“Dua e Istikhara” is an Arabic term that means “the prayer of seeking guidance.” It is a traditional Islamic practice when someone wants to make a big decision, like choosing a spouse, buying a house, or starting a new business.
A dua e Istikhara asks Allah for guidance and direction in one’s life. To get advice from God, a person will say a special prayer and then think about their dreams or situations. In Arabic, here is the dua e istikhara:
اللهم إني أستخيرك بعلمك، وأستعينك بقدرتك، وأسألك من فضلك العظيم، في الأمر الذي يشابه لي أن أتخيره أو لا أتخيره، فائخر لي الخير حيث كان، ثم أرضني به.
O Allah, I seek Your guidance [in making a choice] through Your knowledge, and I seek assistance through Your power, and I ask You for Your great bounty. You are capable, while I am not. You know, while I do not, and You are the All-Knowing of the Unseen.
Istikhara is a prayer or dua in Islam performed when a person is making an important decision and seeking guidance from Allah (God) about the outcome of the decision. The word “Istikhara” comes from the Arabic word “Istikhara,” which means “to seek guidance.” Intikhara seeks Allah’s guidance in making decisions and gaining insight into the consequences of those decisions.
The Istikhara dua is performed in the following way:
- Perform the ablution (Wudu)
- Pray two cycles (Rakats) of the optional (Nafl) prayer.
- Recite the Istikhara Dua, which goes like this
“O Allah, I want Your guidance through Your knowledge, Your skill through Your power, and Your great favor.” You have power; I have none. And you know what? I don’t.” You are the knower of hidden things. “Ollaif, if, in Your knowledge, this matter (then mention the matter) is good for me both in this world and in the Hereafter (or: in my religion, my livelihood, and my affairs), then ordain it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me.” “And if, in our knowledge, this matter (then mention the point) is not good for me and not good for my childhood, my affairs, then turn it away from me and turn me away from it, and ordain for me the good wherever it may be, and ordain for me the good wherever it may be, then, then turn me away from it, and ordain
The person should fully believe in Allah’s decision and follow their instructions after praying. Istikhara can produce results in several ways, such as dreams, intuition, or events.
Dua e Istikhara in Arabic
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
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 الأَمْرَ خَيْرٌ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي، فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي، ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ، وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي، فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ وَاقْدُرْ لِي الخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِي بِهِ
Istikhara Dua in English
“O Allah, I ask You for guidance by Your knowledge, and strength by Your power, and from Your immense favor. You have power, and I have none. You know, and I lack knowledge. You are the knower of the unseen. O Allah, if You know that this matter [mention the decision or matter you want to seek guidance for] is good for me in my religion, livelihood, and affairs, then ordain it for me, make it easy for me, and bless me in it. And if You know that “If this matter is harmful to me in my religion, my livelihood, and my affairs, then remove it from me and remove me from it, and ordain for me the good wherever it may be and make me content with it.”
“Dua e Istikhara” is a prayer in Islam performed when seeking guidance from Allah (God) in making a decision. Here is the Urdu translation of the “Dua e Istikhara”:
Istikhara Dua in Urdu
“اے اللہ، میں تیرے علم کی وجہ سے تیری رہنمائی چاہتا ہوں، اور میں تیری قدرت کی وجہ سے قابلیت چاہتا ہوں، اور میں تجھ سے تیرے عظیم فضل کا سوال کرتا ہوں، تو قدرت رکھتا ہے، میرے پاس کوئی نہیں، اور تو جانتا ہے۔ میں نہیں جانتا، تو پوشیدہ باتوں کا جاننے والا ہے، اے اللہ اگر تیرے علم میں یہ معاملہ (تو ذکر فرما) تو میرے لیے دنیا اور آخرت دونوں میں بھلائی ہے (یا: میرے دین میں، میری روزی میں) اور میرے معاملات)، پھر اسے میرے لیے مقرر فرما، میرے لیے آسان فرما، اور میرے لیے اس میں برکت عطا فرما، اور اگر تیرے علم میں یہ میرے لیے اور میرے دین، میری روزی اور میرے معاملات کے لیے برا ہے (یا: میرے لیے دونوں) اس دنیا اور آخرت میں) پھر اسے مجھ سے پھیر دے اور مجھے اس سے دور کردے اور میرے لیے جہاں کہیں بھی بھلائی لکھ دے اور مجھے اس سے راضی کر دے۔
How to Pray Istikhara Dua?
Dua e Istikhara is a special prayer that Muslims say when they want to ask Allah (God) for advice before making a big decision. Here is the general process for performing Istikhara:
Salah: Before performing the Istikhara, you may offer two Rakats of the Nafl Salah.
Make the intention in your heart to seek Allah’s guidance on the decision you need to make.
After reciting the Istikhara Dua, choose based on your feelings and what your gut tells you. Some people may feel a sense of peace and clarity, while others may not have a clear answer.
When to Pray Istikhara?
The best time to perform Dau e Istikhara is vague. The important thing is to be sincere and focused when praying and to trust Allah’s guidance.
Here are a few more points to keep in mind when performing the Dua e Istikhara :
The answer to an Istikhara prayer may not come immediately, so it’s important to be patient and trust that Allah will show you what to do.
When making the Dua e Istikhara, it is important to approach Allah with humility and to recognize that the outcome is ultimately in His hands.
After making the Istikhara dua, it is important to follow your intuition and decide based on your circumstances.
The Istikhara dua can help you get guidance from Allah, but it can also be helpful to ask trusted friends, family members, or religious leaders for advice.
Remember, the Dua e Istikhara is just one of the many ways Muslims can seek guidance from Allah on The Quran. Ultimately, it is up to each individual to decide based on their circumstances and intuition and trust Allah’s plan for their life.
8 Powerful Benefits of Dua e Istikhara
There explore study provides several benefits to performing the Istikhara dua:
The main goal of the Istikhara dua is to ask Allah for advice on what to do. By making this prayer, Muslims can feel confident that they are making a decision that is in line with Allah’s will.
By seeking guidance from Allah, one can feel a sense of peace and reassurance, knowing that they are doing their best to make a decision that is in line with His will.
The Istikhara dua can help people make well-informed choices by guiding them from Allah and time to think about all the important factors.
Using the Istikhara dua to ask Allah for guidance is a good way to get to know Him better and feel closer to Him.
Making the Istikhara dua can help individuals feel more relaxed and less stressed about a decision, knowing that they are doing their best to seek guidance from Allah.
6. Receiving a clearer understanding of one’s situation
The Istikhara dua can help individuals understand their circumstances and make a decision that is in line with Allah’s will.
They are making the Istikhara dua can help people develop a stronger trust in Allah by realizing that a choice’s outcome is in His hands.
The Istikhara dua can help people improve by encouraging them to think about all the important factors and ask Allah for guidance.
In conclusion, the Dua e Istikhara is a powerful tool for seeking guidance from Allah in making important decisions. By making this prayer, individuals can feel confident that they are making a decision that aligns with Allah’s will and considers all relevant factors. Performing the Istikhara dua can also help individuals to deepen their relationship with Allah, increase their trust in Him, and feel more relaxed and at peace about a decision.
Answer. Dua e Istikhara is Sanskrit for “to seek the best of things.” It is a Sunnah prayer of two Rakat to ask Allah s.w.t. for guidance on whether to move forward or to back off from the situation.
Answer. Salat al-Lail and Salat al-Fajr, the morning prayer, are appropriate times for performing Dua e Istikhara. Salat al-Lail is an optional prayer during the night.
Answer. If you correctly perform the salah of guidance (Istikhara), the most important of which is to entrust the stuff to Allah and dangle your feelings, Allah will make events clear in the best way for your worldly and next-worldly affairs.
Answer. “O Allah, I seek Your decision through Your knowledge and Your decree through Your ability, and I seek Your favor,” he (peace be upon him) said.
Answer. Istikhara is praying two Rakahs of salah and then reciting the Istikhara dua to seek Allah’s guidance. Istikhara can be performed at any time except during Mukrooh Aowqat. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) had advised Hazrat Anas (R.A.) to do Istikhara seven times.
Answer. The Istikhara should ideally be performed up to seven times on different days if you are still determining it will turn out. You might not always get the answer you’re looking for in the form of a dream or even a “feeling.”
Originally published at https://explorestudy.org on February 11, 2023.
