Don’t you wish sometimes, when you feel unsure and in between things, not knowing which direction to go, which decision to make, don’t you wish then to have a magical helping tool that could lead you towards the best?
You know what? There is such tool and there is even a very specific one, the Istikhaara prayer, which could be called the shield and the guide of the believer.
Subhanallah, by praying two raka’ and then reciting the very specific text of that prayer, naming the affair you need to be guided in and putting your trust in Allah, you will be rewarded with His guidance towards the best.
This prayer does not only work before major decisions to make, but also concerning simple mundane and daily things as well.
If you feel still unsure and struggling after having prayed, repeat it up until seven times and then remain patient.
It will not necessarily happen that you will dream about an answer or clearly see big signs on how to continue things. But if you really put your trust in Allah and if you really give the decision into His hands, then He will guide you; He will put peace into your heart and all the steps you undertake afterwards will be easier and the right ones, inchaallah.
Alhamdulillah, I can assure you through my own experience that it works. Just recently I prayed for example to know whether to get some cats as pets or not, which direction to take concerning our projects and also to get clear guidance in my healing way. Subhanallah, I was unsure about all these things and not knowing what to do, but I know now for sure that I do not want pets at the moment, I see that the projects work in smoother ways and I know now which way to take concerning my inner child.
Mashaallah, so whenever it comes to doubts or if you can’t make up your mind, take time to make the Istikhaara prayer to guide you and leave the decision up to Allah.
May Allah help you and respond to your needs, ameen!
Here you find the text of the prayer in English and Arabic transcription. I have imprinted a copy of it and hold it in my hand while praying, reading the Arabic text first and then the English one to better understand what I intended to say.
“O Allah, I ask You to show me what is best, through Your knowledge, and I ask You to empower me, through Your power, and I beg You to grant me Your tremendous favour,
for You have power, while I am without power, and You have knowledge, while I am without knowledge, and You are the One who knows all things invisible.
O Allah, if You know that this undertaking (naming the affair) is in the best interests of my religion, my life in this world, and my life in the hereafter, and can yield successful results in both the short term and the long term, then make it possible for me and make it easy for me, and then bless me in it.
If not, then turn it away from me, and make it easy for me to do well, wherever I may happen to be, and make me content with Your verdict, O Most Merciful of the merciful.’”
“Allahumma inni astakhiru-ka bi-’ilmi-ka wa astaqdiru-ka bi-qudrati-ka wa as’alu-ka min fadli-ka ‘l-’azim fa-inna-ka taqdiru wa la aqdiru wa ta’lamu wa la a’lamu wa Anta ‘Allamu ‘l-ghuyub.
Allahumma in kunta ta’lamu anna hadha ‘l-amra (naming the affair) khairun li fi dini wa dunyaya wa akhirati wa ‘aqibati amri wa ‘ajili-hi wa ajili-h. fa-’qdir-hu li wa yassir-hu li thumma barik li fi-h.
Wa illa fa-’srif-hu ‘an-ni wa yassir liya ‘l-khaira haithu kana ma kuntu wa raddi-ni bi-qada’i-ka ya Arhama ‘r-rahimin.”
For more detailed and quranic based information about the prayer go here:
http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/11981/istikhaarah
http://www.islamqa.com/en/search2/istikhaarah/AllWords/t,q,a
http://strangerinthisdunya.wordpress.com/2008/06/07/about-istikhaarah-dua
http://d1.islamhouse.com/data/de/ih_articles/single/de_Istikhara_Gebet.pdf
