
judgement, thus forgetting the Sunnah.
What does one do after performing Istikhaarah?
Once the Muslim has consulted his Creator about a particular
matterthrough Istikhaarah, he should proceed to undertake what he is
content with, relying on Allaah to achieve his purpose, fully
convinced that whatever Allaah wills happens, and whatever He does not
will, never happens.
It is not a condition that after Istikhaarah has been made, one should
expect a dream relating to something unusual happening, even though
Allaah may choose to make such things occur. Therefore, Istikhaarah
is, in essence, a form of faith-education, after which the Muslim
should proceed to undertake a matter with full confidence of his
success,having consulted his Creator in whom he has full confidence
and trust.
Thereafter, even if he faces difficulties, he never loses faith in the
wisdom of Allaah, because as a Muslim he does not see success merely
in worldly terms, for he is more concerned with the rewards and
blessings of the Hereafter. Part of his faith is the belief that
calamities may be of benefit to him in the sense that Allaah
forgiveshis sins if he is patient through them. When the believer
reaches this levelof understanding of Istikhaarah and the results it
brings about, his satisfaction will be great, as will be his
contentment and perseverance, Allaah willing, since he fully believes,
having consulted his Creator, that whatever the situation is, it is
his Lord'schosen one.
This increases his faith and he will never feel regret for anything he
misses in life, nor will he indulge in the use of the expression: "If
only this or that happened…" This level of understanding is
subsequently reflected in his personality to such anextent that he
will alwaysappear firm and self confident.
These etiquettes are derived from the aforementioned Hadeeth, which
many Muslims have unfortunately turned their backs to in lethargy and
absent mindedness.