The literal meaning of Istikhaara is: to seek goodness and welfare in a matter. In other words, it means turning toward Allah Ta’ala regarding one’s permissible (Jaiz) affairs arising in daily life, and seeking goodness, well-being, and guidance from Allah in that specific task. On the other hand, with respect to its terminological definition, Istikhara means “supplicating for goodness and a better outcome in any matter, or seeking assistance from Allah Ta’ala in choosing between two options, whether to adopt a task or to abandon it.”
Performing Istikhara is a Masnoon (Sunnah) act, the method and Dua of which are narrated from the Holy Prophet ﷺ in the Ahadith. The Holy Prophet ﷺ and the noble Companions (Sahaba Kiram رضوان اللہ علیھم اجمعین) used to teach Istikhara with great emphasis before initiating any task. Reflect upon the actual words of the Hadeeth:
Hazrat Jabir bin Abdullah (رضی اللہ عنہ) narrates that the Holy Prophet ﷺ stated: اِذَا ہَمَّ اَحَدُکُمْ بِالْاَمْرِ فَلْیَرْکَعْ رَکْعَتَیْنِ مِنْ غَیْرِ الْفَرِیْضَةِ (Bukhari) Translation: “When any of you intends to do a matter, let him pray two rak’ahs of non-obligatory prayer.”
عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللہِ رَضِیَ اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَنْہُ قَالَ کَانَ رَسُوْلُ اللہِ صَلَّی اللہُ عَلَیْہِ وَسَلَّمَ یُعَلِّمُنَا الْاِسْتِخَارَةَ فِی الْاُمُوْرِ کُلِّہَا کَمَا یُعَلِّمُنَا سُوْرَةً مِّنَ الْقُرْاٰنِ (Tirmidhi) Translation: Hazrat Jabir bin Abdullah (رضی اللہ عنہ) narrates: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to teach us Istikhara in all matters just as he used to teach us a Surah from the Quran.”
The Masnoon and Correct Method of Istikhara
The straightforward and easy method of Istikhara according to the Sunnah is to offer two Rak’ahs of Nafl prayer at any time of the day or night (provided it is not a Makrooh time for offering voluntary prayers) with the specific Niyyah (intention) of Istikhara. One should form the Niyyah in the heart: “I am facing this matter or problem; whichever path is best for me, may Allah Ta’ala decree that path for me.”
After performing the Salam to conclude the prayer, supplicate with the Masnoon Dua of Istikhara taught by the Holy Prophet ﷺ. This is a truly profound Dua; only a Prophet of Allah Jal-Sha’nuhu could have bestowed such a supplication, for no one else is capable of it. The Holy Prophet ﷺ has not left out a single sphere of human life in this Dua. Even if a person exerted their utmost strength, they could never formulate a supplication like the one taught by the Holy Prophet ﷺ. If someone does not memorize the Dua, it does not matter; they may supplicate while looking at it from a book. If one finds difficulty in supplicating in Arabic, they can supplicate in Urdu alongside it. The core objective is the precise words of the Dua itself; those words are:
The Masnoon Dua of Istikhara
اَللّٰہُمَّ اِنِّیْ أَسْتَخِیْرُکَ بِعِلْمِکَ ، وَ أَسْتَقْدِرُکَ بِقُدْرَتِکَ، وَ أَسْأَلُکَ مِنْ فَضْلِکَ الْعَظِیْمِ ، فَاِنَّکَ تَقْدِرُ وَ لاَ أَقْدِرُ، وَ تَعْلَمُ وَلاَ أَعْلَمُ ، وَ أَنْتَ عَلاَّمُ الْغُیُوْبِ ․
اَللّٰہُمَّ اِنْ کُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ ہٰذَا الْأَمْرِ خَیْرٌ لِّیْ فِیْ دِیْنِیْ وَ مَعَاشِیْ وَ عَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِیْ وَ عَاجِلِہ وَ اٰجِلِہ ، فَاقْدِرْہُ لِیْ ، وَ یَسِّرْہُ لِیْ ، ثُمَّ بَارِکْ لِیْ فِیْہِ ․
…وَ اِنْ کُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ ھٰذَا الْأَمْرِ شَرٌ لِّیْ فِیْ دِیْنِیْ وَمَعَاشِیْ وَ عَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِیْ وَ عَاجِلِہ وَ اٰجِلِہ ، فَاصْرِفْہُ عَنِّیْ وَاصْرِفْنِیْ عَنْہُ ، وَاقْدِرْ لِیَ الْخَیْرَ حَیْثُ کَانَ ثُمَّ اَرْضِنِیْ بِہ․ (Bukhari, Tirmidhi)
While supplicating, when a person reaches the phrase “ہٰذَا الْأَمْرِ” (underlined in the text), if they are acquainted with Arabic, they should mention their specific need at this spot—meaning, they should replace the words “Haza al-Amr” with the name of their specific task, such as saying “Haza as-Safar” (this journey), “Haza an-Nikah” (this marriage), “Hazihit-Tijarah” (this business), or “Haza al-Bay'” (this transaction). If they do not know Arabic, they can simply say “Haza al-Amr” while consciously reflecting upon and focusing their mind on the specific task for which they are performing Istikhara.
Marriage and Istikhara
The matter of a marriage alliance (Rishta) is entirely distinct from ordinary affairs. We have observed in the contemporary era that a boy and a girl approve of each other, and instead of informing their parents, they directly get Istikhara performed by someone else. It is as if they begin deciding their life’s destiny without the consultation (Mushawarat) of their elders. Whichever task is carried out Khilaf-e-Shariat (against sacred law) can never contain any Khair (goodness). It was the duty of parents to introduce their children to the foundational principles of Deen and incline them toward adherence to the Shariah, so that the offspring would know that following the Deen is mandatory in vital life decisions.
This is not the duty of the offspring alone, but a responsibility of the parents as well. The selection of a suitable Rishta can best be made by the parents; this is their responsibility, and they have to think regarding the future as to where the alliance should be formed. Therefore, it is better that the boys or girls whose marriage is in question perform Istikhara themselves, and if their parents are alive, they should perform it too. The ideal method is that when a proposal (Rishta) arrives for a boy or a girl, the parents from both sides should independently get Istikhara extracted from the same place.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ explicitly taught the performance of Istikhara on the occasion of marriage. It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari (رضی اللہ عنہ): “Indeed, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stated: ‘Do not publicly disclose the intent of a marriage proposal (Nikah). Then perform Wudu, and perform it thoroughly and beautifully, and offer the prayer that Allah has written for you. Then praise your Lord and declare His Majesty. Following that, say: “O Allah! Indeed, You are All-Powerful and I possess no power; You know and I do not know, and You alone are the Knower of all the Unseen. Therefore, if in Your Knowledge, this alliance involving the person named so-and-such (mention the name of the proposal) contains goodness for my Deen, my worldly life, and my Hereafter, then make it my destiny. And if something other than this is better for my Deen, my worldly life, and my Hereafter, then decree it in my favor,” or he said, “make it my destiny.”‘” (Musnad Ahmad)
Aadaab-o-Sharait (Etiquettes and Conditions)
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Perform Istikhara yourself; one should not get Istikhara performed by someone else. Perform it once, but if the heart does not find complete reassurance, it can be repeated multiple times because it is a Dua, and consistency and abundance in Dua is a beloved act before Allah.
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Sleeping immediately after Istikhara is not necessary, nor is the appearance of a dream mandatory.
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Whether you converse with people after the Dua of Istikhara or choose not to talk makes no difference whatsoever.
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No specific timeframe is fixed for Istikhara; whenever difficulty arises in making a decision regarding an affair, you can perform Istikhara (excluding the Makrooh hours).
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Istikhara can be performed for every optional or discretionary task (Ikhtiyari Kaam). However, there is no Istikhara for obligatory duties (Faraiz).
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Istikhara cannot be performed to uncover Haram or Makrooh matters, or to uncover hidden matters of the Ghaib (the Unseen). The Messenger of Allah ﷺ stated: “Whoever approaches a fortune-teller (Kahin) or an astrologer (Najumi) and validates what he says has indeed disbelieved in the teachings revealed upon the Prophet ﷺ.” (Musnad Ahmad)
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After performing Istikhara, one should exercise Sabr (patience) and leave the matter entirely to Allah Ta’ala. If there is Khair in that task, it will become easy, and if there is Shar (harm), Allah Ta’ala will protect the servant from it and bring forth a better alternative.
We are Sinners! How Can We Perform Istikhara?
No matter how sinful a human being may be, a servant ultimately belongs to Allah alone. When a servant supplicates to Allah, the response will surely manifest. For a person to doubt the Supreme Being whose explicit decree is “ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ“ (“Call upon Me; I will respond to you”) is to harbor an ill-assumption (Bad-gumani) against that Magnificent and Supreme Essence. That Essence is such that when Shaitan was being expelled from Paradise and rejected from the Divine Presence, Shaitan made a Dua at that moment, and Allah accepted his Dua. If He accepts the Dua of Shaitan, will He not accept the Dua of us sinners? Moreover, when someone performs Istikhara as an act of following the Sunnah (Ittiba-e-Sunnat) of the Messenger of Allah, it is impossible that Allah will not hear the Dua; rather, He will surely hear it and decree Khair. In the Court of Allah, the supplications of everyone are heard. However, it is certainly necessary to abstain from sins so that the Dua finds swift acceptance.
A widespread notion exists among the public that sinners cannot perform Istikhara. This concept is completely baseless (Batil) and erroneous due to two reasons:
The First Reason: Abstaining from sins is within your choice. Being a Muslim, why remain a sinner? If a sin is committed, perform Tauba (repentance) with a sincere heart; you will instantly become cleansed of sins, cease to be a sinner, and be included among the righteous people. Through the blessing of Tauba, Allah Ta’ala purifies a person. Now, value this Mercy of Allah and do not commit sins intentionally in the future.
The Second Reason: The Shariah has placed no such condition that a sinful human being cannot perform Istikhara or that only a Wali-Allah (saint) must do it. Why do you impose a condition from your own side which the Shariah did not mandate? The command from the Shariah is simply that whoever has a need should perform Istikhara themselves, whether they are a sinner or a righteous person. Whosoever they may be, they must do it themselves. The common public claims that performing Istikhara is the job of the spiritual elders (Buzurg), so even the Buzurg gentlemen have begun assuming: “Yes, they are speaking the truth; performing Istikhara is our job alone, not the job of the common public.” Instead of warning the public about this error, they participated in the error themselves. Whosoever approaches them, they sit prepared, saying: “Yes, bring it here! We will extract your Istikhara for you.” They refer to performing Istikhara as “Istikhara Nikalna” (extracting Istikhara). Remember, this is an erroneous methodology, and reforming this wrong practice is a binding obligation (Farz).
The detailed method of Istikhara has been laid down here. While acting upon all these guidelines, form a habit of performing Istikhara yourself for every single issue of your life. Do not disclose your problems anywhere else except before the Lord of Honor (Rabb-ul-Izzat), and build a habit of remaining pleased with the Raza (pleasure) of Allah Azza-wa-Jal.