It is useful to know what Dua is for Istikhara with translation. We perform Istikhara when we face difficulty with no power of decision. Istikhara is the best option to get divine help about uncertain matters but withw the right mindset. It is necessary to clarify that the problem for which we are going to do Istikhara should be legal, according to Sharia. The prayer of Istikhara is offered as other obligatory prayers; commonly, it is based on two Rakat, which is offered after doing Wudu. After offering two Rakah prayers, we should offer Dua for Istikhara and remain hopeful of the mercy of Allah Almighty.
Being the best means of getting divine help, thousands of Muslims do Istkhara every day in important matters.
There is famous Hadith about Istikhara in the book of Bukhari, volume 2, book no 21, Hadith no 263,
Jabir bin Abdullah RA said,’ Prophet Muhammad PBUH used to make us learn the way of performing prayer of Istikhara, just like he used to teach us about any of the Holy Quran. If anyone of you wants to do any kind of work (with right mindset), he must offer two Rakah of prayers other than the obligatory prayers then recite the Dua for Istikhara.’
How to perform Istikhara
It is useful to know how to perform Salat al Istikhara and Dua. The method of performing Itikhara is the following.
- First, we should perform ablution and get all the required parts of the body washed as we do in the common obligatory prayers.
- The prayer of Istikhara is based on two Rakah, which we should offer. But the method of these Rakah is different from the other two Rakah; for example, we should Surah Kafirun after Surah Fatih in the first Rakah, similarly, in the second Rakah, we should recite Surah Ikhlas after the recitation of Surah Fatih.
- Then, the rest of the procedure will be like the other prayers. At the end after paying salutation, we should recite following prayer, it was narrated by the Hadith narrated by Jabir Bin Abdullah in the book of Bukhari, Hadith no 263,
‘ Allhauma inni istaghairuka bailmika wa aastadruka baqudrataka wa aas aluka miin fazlikal azeem, fainaaka taqdiroo wala iqdiroo wa taalamoo walaa aalamo wa antaa alaa mul gayoob, Allhuma in Kunta taalaamoo Inna hazza all amraa khairulee fee deeni wa maashi wa aqibataa amree aoo aajila amree wa aajilahee faqdar hoo lee wa yuseer ho lee thumaa bariklee feeha waa in kuntaa taa lammo inna hazal umra sharleee fee deeeni wa maaaashi wa aqqibata aamree aoo aajila amree wa aajila hee faas rif ho aani was raafni aanhuu waqdiir liulkhaira haaaso kana thuma urzaanee bahee ‘
Dua in English
Istikhara dua English translation is the following.
‘ O Allah I seek rightness from the knowledge you have and power from your strength, I ask from you your huge blessings because you have potential, and I don’t have such one. You are all aware of everything, and I am not, you are all aware of hidden things, O Allah if you think that this act which I am doing, is better than for my religion and faith( better for my life and life after death), then make its destination easy for me than increase blessing in it, O Allah, if this work is bad for me, also against my religion and my faith, for my life and death, make me turn from it and make it away from me and which is better for me, make my destination those work which is better for me.’
It is a wide Dua in all aspects. It is our religious responsibility that we should seek help from Allah Almighty, and whatever instructions he gives us, we should act upon it.
There are some misconceptions about the prayer of Istikhara. For example,
Slat of Istikhar is only the prayer that we can offer for marriage.
One of the misconceptions is that it is the only prayer about marriage, but the reality is that according to Hadith of the Prophet PBUH discussed above, whenever any matter with the right mindset comes with no mental satisfaction, we can get Allah’s help by praying prayer of Istikhara. Hence, the Hadith proves that it is not only the payer of marriage. We can take help in any legal matter what we face in the world.
It is for a huge decision, not for small matters.
We are Muslims, and it is our religious obligation to take help in any matter from Allah Almighty. Allah becomes happy with those who seek guidance from him. Similarly, he becomes unhappy with those who do not seek guidance from Allah Almighty. The prayer of Istikhara is for your every matter regardless of the volume of matters short or long. We are free to take help from Allah Almighty because he is the manager of the affairs of our universe; no one is equal to his power. There is Hadith about the prayer of Istikhara, which means that it is verified by Prophet Muhammad PBUH.
Asking others to perform Istikhara
We have observed many times in the advertisement in the newspapers in the Muslim countries that some people offer praying of Istikhara; they take money for doing so. It is completely wrong; we cannot find such an example in the history of Islam, particularly in the time of Prophet PBUH and their caliph RA. We all know that Allah Almighty also helps those who do not acknowledge his, his powers over all the affairs. It is meaningless to ask others to perform Istikhara. It is also against the blessings of Allah Almighty over the persons. Therefore, we should completely avoid it.
The willingness of Allah Almighty comes in the dream.
It is one of the great misconceptions about Istikharah. People always think that the willingness of Allah Almighty comes in the form of a dream. But in fact, the reality is that Allah Almighty gives you powers to do such type of act, he is willing on, and it is also the reality that he may make some task difficult enough for us, we cannot even think to do it.
Different Dua about Istikhara
There are also some different Duas for Istikhara, which we can recite at the end of reciting Dua narrated by Jabir bin Abdullah RA.
These Dua are following.
Dua no 1
If we seek help and divine guidance of Allah Almighty In the particular legal task, we should offer this Dua immediately.
Dua in Arabic language
‘ Astagfirullaha fee jamee a aumoooori kuliha khairataan fee aafia .’
We should recite this Dua; it will help us to get divine help from Allah Almighty. In fact, Allah is the owner of the world who is solely responsible for all the affairs of the universe; he does not get anyone help because he has all the powers and authorities. Luckily, he helps us in the completion of tasks; what we have to show is seeking help. Allah will definitely help us in all the affairs of the universe.
Dua no 2
Allahuma silla Alla Muhammad wa aala Muhammad
We should bear in mind the task that we want to do and recite Darood Shareef written above at the end of the prayer necessary for Istikhara.
It is short, hence easy to recite. Allah becomes pleasureful with the person who seeks help from Allah Almighty because, in fact, this shows the superiority of Allah over all the affairs of the universe. Those who do not require help from Allah Almighty cannot get success in securing Allah’s happiness. Reciting this Darood Shareif at the end of the Istikhara Dua is very helpful in achieving the daunting tasks.
Dua no 3
‘ Allahuma inee tafa altu bikitaa bika wat aa wakul to alika faa ari nee miin kitabika maa hoaa maktoobon min sirakal maknoona fee aiiineeka. ‘
This is also the Dua, which we can recite at the end of the istikhara prayer, which is also helpful in achieving the required tasks. Allah’s help will necessarily come when the person has the right mindset; for example, the purpose of doing the task is not to damage someone. Allah will help those people who seek help from Allah because he is the best manager of affairs. We should seek help from Allah with the right intentions. It is impossible that Allah will not help us.
Dua no 4
‘ in kaana fee qazaika Wa qarika in tumnaa ala jameeain aala Muhammad bafarrjiin wa laika wa hujataka aalla khulqika faaakrij aleeena aayattim min kitabbika nastadilo bihaa aala zaalika..’
We should also perform this Dua at the end of the Istikhara prayer narrated with Hadith of Jabir bin Abdullah RA. Allah’s help is necessary to achieve the tasks. We are lucky enough that Allah helps those who do not acknowledge his powers. It is a beautiful opportunity for us to achieve the help of Allah Almighty by reciting this Dua.
These are some of the additional dua which we can recite to get the help of Allah Almighty. But it is necessary to recite the Dua, which is special for Istikhara purpose.
Different Question about Dua for Istikhara
There are different questions about Dua for Istikhara. It is useful for us to know about these questions.
The absence of an answer from Allah Almighty?
We all know that Allah almighty knows all the affairs of the universe; either these affairs are hidden and obvious; it is nature of the person that he wants all the things done in a few minutes; in fact, he cannot wait. Similarly, when a Muslim offers prayers and offer Dua at the end, he wants his Dua to be accepted by Allah Almighty soon, but on the other hand, Allah knows well what decision is best for the person because he knows all the affairs of the universe. He takes the right decision about timing, purpose, and multiple other things.
And, we think here that this is the absence of a response from Allah Almighty, it also may also happen thus that possession of the things may be dangerous for the person.
Can we recite Darood Shareef after offering Dua of Istikhara?
In Islam, there is a great designation of Prophet Muhammad PBUH; for example, he is the last Prophet of Allah Almighty, there is no prophet after him until The Day of judgment. In the holy Quran, Allah himself takes the name of Prophet Muhammad PBUH to create contact with him. All these are the honor of the last Prophet PBUH. Darood Shareef is presented in regard to Prophet PBUH. We can recite Darood Shareef at the start and end of the Istikhara prayer. In the holy Quran, Allah has himself said that my angels and I send Darood Shareef to Prophet PBUH. Therefore, we should also recite Darood Shareef.
What is Adab (Etiquettes ) for Dua of Istikhara?
There are some rules and regulations for seeking Allah’s help in any matter. Commonly, we are bound to follow the directions when we go to a higher authority. Similarly, we have to follow the rules when we have to present before Allah Almighty. For example, we do ablution when we have to offer prayer. Similarly, for Dua, we have to raise our hands and sit with etiquettes. We have to see in our hands when we offer Dua for us. We should not raise our head to the Sky because it is a disgrace to Allah Almighty, and he does not like it. It Is better to recite Darood Shareef at the start and end of Dua.
Can we make Dua in our own language after Istikhara prayer?
It is one of the important questions that we can make Dua in our own language after Istikhara prayer. We all know that Allah knows all of us and what is in our hearts. We cannot make anything hidden to him because he has all the powers. Similarly, if we recite Dua in our own language, he knows what they are saying. But it is important that we should recite special Dua of Istikhara in the Arabic language. We should also have it in our minds that Allah loves the Arabic language. Children and adults can easily learn Dua in the Arabic language.
Istikhara for different matters
We can do Istikhara for different matters.
Istikhara for financial matters
We can do istikhara for financial matters, for example, if we want to invest some money in any business. To avoid a heavy loss, if we do Istikhara, it will prove helpful in this regard. There are other matters that to start to the business; for such matters, we can take help of Allah Almighty because he knows the present, past, and future of us. The only condition is that the money and business are legal, which you are going to invest in. We cannot do this in any illegal matters. It is one of the important matters for which the Muslims do Istikhara.
Istikhara for marriage purpose
Marriage is one of the key decisions which we need to take once in life. Every parent wants good husbands for their daughters, particularly in Islamic society, because they cannot see their children in trouble. The problem is that how can we be successful in finding good relatives ahead. The only best option is Dua for Istikhara. In different words, we can also say that it is the advice of Allah Almighty, which we should necessarily take to act upon. Inshallah, in this way, Allah will help us because Allah better knows what is good and what is bad for the person.
Istikhara for other matters
We can easily say Istikhara is another name of taking advice from Allah Almighty. There are thousands of matters in which we have to take Allah’s help; such kind of spiritual help from Allah Almighty assists us in making better decisions in our favor.
For example, if we want to go somewhere, for example, going abroad for study purposes, we should do Istikhara for this purpose because Allah knows better what is good for us and what is better for us.
Similarly, if we are in a bad situation and want to take the decision to get out of this situation, we should do Istikhara for this purpose how the decision will make the situation better. Inshallah, Allah will help us.
There are multiple other situations in which we have to take divine, the only source of divine help is Allah Almighty, we should take his help. We should not refuse this option. It is the way by which we can be successful.
Etiquettes of Dua for Istikhara
There are some etiquettes of Dua for Istikhara. Definitely, if we are going to Allah Almighty, who is the owner of the universe, we should adopt some etiquettes because we also adopt etiquettes when we go to offices of the highest authorities.
We should have complete faith in Allah.
It is necessary that we should have complete faith in Allah Almighty, we should recognize his power over all the affairs of the universe. He knows what is better for us and what is bad for us. It is the first rules we have to follow when we will go to Allah, taking our request to be blessed. For such purpose, we should bear in mind the different names of Allah Almighty, which plays a very important role when we start praise of Allah Almighty. On the other hand, if we do not have faith in Allah Almighty, he will also give us in this case because he does not ever refuse to bless non-Muslims. If our faith in Allah Almighty is weak, we should make it strong, so we will be able to be blessed. We should also know how we can praise Allah Almighty.
We should perform Dua, particularly at specific times.
When we make Dua for our needs to Allah Almighty, he becomes happy with us. Similarly, when a person does not need to make Dua, Allah becomes unhappy with him. Allah is merciful, and he wants us to be blessed.
- We should pray at particular times for our Dua to be accepted; for example, at night, which is the best time.
- The morning is also the best time for blessings as our mind is fresh and in peace at this time.
- We should also follow other rules and regulations, particularly when we offer Dua for Istikhara.
Offering Dua at night times
We should offer Dua for Istikhara at night times; it is the times in which Prophet PBUH used to offer Dua to Allah Almighty, Tahajad time is the most blessed time, through which the man was bestowed. In a Hadith of the Holy Prophet PBUH, it was written that Allah comes in the lower part of Sky and announces that is there anybody who wants to get from me, Allah repeats these questions three times. We should also prefer night times for Dua for Istikhara because it is one of the blessed times.
Don’t be in hasten
It is natural to humans that he wants everything quickly. We have the belief that Allah Almighty knows what is better for humans and what is bad. He also knows the hidden affairs of us as well as the obvious one. We should also keep the belief that Allah will give us what we need; we should also keep in mind if the possession of the required things is not good for us, he will not bless us. We should not think that we have recited Dua for Istkhara; it will not happen that Allah will not give us; instead, we should leave our choice on Allah Almighty and be happy with his decision.
Conclusion
Dua for Istikhara is one of the best tools by which we can get help from Allah Almighty. But, it is necessary that we should not always keep in mind that what we want from Allah, he will give us and he will never refuse us. It may happen that possession of the required thing is dangerous for us. Instead, we should have in mind that what will be better for us, he will choose that thing.
