DESCRIPTION OF ISTIKHARAH
By Dr. Muhammad al-Jibaly and Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips
orginally posted by Imran Ayub
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Islam_True/
Permission is granted to circulate among private individuals and groups, to
post on Internet sites and to publish in full text and subject title in
not-for-profit publications.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoveIslam_LiveIslam/
Islaam, being the natural way, recognizes the innate human need for help in
making decisions and has protected the faith of its followers from corruption
and given them a sense of contentment and peace in their daily lives by
providing guidance in this regard. That guidance consists of clear instructions
to the believers to put their trust ultimately in God whenever decisions are to
be taken.
Istikharah means seeking good through putting ones complete trust in Allah. A
believer should perform istikharah before starting any important undertaking.
Since marriage is one of the most important decisions that a person takes, it
is important for both the man and woman to perform istikharah before they give
the final word that binds them together.
Jabir Bin Abdillah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that Allahs
Messenger (peace be upon him) used to teach his companions to perform
istikharah in all of their affairs - as though he was teaching them a surah
from the Quran. He told them:
“When one of you is about to do something (important), let him pray two
non-obligatory rakat and then say:
“Allahumma inni astakhiruka bi- 'ilmika, waastaqdiruka bi-qudratika,
wa-as'aluka min fadlik al-azim, fa-'innaka taqdiru wa-la aqdir, wa-ta'lamu
wala a'lam, wa-'anta 'allam ul-ghuyub. Allahumma in kunta ta'lamu anna hatha
'l-.'amra (and he names his intended affair) huwa khayrun li fi dini
wa-ma'ashi, wa- 'aqibati amri wa- 'ajilihi wa- 'ajilihi, fa-qdurhu li,
wa-yassirhu li, thumma barik li fih. Wa-in kunta ta'lamu anna hatha 'l-'amra
huwa sharrun li fi dini wa-ma'ashi, wa-'aqibati amri wa.'ajilihi wa-'ajilihi,
fa-srifhu 'anni wa-srifni 'anhu, wa-qdur liy-al-khayra haythu kan, thumma
raddini bih -
O Allah, I ask You to choose for me with Your knowledge and decree for me with
Your might, and I ask You of Your great favor. Indeed, You decree and I do not,
and You know and I do not; You surely are the Knower of all that is hidden. O
Allah, if You know that this affair (and he names it) is good for me in regard
to my religion, my living, and its outcome --, both immediate and future,
decree it, facilitate it, and then bless it for me. And if You know that this
affair is harmful for me in regard to my religion, my living, and its outcome -
both immediate and future, divert it from me and divert me from it, and decree
for me good wherever it may be, and then make me content by it.
And indeed, never would he regret who asks the Creator to choose for him, and
consults with the creation, and ascertains his actions.” [Saheeh Bukhaari,
Volume 8, Book 75, Number 391
>From this hadith, it is obvious that the istikharah is a special duaa that has
>the following characteristics:
1. It is said when intending to perform an important act, and just before
embarking on that act, with the expectation that Allah will choose the best.
2. It is preceded with a voluntary prayer consisting of two rakaat. One may
raise ones hands while saying it - as is recommended for any duaa.
3. After a person makes istikharah, he should undertake what he was planning to
do before it. If that is good for Him, Allah would surely facilitate it,
otherwise, He would bring about some circumstances to hinder it.
4. Contentment with its outcome may not be felt immediately, but will surely
materialize with time.
In keeping with the instruction of the Prophet (peace be upon him), given in
the above mentioned hadeeth, when faced with a choice between two or more
Halaal (permissible) actions [Ibn Abee Jamrah quoted in Fat-h al-Baaree, p.188
] a decision should be arrived upon using ones intellect and knowledge of
Islaam. Having done this, one should then seek Allaahs guidance as to the
choice that has been made by making a two unit prayer (at a permissible time
[The five prohibited times are: after the morning prayer (Salaatul-Fajr) until
sunrise, while the sun is rising, when the sun reaches the meridian, after the
afternoon prayer (Salaatul-Asr) until the setting of the sun and while the sun
is setting]), after which the aforementioned supplication called duaa al
Istikhaarah should be said.
Unfortunately, contrary to the instructions of the Prophet (peace be upon him),
Muslims today depend entirely on the prayer to make their decisions for them.
That is, they make the prayer and supplication prior to making any decision,
and rely on dreams to provide the answers for them. It is even common for
people to ask others to make Istikhaarah on their behalf. The prayer is often
repeated, prior to sleeping, for a set number of days and dream books are
consulted to interpret the symbols in their dreams. All of this has no basis in
the methodology taught by the Prophet (peace be upon him). However this is not
to say that a good dream may nor be acted upon as confirmation of a decision,
about which Istikhaarah was made.
MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT ISTIKHARAH
a. A misconception concerning istikharah is that it is made when a person is
undetermined between two or more alternatives. It is clear from the above
hadith that it should only be made after he had decided which of the
alternative to undertake.
b. Some people think that one of the important requirements of istikharah is to
perform it just before going to sleep, and that some dreams should indicate
what to do.
c. Other people think that the istikharah puts in the heart an inclination
toward the proper choice.
There is no basis for either of these two assumptions, and the above Hadith
supports neither. In fact, the Hadith indicates that when, as a result of the
istikharah, Allah hinders an affair that a person was about to undertake, that
might bring some dislike into his heart, and he therefore asks Allah to give
him contentment.
source : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Islam_True/
In the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the All-Compassionate
"May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon You"
Praise be to Allaah, we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with
Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah
guides will never be led astray, and whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one
can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah, and I bear witness
that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.
Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah
As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
