Man has to face many problems in life. These problems can be of different types. Sometimes it is not clear how to make decisions. And what effect will be the effects of these decisions on coming life? Such as related to marriage(Nikah) , career or  business. A human being is called a weak mind. Because man’s understanding is not enough that he can make useful decisions for himself. Then man wishes to consult him who is versed in all kinds of knowledge.

As Muslims, we believe that Allah is the Knower of the Unseen. But here the question arises how to get help from Allah. There is a solution to this problem. To get guidance from Allah Almighty, we can speak to Allah in the form of prayer. This prayer is called ” Istikhara Dua”. Istikhara means asking for good. We ask Allah for this good. Istikhara prayer has great importance in Islam.

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ وَأَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْعَظِيمِ، فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلاَ أَقْدِرُ وَتَعْلَمُ وَلاَ أَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتَ عَلاَّمُ 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 الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِي بِهِ

Istikhara means to seek Allah’s council in every matter of life whether big or small.. In general, when a muslim is making any decision  then he or she should seek Allah’s wisdom. It could be matters related to the future, marriage, divorce ,_, business , job , education, traveling and much more.

The most important thing is to know that while doing istikhara , a person should have a firm belief in his heart that Allah will surely guide him. Unless there is a firm belief and faith , there will be no guidance. Therefore , it is important to have faith in the heart.

Many people ask whether Istikhara is mentioned in the quran. Well, the Quran does not clearly mention istikhara dua, but it is clear from many verses that Allah`a help can be sought before starting any work. But it is mentioned in Hanafi books. This means that we can find out whether the work will be good for us or not or how the work will affect our lives. You can also perform a short form istihara, which has a slightly different method.

It is clear from many Hadiths that the prophet (PBUH)used to say about istikhara. This is a sunnah act of worship. He  narrated that if any of you want to do any work , pray two Rakat and find out from Allah that this work will be right or not for you. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) used to urge his companions to do istikhara in all matters. Here’s the Hadith on Salat al-Istikharah.

Once one learns how to perform Istikhara, then it’s time to learn what  is the best time to perform Istikhara. It can also be performed at the time of day or at night. Istikhara is a sunnah prayer. So there is no specific time to perform Istikhara prayer. Istikhara can be performed at the time of Tahajjud prayer or after Fajr, Zuhr, Maghrib and Isha prayers. Just remember not to pray at a prohibited time, such as at sunrise, sunset, or after Asr prayer.

Many people ask whether it is necessary to sleep after doing Istikhara. The simple answer is “no”. It is not necessary to sleep after doing Istikhara dua, but one can do one`s usual work.

It is not necessary to sleep after istekhara prayer to know the signs. After doing Istikhara dua ,  thoughts come to one’s heart . one should pay attention to these thoughts and think whether the thoughts were like this before doing istikhara or have they changed now.

If his thoughts change , means he doesn’t feel the same as before , then it is obligatory upon him to leave this work and understand that it is not the will of Allah in this work. Surely he is the most knowledgeable of us. Sincerity with God means giving up your desires completely.

Istikhara prayer can be performed for any purpose. Istikhara means seeking guidance or help from God before starting any work.We can pray istikhara for any purpose, even if the task is small.

In this prayer , we seek help from Allah Almighty that if this work is good for us , then make it easy for us, and if it is not good for us , then remove it from us. This supplication is made with the intention that surely Allah Almighty knows the knowledge of the unseen and we do not know anything.

Istikhara prayer can be performed for career, marriage proposals, before starting a business or work or for any purpose.

istikhara has many benefits. When we do Istikhara dua, we are actually asking Allah for help, that indeed He is All-Knowing and we know nothing, and He guides us. Doing Istikhara creates a good relationship with Allah and we also know about our work and how this work will be for us.

We are asking for help from Allah Ta’ala that indeed He is All-Knowing and we do not know anything and He guides us. There are some benefits as below;

Istikhara is an act of worship that we get an immediate response from Allah Almighty. We are human and our knowledge is also limited. Every person has a desire that whenever he does something, he should know whether it will be good for him or not.

Istikhara prayer should be performed with the intention that Allah will guide us. Istikhara can be done in all cases whether they are obligatory or not. Istikhara dua should be done with full confidence. As Muslims we should do Istikhara before making any action or decision so that we get guidance and help from Allah Ta’ala.