In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Supplication of Istikhārah (In the Light of Hadith)

Jabir رضي الله عنه narrates that the Prophet ﷺ used to teach us the supplication of Istikhārah just as he taught a Surah of the Quran. Whenever a person faces a matter in which multiple options exist and guidance is needed regarding the correct course, he should seek Istikhārah from Allah to attain clarity and ease of heart. Its method is that, avoiding disliked and prohibited times, one offers two rak‘ahs of voluntary prayer: in the first rak‘ah reciting al-Fātiḥah followed by “Qul yā ayyuhā al-kāfirūn,” and in the second reciting al-Fātiḥah followed by “Qul huwa Allāhu aḥad.” After completing the prayer, the following supplication should be recited:

اَللّٰهُمَّ اِنِّیْ اَسْتَخِیْرُکَ بِعِلْمِکَ وَاَسْتَقْدِرُکَ بِقُدْرَتِکَ وَاَسْئَلُکَ مِنْ فَضْلِکَ الْعَظِیْمِ فَاِنَّکَ تَقْدِرُ وَلَا اَقْدِرُ وَتَعْلَمُ وَلَا اَعْلَمُ وَاَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُیُوْبِ، اَللّٰهُمَّ اِنْ کُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ اَنَّ هٰذَا الْاَمْرَ (یہاں اپنی حاجت کا نام لے) خَیْرٌ لِّیْ فِیْ دِیْنِیْ وَمَعَاشِیْ وَعَاقِبَةِ اَمْرِیْ فَاقْدُرْهُ لِیْ وَیَسِّرْهُ لِیْ ثُمَّ بَارِکْ لِیْ فِیْهِ وَ اِنْ کُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ اَنَّ هٰذَا الْاَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِّیْ فِیْ دِیْنِیْ وَمَعَاشِیْ وَعَاقِبَةِ اَمْرِیْ فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّیْ وَاصْرِفْنِیْ عَنْهُ وَاقْدُرْ لِیَ الْخَیْرَ حَیْثُ کَانَ ثُمَّ رَضِّنِیْ بِهِ
(Sahih al-Bukhari)

Transliteration: Allahumma inni astakhiruka bi ‘ilmika wa astaqdiruka bi qudratika wa as’aluka min fadlikal-‘azim, fa innaka taqdiru wa la aqdiru wa ta‘lamu wa la a‘lamu wa anta ‘allamul-ghuyub.
Allahumma in kunta ta‘lamu anna hazal-amra (yahan apni hajat ka naam lein) khairul-li fi deeni wa ma‘ashi wa ‘aqibati amri faqdurhu li wa yassirhu li thumma barik li fihi. Wa in kunta ta‘lamu anna hazal-amra sharrul-li fi deeni wa ma‘ashi wa ‘aqibati amri fasrifhu ‘anni wasrifni ‘anhu waqdur li al-khaira haisu kana thumma raddini bihi.

Translation:
“O Allah, I seek goodness from You by Your knowledge, and I seek ability from You by Your power, and I ask You from Your immense bounty. For indeed You have power and I do not have power; You know and I do not know; and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah, if You know that this matter (mention your need here) is good for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the outcome of my affairs, then decree it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me. And if You know that this matter is bad for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the outcome of my affairs, then turn it away from me and turn me away from it, and decree for me the good wherever it may be, and then make me content with it.”

Istikhārah is prescribed for matters that fall within permissible choices (mubāḥāt), where a person is uncertain about benefit or harm. As for obligations, duties, Sunnah acts, and recommended deeds, they must be performed regardless, and Istikhārah is not required for them. Similarly, prohibited and disliked matters must be avoided; Istikhārah is not performed regarding them.

Furthermore, abandoning the Prophetic method of Istikhārah and instead consulting astrologers, fortune-tellers, palm readers, or similar individuals to learn about future events is ignorance and a grave sin. Knowledge of the unseen belongs only to Allah. A believer must seek goodness only from Allah.

Istikhārah may be performed at any time except during the disliked times of prayer, since it involves offering two rak‘ahs beforehand. Many people assume it must be done only before sleeping at night; this is incorrect. The supplication may be recited after completing the two rak‘ahs, within the prayer after tashahhud and ṣalawāt before salām, or even during prostration. If the supplication is not memorized, it may be read after the prayer while looking at the text.

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