Definition of Istikhara and Background of Istikhara Facts.
Istikhara is made of goodness, which means seeking goodness from Allah Ta’ala.
In the Age of Ignorance, it was customary that when something important was to be done, for example, a journey a marriage or a big deal was to be done, then they used arrows to cast fortunes. Was written: أَمَرَنِيْ رَبِّيْ (my Lord commanded me) and on an arrow was written: نَهَانِيْ رَبِّيْ (My Lord forbade me) And an arrow were without a mark, there was no chapter written on it, the neighbor would shake the bag and say to the person who asked for the Qal to put his hand and pull out an arrow! If an arrow with an unmarked rib came out, that person would work, and if an arrow with a hidden rib came out, he would stop working, and if an unmarked arrow came into his hand, the fortune would be drawn again. Its sanctity was revealed through Surat al-Maida verse 3 and there are two reasons for its sanctity:
1 This is a baseless act and the reason for not being related to God Almighty.
2 It is a false accusation against Allah that Allah has commanded or that Allah has forbidden, although this is completely false and without evidence. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) taught Istikhara to his Companions (RA) instead of the method mentioned earlier of fortune-telling.
The need for Istikhara
Every person’s knowledge is not perfect because not every person is knowledgeable and not every person is popular. If there is doubt, in the blessed hadiths, the teachings of ‘Istikhara’ have been given for this and it has been said that when there is special and important work to be done, pray the two rakat prayers and pray to Allah for guidance and ease in the work. Should be taken.
Importance of Istikhara
The importance of Istikhara has been mentioned in various hadiths. For brevity, the translation of 3 of these hadiths is given below.
- Hazrat Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) says: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to teach us Istikhara in all matters in the same way as he used to teach the Surahs of the Holy Quran. (Tirmizhi p. 109, vol. 1)
- Hazrat Saeed, may Allah be pleased with him, says that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said! The good fortune of the son of Adam (man) is that he is satisfied with what Allah Almighty has written for him, and the misfortune of the son of Adam is that he stops asking Allah for good and goodness. Also, the misfortune of the son of Adam is that he is unhappy and angry with what has been written for him. (Mishkwt, 5303)
- Hazrat Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: He who makes Istikhara is never idle, and he who consults does not regret it. (Narrated by Al-Tabarani in Al-Saghir and Al-Awsat)
The wisdom and benefit of Istikhara
The wisdom in Istikhara is that when a servant asks for guidance from the All-Knowing Lord, submits his matter to his preceptor and is fully interested in knowing his will, then Allah guides and helps his servant. , is the door of mercy from Allah Ta’ala. And the path of good is paved for the servant, so Istikhara is not just a coincidence but a strong foundation for it.
Also, one of the great benefits of Istikhara is that a person adopts the attribute of an angel because the person doing Istikhara leaves his personal opinion and submits his will to the will of Allah Almighty.
Order of Istikhara
Istikhara in legitimate works is masnoon. There is a lot of inspiration for it in the blessed hadiths.
Istikhara is done in difficult cases
Istikhara is done only in the case in which there is a possibility of both profit and loss, and the rest of the work that is customary or Sharia is beneficial or misr (or if it is Fard, Wajib or Haram), then he starts doing Istikhara in it or If someone initiates Istikhara for an illegal act, then it is not right to talk about Istikhara for such an act, but it is sharia.
Who should do Istikhara?
Nowadays, it is generally seen that in any urgent matter, Istikharah is done by a peer, scholar, etc. instead of doing it yourself. Some people consider themselves sinners and do not consider themselves worthy of Istikhara and consider it necessary and necessary to do Istikhara from a scholar or an elder. In this regard, it should be understood that the Shariat did not impose any condition for Istikhara that no sinful person should do Istikhara, only a saint should do it. Also, in the blessed hadiths, it is ordered to perform Istikhara on the subject himself. In the supplication of Istikhara, all the expressions are for the subject as if he is a seeker of good. Therefore, the Masnoon and the best way is for the person to perform Istikhara himself. In this, the reward of acting on the Sunnah will also be given. However, asking for istikhara from a pious and righteous person is not permissible and it is not a sin either.
Method of Istikhara
When you want to perform Istikhara in a matter, do ablution and wear clean clothes, lie on your right side on a clean bed and recite Surah Wal Shams seven times, Surah Al Lail seven times and Surah Ikhlas seven times. After reading, recite this dua:
اللَّهُمَّ أَرِنِيْ مَنَامِيْ مَا كَذَا وَكَذَا وَاجْعَلْ لِیْ مِنْ أَمْرِيْ
فَرَجًا وَ مَخْرَجًا وَ أَرِنِيْ فِيْ مَنَامِيْ مَآ اَسْتَدِ لُّ بِهٖ عَلَى
إجَابَةِ دَعْوَتِيْ
First, it will be known on the first night itself and not on the second or third night, so do this for seven nights, God willing, the situation will be revealed.
Duration and time of Istikhara
The Sharia does not specify any period for Istikhara, so if the heart does not feel like it on one day, then do the same on the other day. Do it in the same way for seven days, then do it as you think is best. Also, since no specific time has been specified for Istikhara in the blessed hadiths, the Nafl of Istikhara can be recited at any time of the day or night. No night allocation for this. However, since night is a time of solitude and solitude, istikhara is usually performed at that time.
How does a servant get guidance from Allah Ta’ala?
In Hadith Sharif, it is not specified how the servant will receive guidance. It is the experience of the servants of Allah Ta’ala that this guidance is sometimes through prophetic signs in dreams etc. and sometimes it also happens that the desire to do this work is strongly generated in the heart, or vice versa. The heart is completely removed. In such a case, any of these two conditions should be considered as the result of supplication from Allah and if after Istikhara there is no change in one’s condition, then Istikhara should be repeated.
Order to do according to Istikhara or against it
After performing Istikhara, one should adopt the thing towards which the heart is inclined and the external circumstances seem to be in favour of it, but if the heart is inclined to one side, but due to the external circumstances and expediency, it should be adopted. If there is a preference, it should be accepted and followed and this should not be considered as a violation of Istikhara. An important and attention-grabbing point is that some people take Istikhara as the basis for their affairs and ignore the other most important act of advice, even though a Muslim should perform Istikhara when doing something. Consult your well-wishers, elders and those who have a good understanding of this work about this work. Because advice is a Qur’anic order, it is Masnoon, and there is a lot of emphasis on advice in the blessed hadiths.
A necessary clarification
Despite doing istikhara and counselling according to the above-mentioned method, if later the result seems to be unfavourable, then a person should not want to give up istikhara and counselling but should consider that Allah has protected me from evil and this is better for me. The reality of which is hidden from the eyes, but everything will be revealed on the Day of Resurrection, it is not even possible for us to reach the wisdom of the Almighty.
Istikhara prayer:
اللَّهُمَّ اِنِّي اَسْتَخِيْرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ وَاَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ
وَاَسْئَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْعَظِيمِ فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلَا أَقْدِرُ
وَتَعْلَمُ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوبِ اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنْ
كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ اَنَّ هٰذَا الْاَمْرَ خَيْرٌ لِّيْ فِیْ دِيْنِيْ وَمَعَاشِيْ
وَعَاقِبَةِ اَمْرِىْ فَاقْدِرْهُ لِيْ وَیَسِّرْهُ لِیْ ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِیْ فِيْهِ
وَاِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ اَنَّ هٰذَا الْاَمْرَ شَرٌّلِّیْ فَيْ دَيْنِیْ وَمَعَاشِيْ
وَعَاقِبَةِ اَمْرِىْ فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّى وَاصْرِفْنِيْ عَنْهُ وَاقْدِرْلِیَ الْخَيْرَ
حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ اَرْضِنىْ بِهٖ
And when it comes to the first word that is made of, then while reading it, pay attention to the work for which you want to make a metaphor.
Translation:
O Allah, with Your knowledge I seek improvement and with Your power, I seek to be able and I ask You for Your great grace because You have power and I do not have power and You know and I do not. know And You are the All-Knower of the Unseen, O Allah! If You know this work to be beneficial and better for me in religion and worldly life and the hereafter or my world and the hereafter, then make it easy for me. Then bless me in it and if He knows that this work is harmful for me in my religion and this world and my end or in this world and the hereafter, then turn it away from me and make it better and profitable for me. Wherever he is give me happiness from him
After the prayer turn towards the Qibla and read these (33,33,33) words and go to sleep.
اللَّهُمَّ يَا عَلِيمٌ عَلَمْنِي
اللَّهُمَّ يَا خَبِيرٌ أَخْبِرْنِي
اللَّهُمَّ يَا رَشِيدُ أَرْشِدْنِي
