Istikhara dua complete guide
Dua istikhara is a very important Dua taught to us by our dearest Allah’s Prophet Muhammad (صلي الله عليه وآله وبارك وسلم) .”Salah tul Istikhara” means the prayer for seeking guidance . The word ” Salah” means prayer, and the word “Istikhara” means seeking help or guidance, therefore “Salah tul istikhara” means the prayer for guidance (of Allah SWT).
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ وَأَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْعَظِيمِ فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلَا أَقْدِرُ وَتَعْلَمُ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوبِ اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ خَيْرٌ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ شَرٌّ فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ وَاقْدُرْ لِيَ الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ ارْضِنِي بِهِ
Audio :
Translation: O Allah, with Your knowledge I seek the good, with Your power I seek ability and Your mighty favour for certainly You have the power that I don’t have, You know and I do not Know and You Know the unseen. O Allah, in Your knowledge if this work is good for me in this Duniya and the Akhirah (hereafter), then let it be for me, grant me blessings in it and if this work is bad for me then keep it far away from me and grant me any destiny that will make me happy .[Sahih Bokhari ]
Transliteration : Allaahumma ‘innee ‘astakheeruka bi’ilmika, wa ‘astaqdiruka biqudratika, wa ‘as’aluka min fadhlikal-‘Azeem, fa’innaka taqdiru wa laa ‘aqdiru, wa ta’lamu, wa laa ‘a’lamu, wa ‘Anta ‘Allaamul-Ghuyoob, Allaahumma ‘in kunta ta’lamu ‘anna hazal-‘amra-[here mention the thing you intend to do ] Khayrun lee fee deenee wa ma’aashee wa ‘aaqibati ‘amree – Faqdurhu lee wa yassirhu lee thumma baarik lee feehi,wa ‘in kunta ta’lamu ‘anna hazal-‘amra– [here mention the thing you intend to do ] sharrun lee fee deenee wa ma’aashee wa ‘aaqibati ‘amree – Fasrifhu ‘annee wasrifnee ‘anhu waqdur liyal-khayra haythu kaana thumma ‘ardhinee bihi
Meaning of هَذَا الْأَمْرَ hazal-'amra
When you read هَذَا الْأَمْرَ hazal-‘amra which means “this job” , you should replace these words with your intention here or you can leave these words but while saying هَذَا الْأَمْرَ hazal-‘amra , you should think of your new job for which you want to do istikhara.
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Istikhara dua colored word by word translation
Its better to know about the words which you are saying. It is more beneficial if you know what is meaning of the words. There I have translated word to word translation for this purpose.
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ
O Allah,I seek your guidance
بِعِلْمِكَ وَأَسْتَقْدِركَ
with Your knowledge,& I seek ability
بِقُدْرَتِكَ وَأَسْأَلُكَ
with your Power and I ask You
مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْعَظِيم
from Your great blessings
فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلَا أَقْدِرُ
Certainly You are capable and I’m not
وَتَعْلَمُ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوبِ
You know & I don’t & You are Knower of the unseen
اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ
O Allah, in Your knowledge if this work
خَيْرٌ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي
is good for my religion & my livelihood & my Hereafter
فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ
Then ordain it for me & make it easy for me & then bless me in it
اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ
O Allah, in Your knowledge if this work
شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي
is bad for my religion & my livelihood & my Hereafter
فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ
Then keep it away from me and let me be away from it
وَاقْدُرْ لِيَ الْخَيْرَحَيْثُ كَانَ
And destine for me whatever is good
ثُمَّ ارْضِنِي بِهِ
then make me satisfied with this.
Purpose of Istikhara
Whenever you want to start something new, It is very important that you ask Allah (subhanahu wa ta ala)’s help for guidance, whether this new task is good for you or not. Asking Allah’s guidance for doing something is called Istikhara. If you read the meaning of the dua , you will understand the purpose of this dua . With the help of this great dua, if your new task is not good for you , the Allah will stop you from doing it or show you some sign to avoid doing this and grant you some much better option .It is also the vice versa case.
When starting something new, it is crucial to seek Allah(subhanahu wa ta ala)’s guidance to determine whether the new endeavor is beneficial for you. This practice is called Istikhara. By reading and understanding the meaning of the Istikhara dua, you will comprehend its purpose. This powerful dua helps you discern whether the new task is good for you. If it is not, Allah (subhanahu wa ta ala) will either prevent you from pursuing it or provide a sign to avoid it, and guide you towards a better alternative. Conversely, if the task is beneficial, Allah will facilitate it for you.
Importance of Istikhara
Famous Muhaddith Hafiz Ibn Hajr explained, about Istikhara :: “Istikhara is a word which means asking Allah to help one make a choice,Actually, it is a non-obligatory Salah of two Rakat which is performed after which we make a supplication to Allah SWT to guide us in our new task. The supplication make after this non-obligatory Salah of two Rakat is called the Istikhara dua.
Whenever we want to start some new work, job, task or planning to get married, we should always make “Salat ul Istikhara”
Do Istikhara in all circumstances
According to Hadith:
“Allah’s Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaho alayhay wa alehi wabarik wa sallam )used to teach us how to do Istikhara (asking Allah to direct one to the appropriate kind of action concerning any task or deed) in all circumstances, just as he taught us the Suras of the Quran. “If any of you consider undertaking any activity, he should offer Salah of two Rakat (of Istikhara) in addition to obligatory ones,…” (The hadith continues and this is just the beginning part of the Hadith) . [ Saheeh Bokhari , Saheeh Muslim and other Hadith books ]
Istikhara is the happiness of sons of Adam
Dear Prpohet Muhammad (Salallaho alayhay wa alehe wabarik wa sallam) has told us that Istikhara is the happiness of the sons of Prophet Adam (Alayhay Salam) . Please read the complete hadith.
حضرت سعد بن ابی وقاص ؓ سے مروی ہے کہ جناب رسول اللہ ﷺ نے ارشاد فرمایا ابن آدم کی سعادت ہے کہ وہ ہر معاملے میں اللہ سے استخارہ کرے اور اس کے فیصلے پر راضی رہے اور ابن آدم کی بدنصیبی ہے کہ وہ اللہ سے استخارہ کرنا چھوڑ دے اور اللہ کے فیصلے پر ناگواری کا اظہار کرے۔
Narrat by Saad ibn Abi Waqas that Allah’s apostle Muhammad (Salallaho alayhay wa alehe wa barik wa sallam) said:
It is the happiness for the son of Adam (or all human beings) that they seek Allah’s help ( Istikhara ) in all matters and that he (or she) is pleased with what Allah has decreed and the distress of the son of Adam is that he leaves seeking help (Istikhara) from Allah and is displeased with what Allah Alhmighty has decreed. [Masnad Ahmad , Book of Hazrat Saab ibn Waqaas narrations ,Hadith 1367]
Complete Method of istikhara Dua
As already described that Salah tul Istikhara is prayed just like any non-obligatory Salah of two Rakat which can be prayed any time. Make sure no to pray at the forbidden times of Salah . The forbidden times of praying non-obligatory Salah are the following times.
- The time that is between Fajr Salah and 20 minutes after sun rise.
- The time when the sun is at its peak and has started to descend. Wait for 15 minutes after the peak time of sun.
- The time between Asr Salah and sunset or Maghrib Salah
After the Salah, you raise your hands, and you say the dua in the following order
- Say Bismillahir Rehmanir Raheem.
- Praise Allah SWT like for example you say Alhamdu lillah (All praise to Allah SWT)
- Then you say any Durud Sharif or Salawat like Allahumma salay Ala Muhammad ( O Allah send blessings upon Muhammad)
- Now say Istikhara Dua with full concentration on the meaning and full attention towards Allah SWT.
- During the istikhara dua ,while saying هَذَا الْأَمْرَ hazal-‘amra , you should think of your new job for which you want to do istikhara.
- say Ameen (O Allah accept it)
- Finish by saying Salawat like Allahumma salay Ala Muhammad ( O Allah send blessings upon Muhammad)
Find more information at “How to start and end dua”
What is more important than Istikhara?
Shura (consultation) is also as important or even more important as Istikhara should be done before Istikhara . Allah’s apostle Muhammad (salallaho alayhay wa alehi wa barik wa sallam ) and also The companions (Sahaba) used to do consultation first and then Istikhara
Ahadith about how many times we can do istikhara
1. Hadith about doing Istikhara at least once
This Hadith is mentioned in many Ahadith books. Here I am writing the Hadith from Saheeh Bokhari, Hadith 1166 .[ 1 ]
Narrated Jabir bin Abdullah : The Allah’s Prophet Muhammad ﷺ used to teach us the way of doing Istikhara (Istikhara means to ask Allah to guide one to the right sort of action concerning any job or a deed), in all matters as he taught us the Suras of the Quran. He said, “If anyone of you thinks of doing any job he should offer a two Rakat prayer other than the compulsory ones and say (after the prayer): — Allahumma inni astakhiruka biilmika, Wa astaqdiruka bi-qudratika, Wa asalaka min fadlika al-azlm Fa-innaka taqdiru Wala aqdiru, Wa talamu Wala alamu, Wa anta allamu l-ghuyub. Allahumma, in kunta talam anna hadha-l-amra Khairun li fi dini wa maashi waaqibati amri (or ajili amri waajilihi) Faqdirhu wa yas-sirhu li thumma barik li Fihi, Wa in kunta talamu anna hadha-lamra shar-run li fi dini wa maashi waaqibati amri (or fiajili amri wa ajilihi) Fasrifhu anni was-rifni anhu. Waqdir li al-khaira haithu kana Thumma ardini bihi. (O Allah! I ask guidance from Your knowledge, And Power from Your Might and I ask for Your great blessings. You are capable and I am not. You know and I do not and You know the unseen. O Allah! If You know that this job is good for my religion and my subsistence and in my Hereafter–(or said: If it is better for my present and later needs)–Then You ordain it for me and make it easy for me to get, And then bless me in it, and if You know that this job is harmful to me In my religion and subsistence and in the Hereafter–(or said: If it is worse for my present and later needs)–Then keep it away from me and let me be away from it. And ordain for me whatever is good for me, And make me satisfied with it). The Prophet ﷺ added that then the person should name (mention) his need. [ Sahih Bokhari , Hadith 1166 ]
2. Hadith about doing Istikhara maximum 7 times
O Anas , when you intend to do something ,then seek Allah’s help by doing Istikhara (prayer) 7 times and then check where your heart is inclined to because there will be goodness in that (option). [ Kanzul Amal Hadith 29480]
3. Hadith about keep doing Istikhara until your heart is satisfied
Narrated Az-zahri saying : Hazrat Omar ibn Khattab wanted to write a book ( about Islam or Hadith) .So he started doing istikhara for one month .Then, one day when he woke up in the morning with determination and said ,” I remembered a nation which wrote a book , then they were clinging to the book and left the Book of Allah . (Ibn Saad narration ) [ Kanzul Amal , Hadith 29480]
When Second Caliph Hazrat Omar(RA) stopped writing a book after istikhara
This hadith is already mentioned previously when Hazrat Omar ibn Khattab performed istikhara for one month in order to decide whether to write a book of Hadith (or about Islam) [ Kanzul Amal , Hadith 29480]
FAQs about Istikhara Dua
Do we see a dream in Istikhara ?
It is not necessary that you see a dream in istikhara. But it is possible that you see a dream in which see some clear sign about the new job which ant to start. It is also possible that, when you wake up in the morning, your heart is either having inclination or reluctance towards doing that task .
How many times it should be repeated?
Already mentioned above that Istikhara can be done once or 7 times.
Is istikhara done only before getting married?
No . Istikhara is a very important deed in Islam. It is not only for seeking guidance of Allah SWT for marriage, but it should be done for all major affairs in life.
May Allah(سبحانه وتعالي) reward for visiting my website and reading reading this post. You might also be interested in reading ” Duas for Hasppiness”. May Allah (سبحانه وتعالي) make this post beneficial for all of us . Ameen. (اللهم صلي علي محمد وعلي آل محمد وبارك وسلم)
Powerful reminder, well noted