Section: Some special prayers
283. Dua of Istikhara
اَللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيْرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ، وَأَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْعَظِيمِ فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلَا أَقْدِرُ وَتَعْلَمُ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوْبِ اَللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ (وَيُسَمِّي حَاجَتَهُ) خَيْرٌ لِي فِي دِيْنِيْ وَمَعَاشِيْ وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِيْ، فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ. [اَللَّهُمَّ] وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِيْنِيْ وَمَعَاشِيْ وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِيْ فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ وَاقْدُرْ لِيَ الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِيْ بِهِ
اَللّٰهُمَّ اِنِّيْ اَسْتَخِيْرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ، وَاَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ وَاَسْاَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْعَظِيْمِ فَاِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلَا اَقْدِرُ وَتَعْلَمُ وَلَا اَعْلَمُ وَاَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوْبِ اَللّٰهُمَّ اِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ اَنَّ هَذٰا الْاَمْرَ (وَيُسَمِّيْ حَاجَتَهٗ) خَيْرٌ لِيْ فِيْ دِيْنِيْ وَمَعَاشِيْ وَعَاقِبَةِ اَمْرِيْ، فَاقْدُرْهُ لِيْ وَيَسِّرْهُ لِيْ ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِيْ فِيْهِ. [اَللّٰهُمَّ] وَاِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ اَنَّ هَذٰا الْاَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِيْ فِيْ دِيْنِيْ وَمَعَاشِيْ وَعَاقِبَةِ اَمْرِيْ فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّيْ وَاصْرِفْنِيْ عَنْهُ وَاقْدُرْ لِيَ الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ اَرْضِنِيْ بِهٖ
Allaahumma inni astakhiruka bi'ilmika, Wa astaqdiruka bi-qudratika, Wa as'aluka min fadlika Al-'azim Fa-innaka taqdiru Wala aqdiru, Wa ta'lamu Wala a'lamu, Wa anta 'allamul-ghuyub. Allaahumma, in kunta ta'lamu anna hadhal-amra Khairun li fi dini wa ma'ashi wa'aqibati `Amri, Faqdurhu li wa yas-sirhu li thumma barik li Fih, (Allaahumma) Wa in kunta ta'lamu anna hadhal-amra shar-run li fi dini wa ma'ashi wa'aqibati `Amri Fasrifhu anni was-rifni anhu. Waqdur li al-khaira haithu kana Thumma ardini bih
O Allah! I ask guidance from Your knowledge, And Power from Your Might and I ask for Your great blessings. You are capable and I am not. You know and I do not and You know the unseen. O Allah! If You know that this job is good for my religion and my subsistence and in my Hereafter. Then You ordain it for me and make it easy for me to get, And then bless me in it, and if You know that this job is harmful to me In my religion and subsistence and in the Hereafter. Then keep it away from me and let me be away from it. And ordain for me whatever is good for me, And make me satisfied with it.
On the authority of Jaabir Ibn 'Adbullaah (RA), he said: The Prophet (ﷺ) would instruct us to pray for guidance in all of our concerns, just as he would teach us a Soorah from the Quran. He would say: 'If any of you intends to undertake a matter then let him pray two supererogatory units [two rak'ah naafilah] of prayer and after which he should supplicate: (the above mentioned dua)
284. The prayer of repentance
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "If a servant commits a sin, then performs ablution properly, then stands up and prays two rak'ats and seeks forgiveness from Allah, Allah will surely forgive him." Then he recited this verse –
وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا فَاحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا اللَّهَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَن يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّوا عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلُوا وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿١٣٥﴾ أُولَٰئِكَ جَزَاؤُهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَجَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ وَنِعْمَ أَجْرُ الْعَامِلِينَ ﴿١٣٦﴾
وَالَّذِينَ اِذَا فَعَلُوْا فَاحِشَةً اَوْ ظَلَمُوْا اَنْفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا اللّٰهَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوْا لِذُنُوْبِهِمْ وَمَن يَّغْفِرُ الذُّنُوْبَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّوْا عَلٰى مَا فَعَلُوْا وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿١٣٥﴾ اُولٰئِكَ جَزَاؤُهُمْ مَّغْفِرَةٌ مِّنْ رَّبِّهِمْ وَجَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِيْ مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْاَنْهَارُ خَالِدِيْنَ فِيْهَا ۚ وَنِعْمَ اَجْرُ الْعَامِلِيْنَ ﴿١٣٦﴾
(135) And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins - and who can forgive sins except Allah ? - and [who] do not persist in what they have done while they know. (136) Those - their reward is forgiveness from their Lord and gardens beneath which rivers flow [in Paradise], wherein they will abide eternally; and excellent is the reward of the [righteous] workers. (Sura Ali Imran 3:135-136)