Istikhara Dua :
Salat al-istikhara is two rakat. Prophet Mohammad said when one of you is about to decide something, let him or her offer two rakat. Then, he or she should say: “Allahumma, I ask for Your guidance with Your thorough knowledge. I ask You to help me with Your might. I ask for Your favors. Allahumma, You know while I don’t. My Lord, You can, while I can’t. Rabbi, You know the unknown and the unseen. allahumma, If You know about this issue, naming it; for example, he could say: “My marriage to (….), or my travel to (….), or buying (…..) etc. Allahumma, if this decision is good for me, in my religion, my worldly life and my hereafter, make it easy for me, bless it for me. If You know that it is bad for me, in my life, my religion or my hereafter, discourage me from taking such a decision.”
How to perform salat al-istikhara:
Like all the other prayers, scholrars recommended salat al-istikhara for a muslim. A muslim offers two rakat in the usual manner. A muslim reads in each rakat surah al-fatiha and some verses of the Holy Quran. afterwards, a muslim makes ruku’ and sujud in the usual manner. After finishing the acts of the prayer, he or she raises their hands. At that point, he or she asks Allah to decide for him or her. He or she implores their lord to decide the best and the most useful thing for him or her. He or she explains to Allah their issue and need for which he or she is doing istikhara. If it is marriage, travel, buying or selling something, they ask Allah for the best outcome and result.
Al-istikhara themes and its recommended times:
It is worth mentioning that salat al-istikhara is about the permissible matters in Islam. When doing something is equal to not doing it, such as traveling, marriage, etc, a muslim should perform salat al-istikhara. Salat al-istikhara is not about obligatory or forbidden things. Salat al-istikhara can be performed anytime of the day, provided that the time of prayer is permissible. It is worth mentioning that there are two not recommended times for prayer in Islam. The first not recommended time for voluntary prayer is the time from after al-asr prayer till the sunset. The second not recommended time of voluntary prayer is from after al-fajr prayer till the sunrise. The third not recommended time of voluntary prayer is when the sun is high in the sky after al-dhuhr prayer.
How to know the result of istikhara:
It is preferable to pray al-istikhara just before going to bed at night. Istikhara for marriage, for example, is performed after making the proposal. The fiancee performs al-istikhara to know that the suitor is a suitable man. The time of istikhara is the time of taking the decision, not before or after taking the decision. The Muslim who performs al-istikhara prayer knows the result of al-istikhara through some signs. These signs can appear for him as a feeling of relief he or she experiences. It is not necessary for the Muslim to have a certain indicative dream.
