Confused About a Decision? How to Pray Salat Al-Istikharah for Guidance

Istikharah prayer is one of the recommended (sunnah) acts of worship for every Muslim when faced with a choice, such as selecting a life partner for someone seeking marriage, choosing a university for a student, and so on. The hope is that by performing the istikharah prayer, a person will receive guidance from Allah to be granted the best decision.

Evidence (Dalil) for Istikharah Prayer

The basis for the recommendation of the istikharah prayer, as cited by Imam an-Nawawi in Al-Adzkar, is a narration from Imam al-Bukhari. Jabir bin Abdillah said:

كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُعَلِّمُنَا الاسْتِخَارَةَ فِي الأُمُورِ كُلِّهَا كَمَا يُعَلِّمُنَا السُّورَةَ مِنْ الْقُرْآنِ يَقُولُ إذَا هَمَّ أَحَدُكُمْ بِالأَمْرِ فَلْيَرْكَعْ رَكْعَتَيْنِ مِنْ غَيْرِ الْفَرِيضَةِ

Meaning, "The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) used to teach us (the companions) to perform istikharah prayer in all matters, just as he taught us a surah from the Quran. He said, 'If any one of you intends to undertake a matter, let him pray two units (raka'at) of non-obligatory prayer...'" (Narrated by Imam al-Bukhari). (An-Nawawi, Al-Adzkar, 1997: 137)

Procedure for Istikharah Prayer

Technically, the istikharah prayer consists of two units (raka'at), performed with the following intention (niyyah):

  أُصَلِّيْ سُنَّةَ الْاِسْتِخَارَةِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ لِلّٰهِ تَعَالَى

Uṣallī sunnata-l-istikhārati rak‘ataini lillāhi ta‘ālā.

Meaning: "I intend to perform two rak'ahs of the Sunnah Istikharah prayer for Allah Almighty."

Recitation and Supplication of the Istikharah Prayer

For the recitations, as explained by Imam al-Ghazali in Ihya’ ‘Ulumiddin, in the first rak'ah recite Surah Al-Fatihah and Surah Al-Kafirun; while in the second rak'ah recite Surah Al-Fatihah and Surah Al-Ikhlas. Then, after the salam, recite the following supplication:

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَ سَلِّمْ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ اَلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ اْلعَالَمِيْنَ 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 دِينِيْ وَدُنْيَايَ وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِيْ وَعَـاجِلِهِ وَآجِـلِهِ فَاقْدُرْهُ لِيْ وَبَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ ثُمَّ يَسِّرْهُ لِي وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِيْ وَدُنْيَايَ وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِيْ عَاجِلِهِ وَآجِـلِهِ فَاصْرِفْنِيْ عَنْهُ وَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّيْ وَاقْدُرْ لِي الْخَيْرَ أَيْنَـــمَا كَانَ إِنَّكَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيْرٌ وَ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِيْنَ

Allāhumma ṣalli wa-sallim ʿalā sayyidinā Muḥammad, al-ḥamdu lillāhi rabbi l-ʿālamīn. Allāhumma innī astakhīruka bi-ʿilmika, wa-astaqdiruka bi-qudratika, wa-asʾaluka min faḍlika l-ʿaẓīm, fa-innaka taqdiru wa-lā aqdiru, wa-taʿlamu wa-lā aʿlamu, wa-anta ʿallāmu l-ghuyūb. Allāhumma in kunta taʿlamu anna hādhā l-amra khayrun lī fī dīnī wa-dunyāya wa-ʿāqibati amrī wa-ʿājilihi wa-ājilihi faqdurhu lī wa-bārik lī fīhi thumma yassirhu lī, wa-in kunta taʿlamu anna hādhā l-amra sharrun lī fī dīnī wa-dunyāya wa-ʿāqibati amrī ʿājilihi wa-ājilihi fa-ṣrifnī ʿanhu wa-ṣrifhu ʿannī wa-qdur liya l-khayra aynamā kāna innaka ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr, wa-ṣallā Allāhu ʿalā sayyidinā Muḥammad wa-l-ḥamdu lillāhi rabbi l-ʿālamīn.

Meaning:

"O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our leader Muhammad. All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. O Allah, I seek Your guidance through Your knowledge, I seek capability through Your power, and I ask You from Your immense favor. For You are capable and I am not, You know and I do not, and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah, if You know that this matter is good for me in my religion, my worldly life, and the outcome of my affairs—both immediate and long-term—then decree it for me, bless me in it, and make it easy for me. But if You know that this matter is bad for me in my religion, my worldly life, and the outcome of my affairs—both immediate and long-term—then turn me away from it and turn it away from me, and decree for me good wherever it may be. Indeed, You are capable of all things. May peace and blessings of Allah be upon our leader Muhammad, and praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds."

After finishing the prayer, we state our supplication. This prayer originates from one of the Prophet's traditions narrated by Imam al-Bukhari from the Hadith of Jabir bin 'Abdillah. The author added blessings (shalawat), greetings (salam), and praise to God (hamdalah) at the beginning and end of the prayer, following the recommendation of Imam an-Nawawi (Al-Ghazali, Ihya' 'Ulumiddin, volume I, page 206).

In the concept of istikharah, if what we intend to do is good in the sight of Allah SWT, Allah will usually ease the path and bring about a positive impact. Conversely, if it is not good according to Allah, then Allah will grant us another way. For example, if we want to enter a favorite university: if Allah deems it good, our path will be made easy. Conversely, if that university is not good for us according to Allah, Allah will guide us to a better place.

Sign After Istikharah Prayer

This concept aligns with the content of the supplication we recite, as explained above. This is also emphasized by Shaykh Muḥammad al-Zabīdī as follows:

وإن كان له فيها خيرة سهل الله أسبابها إلى أن تحصل فتكون عاقبتها محمودة، وإن تعذرت الأسباب، ولم يتفق تحصيلها فيعلم أن الله قد اختار تركها فلا يتألم لذلك، وسيحمد عاقبتها تركا كان أو فعلا

Meaning: "If the matter we intend to pursue is deemed good in the sight of Allah, Allah will facilitate its means until it is attained, leading to a praiseworthy outcome. Conversely, if the means become difficult and its attainment is not achieved, know that Allah has chosen for it to be left behind; thus, one should not grieve over it, and its ultimate outcome will be praised, whether left undone or accomplished." (Muḥammad al-Zabīdī, Itḥāf al-Sādah al-Muttaqīn, 2016: Vol. III, p. 776).

Such is the Istikharah prayer that we can practice. Naturally, because Istikharah is a form of supplication, we must not neglect practical, outward effort. In short, effort and prayer must be undertaken together. Praying without effort is futile, while striving without prayer is akin to arrogance. Wa-Llāhu a‘lam (And Allah knows best).