283. Istikhara Dua
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
Istikhara Dua English Transliteration
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
Istikhara Dua English Translation
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)
Hadith about the Dua
Arabic Text
عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُعَلِّمُنَا الاِسْتِخَارَةَ فِي الأُمُورِ كُلِّهَا كَمَا يُعَلِّمُنَا السُّورَةَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ يَقُولُ " إِذَا هَمَّ أَحَدُكُمْ بِالأَمْرِ فَلْيَرْكَعْ رَكْعَتَيْنِ مِنْ غَيْرِ الْفَرِيضَةِ ثُمَّ لِيَقُلِ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ، وَأَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْعَظِيمِ، فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلاَ أَقْدِرُ، وَتَعْلَمُ وَلاَ أَعْلَمُ، وَأَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوبِ، اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الأَمْرَ ـــ ثُمَّ تُسَمِّيهِ بِعَيْنِهِ ـــ خَيْرٌ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي ـــ أَوْ قَالَ عَاجِلِ أَمْرِي وَآجِلِهِ ـــ فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي، ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ، وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي ـــ أَوْ قَالَ فِي عَاجِلِ أَمْرِي وَآجِلِهِ ـــ فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ، وَاقْدُرْ لِيَ الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِي " . قَالَ : " وَيُسَمِّي حَاجَتَهُ " .
Jabir bin ‘Abdullah reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to teach us the way of doing Istikhara in all matters as he taught us the Surahs of the Qur’an. He said, “If anyone of you thinks of doing any job he should offer a two rak‘at prayer other than the obligatory ones and say: ‘O Allah! I seek Your guidance [in making a choice] by virtue of Your knowledge, and I seek ability by virtue of Your power, and I ask You of Your great bounty. You have power, I have none. And You know, I know not. You are the Knower of hidden things. O Allah! If in Your knowledge, this matter (then mention the matter specifically) 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 Your knowledge it is bad for me and for my religion, my livelihood and my affairs (or: for me both in this world and the Hereafter), then turn it away from me, and turn me away from it, and ordain for me the good wherever it may be and make me pleased with it.’” He (ﷺ) added that then the person should mention his need.