Istikhara: The Guidance Prayer Question Answer @ @ @ - Question One: Should Istikhara be prayed once or multiple times?

Question One: Should Istikhara be prayed once or multiple times?
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Several people I know are confused on the topic of salat ul-
Istikhara. Is it meant to be prayed several days in a row until a
decision is made, or onlyonce? Is it meant to be prayed after one has
pretty much made up their mind, or when someone hasn't really figured
out what to do? Are their various valid opinions?
Answer:
Assalamu alaikum. When one is not clear about the result of the
istikhara , the fuqaha mention that it is recommended to repeat it, up
to seven times if necessary (usually done on separate occasions). [cf:
Radd al-Muhtar]
( Editor's note : Sheikh Faraz Rabbani elaborated on this in a
lecture, saying,"But if it's not clear for youthen you can repeat
it... upto seven times, but one shouldn't get excessive because the
believer has determination as well and just putting things off for no
purpose is not from theway of the believer... But ifit's an important
decision or you're not quite sure what is best, then you repeat it
several times.")
Getting a Dream After Istikhara?
It is not necessary that you get a dream or even a "feeling". Rather,
the istikhara is a prayer that Allah guide you towards that which is
best (khayr) for you. If you do the prayer of guidance (istikhara)
with the propermanners, the most important of which is to truly
consign the matter to Allah and suspend your own inclinations, then
Allah will make events unfold in the direction that is the best for
your worldly and next-worldly affairs.
In general, when it is not possible to perform the istikhara prayer
itself (suchas when one is out on the road, or in one's
menstrualperiod), it is recommendedto simply read the dua itself.
[Radd al-Muhtar]
The istikhara prayer may be made for a specific matter or be made for
a general seeking of all that is best. Some scholars, including Imam
Abd al-Wahhab al-Sha`rani andIbn `Arafah before him saw this kind of
(specific) istikhara prayer as being superior.
Others, including Shaykh Ibn al-Arabi, recommended performinga general
istikhara prayer for all that is good every day, ideally at the time
of the Duha prayer (after sunrise).
Before Istikhara Prayer
Imam al-Nawawi mentioned that before theistikhara prayer, one should
seek advice (istishara) from those whose knowledge, wisdom, and
concern one is confident.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytami and others mentioned that one of the benefits of
this is to further distance oneself from the desires ofone's own
egotistical inclinations.
Opening the Prayer
It is recommended to open the dua of istikhara [below], with praise of
Allah and sending blessings on the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him
peace), and to close it in this manner, too.
Like other duas, it is recommended that one face the qibla. It is
dislikedto hasten in seeking the answer to one's istikhara, just like
other duas, because the Prophet (Allahbless him & give him peace)
said, "Your prayers are answered, unless you hasten, saying, 'I
prayed, but no answer came.'"
One should be pleased with what Allah chooses for one, and not seek to
follow one's whims after the answer to one's supplication becomes
clear.

Turning Back to Allah

Turning Back to Allah

You've Recognised your sin/mistake,
So now Turn Back to Him(swt),
Ready to Sacrifice and Leave that which,
Distanced you from your Lord(swt),
Trusting that He(swt) Knows Better.
Allah Promises and Loves to Forgive ,
He(swt) says: " Don't Despair ",
He(swt) is At-Tawaab:
"The Acceptor of Repentance, The Oft Returning",
And His(swt) Mercy overcomes His(swt) Anger
***
So Turn Back Now, don't wait for later,
Before the Death Rattle reaches the Throat,
Before the Sun Rises from the West.
***
Turn Back to your Lord,
By Repenting (Tawbah/Istigfaar) ,
With Willingness ,
With Sincerity (Ikhlaas) ,
Feeling Remorse ,
and Regret ,
Intending Never again toReturn to that sin,
With Belief (Emaan) in your Heart .
***
Keep it Flowing ,
Staying Steadfast (Istikhaamah) ,
By Purifying and Cleansing ,
And keeping Good Company ,
Harbouring Good Thoughts ,
Speaking Good Words ,
by Doing Good Deeds (Al-Birr) ,
and Allah will make your Journey Easier .
***
Make your Heart your Forte ,
And Allah will Change the rest.
Delete Old Memories, Painful ones too,
Retaining Lessons Learned.
Your Pleas have not gone unheard,
And your Tears are Not Lost ,
Becoming Peals of Wisdom ,
So Move Forward Wisely Oh Muslim,
With Confidence, Humility and Dignity ;
And Be the Best you can,
Your Slate is Clean ,
Its Simple and Clear ,
Just Turn Back to Allah, Right Now and Right Here.

ISLAMIC ARTICLE :- ~ Tawbah in Islam

Tawbah is an Arabic words derived fromthe origin " Taaba" i.e.
returned back. Tawbah thus means turning back in repentance. It means
showing regret for the error and the sin one has got himself involved
in.
To have a clear view of theconcept of Tawbah and what it does mean,
read the following:
Repentance ( Tawbah ) means that one feels regret and filled with
remorse for his or her sins,turns to Allah with the intention to obey
Him. According to truth-seekingscholars, repentance signifies a
sincere effort to no longer oppose the Divine Essence in one's
feelings, thoughts, intentions, and acts, and to comply sincerely with
His commands and prohibitions. Repentance does not mean being
disgusted with what is bad or prohibited and thusno longer engaging in
it; rather, it means remainingaloof from whatever Allah hates and
prohibits, even if it seems agreeable to sense and reason.
Repentance is usually usedwith Nasuh , literally meaning pure,
sincere, reforming, improving, and repairing. Tawbah Nasuh (genuine
repentance) means a pure, sincere repentance that perfectly reforms
and improves the one who feels it. One who feels such a sincere,
heartfelt, and true remorse for the sin committed seeks to abandon it,
thereby setting a good example for others. The Quran points to this
when it mentions true repentance:" O you who believe! Turn to God in
true, sincere repentance." (At-Tahrim: 8).
There are three categories of repentance:
1-The repentance of those who cannot discern Divinetruths. Such people
are uneasy about their disobedience to Allah and, conscious of the
sinfulnessclouding their hearts, turn toward Allah in repentance
saying, for example: "I have fallen or committed a sin. Forgive me, or
I ask for Allah's forgiveness."
2-Those half-awakened to Divine truths beyond veils of material
existence, whofeel an inward pang of sinfulness and remorse right
after thinking or doing anything incompatible with the consciousness
of always being in Allah's presence, or after every instance of
heedlessness enveloping their hearts, and who immediately take refuge
in the mercy and favor of Allah. Such people are described in the
following Hadith:. "One who sincerely repents of his sin is as if he
had never committed it. When Allah loves one of His servants, his sins
do not harm him. Then he recited the verse: aAssuredly, Allah loves
the oft-repentant and those who always seek to purify themselves.'"
3-Those who live such a careful life that, their eyes sleep but their
hearts do not, their hearts are awake. Such people immediately discard
what-ever intervenes between Allah and their hearts and other
innermost faculties, and regain the consciousness of their relation to
the Light of Lights. They always manifest the meaning of:. "How
excellent a servant! Trulyhe was ever turning in contrition (to his
Lord)" (Sad:44).
Repentance means regaining one's essential purity after every
spiritual defilement, and engaging in frequent self-renewal.
The Stages of Repentance:
1-Feeling sincere remorse and regret.
2-Being frightened whenever one rememberspast sins.
3-Trying to eradicate injustice and support justice and right.
4-Reviewing one's responsibilities and performing obligations
previously neglected.
5-Reforming oneself by removing spiritual defects caused by deviation and error
6-Regretting and lamenting the times whenone did not mention or
remember Allah, or thank Him and reflect on His works. Such people are
always apprehensive and alert so that their thoughts and feelings are
not tainted by things that intervene between themselves and Allah.
(This last quality is particular to people distinguished by their
nearness to Allah.)
If one does not feel remorse, regret, and disgust for errors
committed, whether greator small; if one is not fearful or
apprehensive of falling back into sin at any time; and if one does not
take shelter in sincere servanthood to Allah in order to be freed from
deviation and error into which one has fallen by moving away from God,
any resulting repentance will be no more than a lie.
A Muslim should cry:
I'm sorry for the mistakes Imake.
And, I know of none that can be retrieved.
They're like the water overa dam.
To flow back, it cannot be achieved.
There are things I wish I had never said.
Now, I wish that I had bit my tongue instead.
To make another feel that pain,
For those thoughtless words, I am disdain.
Repentance is an oath of virtue, and holding steadfastly to it
requires strong willpower.

The most urgent question is the establishment of true faith (tahqiq ul-iman)

The problem underlying present-day thinking and the troubles
afflicting everyone, no matter what their social status, nation, race
or country, is the lack of a sincere faith in and genuine devotion and
complete submission to Allah. The fact that, with the support of the
theory of evolution, people have gradually turned their backs on faith
in Allah and religious moral values since the 1800s has caused
terrible disasters totake place, one after the other.
Imperialism, which attached no value to people of other nations and
races, regarded them as literally a species of animal and enslaved
themand exploited all their resources, communism that maintained that
war, conflict and bloody revolutions were the only solution that would
supposedly lead mankind to happiness, fascism that evaluated people
according to their skull measurements and regarded other races and
societies as enemies needing to be eliminated, and all such irrational
ideologies that violate good conscience and science have all drawn
strength from Darwinism and literally turned the world into a sea of
blood.
Similarly, it is Darwinism that lies at the root of the erroneous
world view thatindoctrinates people with the idea that nobody should
trust anyone else, that everyone should be suspicious of everyone
else, that allows no one the right to love anyone else and with the
lie that might is right, rather than truth, that human beings are the
result of blind chance and will therefore never have to account for
their actions to anyone.
In essence, the movement of the antichrist is spreading Darwinism and
materialism and keeping them alive by using all thetechnical and
technological means available today. The movement of the antichrist is
inculcating irreligion by the use of newspapers, magazines,
television, radio, movies and the Internet, is using Darwinism as a
supposed scientific foundation to keep irreligion propped up, and has
taken the Islamic world captive and is inflicting huge suffering on
it.
The most important thing to be done in an environment in which the
system of the antichrist is so active is to be instrumental in people
sincerely believing in the existence and oneness of Allah. The
prevalence of true faith, espoused with one's entire conscience, is
the most important way of immediately eliminating all these pains and
troubles. When people genuinely believe, when they genuinely love and
are devoted to Allah, it is obvious that the world will attain the
beauty of Paradise. Because sincere faith means people enjoying
complete love, joy, peace, beauty, quality and nobility. Where there
is certain faith, there will also be art, science, progress, peace and
everything.
That is why the first priority is the intellectual elimination of the
error of Darwinism, which people shelter behind as a superstitious
faith, and to tell people of the countless proofs of the evident
existence of Allah in the finest and most effective manner. In doing
this, however, it is of the greatest importance to adopt a scientific
and rational approach.
Irrational and illogical talk that is unrealistic and insincere will
just have a negative impact on peopleand may turn them even further
away from the religion of Allah. For that reason, it is very important
that in preaching the religion Muslims should make the best use of
their time and opportunities, be instrumental in people coming to love
and fear Allah rather than talking about matters they can easily learn
from catechisms, Islamic law books and other religious texts, and
telling them things that will enable them to realize the joy that
comes from living for.A Muslim must possess theculture and knowledge
with which to smash the idol of denial, Darwinism, by making the most
rational use of the opportunities offered by science. He must possess
a knowledge of all branches of science and know how to make the most
productive use of them forthe religion of Allah. He must be able to
describe the proofs of the existenceof Allah in the wisest, most
memorable, most impressive and finest manner, by using all the
technological means at hisdisposal.
At a time when lack of faith is inflicting terrible disasters on
mankind, it is irrational to spend time and opportunities on matters
that are not urgent instead of first being instrumental in people
either coming to faith or strengthening the faith that they already
have.