Istikharah (The Prayer for Seeking Guidance) 2

[bamalli]

*Istikharah (The Prayer for Seeking Guidance)*

*Introduction to Salaat al-Istikharah
*
A spiritually immense prayer, endowing the Muslim with tranquility and
restfulness. A prayer in which a servant if concerned with an affair or is
faced with a worldly problem or intends to do something recommended or
obligatory in which he has a choice, or when two recommended or obligatory
actions conflict each other – which one should he do? Which one should he
put forward?

He should pray two Rakaa'hs of al-Istikharah prayer, then make a Du'aa
specified by our noble Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam), seeking
guidance form his Lord and seeking the counsel of his Creator and by it
actualizes his servitude to Him, built upon the truthfulness of his
certainty and his assurance in his Lord.

Know that this great Du'aa (Du'aa of Istikharah) contains important issues,
Tawheed in Allah's Lordship, and humility in worship to Him, and Eeman in
His Names and Attributes, and the servant fulfilling servitude to His Lord,
firm reliance upon and seeking Allah's help, asking and pleading in His
Knowledge, and Power, for His Blessings, and then contentment in what is
decreed for him.

So, if al-Istikharah contained nothing more than the realization of these
great meanings it would be enough in goodness. Verily, how Perfect He is,
who prescribed for His servants the good of this world and the Hereafter.
What is Salaat al-Istikharah?
Linguistically al-Istikharah comes from the verb Istikharah which means
'seeking / requesting guidance in what is good.' So, al-Istikharah is the
noun for request or action. While in the Islamic terminology al-Istikharah
means that a servant seeks guidance from his Lord upon the manner described
by the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) by praying two rakaahs of
supererogatory prayer, then supplicating with the specific Du'aa for
al-Istikharah for doing an action which is mubah (action which neither
brings about reward if performed nor brings about punishment if abandoned -
allowed) or for leaving it, or in an obligatory or recommended action in
which he has a choice.

Since, the servant is weak in his comprehension, ignorant of the unseen and
indecisive about his actions, Allah, the Most High and the Most Merciful,
ordained Salaat al-Istikharah for him whenever he faces an obstacle or is
concerned about an affair: he consults his Creator and seeks His guidance
with regard to it because Allah Alone is the Knower of Ghaib (unseen), He
Alone is the most knowledgeable about the reality of the affairs and their
results, their benefits from their harms, their good from their evil, in
this world and the Hereafter:

"And with Him are the keys of Unseen, none know them but He. And He knows
whatever is there in the earth and in the sea. Not a leaf falls but by His
knowledge; there is not a grain in the darkness (or the depth) of the earth,
nor any flesh or dry (green or withered) but is written in a Clear Record."
[Soorah al-An'aam (6): 59]

Hence, when the servant is concerned about an affair or decided upon a
matter, or a problem arises in his mind and he wishes to act upon it, then
he should seek guidance form his Lord before embarking upon it according to
the manner prescribed in the Sunnah of the Messenger (sallallahu alaihi
wa-sallam).

*What is Salaat al-Istikharah?
*
Linguistically al-Istikharah comes from the verb Istikharah which means
'seeking / requesting guidance in what is good.' So, al-Istikharah is the
noun for request or action. While in the Islamic terminology al-Istikharah
means that a servant seeks guidance from his Lord upon the manner described
by the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) by praying two rakaahs of
supererogatory prayer, then supplicating with the specific Du'aa for
al-Istikharah for doing an action which is mubah (action which neither
brings about reward if performed nor brings about punishment if abandoned -
allowed) or for leaving it, or in an obligatory or recommended action in
which he has a choice. Since, the servant is weak in his comprehension,
ignorant of the unseen and indecisive about his actions, Allah, the Most
High and the Most Merciful, ordained Salaat al-Istikharah for him whenever
he faces an obstacle or is concerned about an affair: he consults his
Creator and seeks His guidance with regard to it because Allah Alone is the
Knower of Ghaib (unseen), He Alone is the most knowledgeable about the
reality of the affairs and their results, their benefits from their harms,
their good from their evil, in this world and the Hereafter: "And with Him
are the keys of Unseen, none know them but He. And He knows whatever is
there in the earth and in the sea. Not a leaf falls but by His knowledge;
there is not a grain in the darkness (or the depth) of the earth, nor any
flesh or dry (green or withered) but is written in a Clear Record." [Soorah
al-An'aam (6): 59]

Hence, when the servant is concerned about an affair or decided upon a
matter, or a problem arises in his mind and he wishes to act upon it, then
he should seek guidance form his Lord before embarking upon it according to
the manner prescribed in the Sunnah of the Messenger (sallallahu alaihi
wa-sallam).

*Is there any Proof for Salaat al-Istikharah?
*
Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said: "From the prosperity of
an individual is his seeking guidance from his Lord and his contentment with
what He has ordained and from the misfortune of an individual is his
abandoning seeking guidance form his Lord and his displeasure after what is
decreed (for him) comes to pass" [Saheeh at-Tirmidhee, Ahmad, al-Haakim and
other]

As for the proof for the permissibility of Salaat al-Istikharah then Imaam
al-Bukhari narrates in his Saheeh that Mutraf bin Abdullah Aboo Mus'ab
narrated to us that Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Abee al-Mawaal narrated to us from
Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir from Jaabir (radhi allahu anhu):'the Prophet
(sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) used to teach us al-Istikharah (seeking of
guidance) in all of our affairs, like he would teach us a Soorah of the
Qur'aan saying:

"If any of you is concerned about an affair, then let him pray two rakahs
other then the obligatory prayers after which he should supplicate: 'O
Allah, I seek Your counsel by Your knowledge and I seek Your assistance by
Your Power and I ask You from Your immense favor, for verily you are able
while I am not, and verily You know and I do not, and You are the knower of
the unseen. O Allah if You know this affair is to be good for me in relation
to my religion, my life and end (or he said my present and my future), then
decree and facilitate it for me and bless me with it. And if You know this
affair to be detrimental (harmful) for me concerning my religion, my life
and end (or he said my present and my future), then remove it from me and
remove me from it and decree for me what is good wherever it be and make me
satisfied with it.' And he mentions his need"

[Ahmad (3/344), al-Bukharee (eng. trans. Vol.2, no.263), Aboo Dawood eng.
trans. Vol.1, no. 1533, an-Nisa'ee (no. 3253), at-Tirmidhee (no.480) and Ibn
Majah (no. 1383)] Explanation of the Meaning of the Du'aa al-Istikharah

"O Allah, I seek Your counsel by Your knowledge" Meaning I request You that
You choose good for me and help me in this need of mine and I seek a means
of approach to You by Your knowledge which encompasses everything in the
heavens and the earth."

Seeking help by the Absolute Knowledge of Allah and seeking a means of
approach by it, is very appropriate, since the need of seeking guidance is
connected with the Unseen and Allah Alone is the one, with Eternal knowledge
that extends over everything and nothing escapes from it and verily, He knew
all that which occurred, what will occur and all that which did not occur:
"Verily, Allah is All-Knower of everything" [(8): 75]

And Indeed, nothing escapes His Knowledge:"And that Allah surrounds
(comprehends) all things in His Knowledge" [(65): 12]

And "With Him are the keys of Ghaib (all that is hidden) none knows them but
He. And He knows whatever there is on the earth and in the sea; not a leaf
falls, but He knows it. There is not a grain in the darkness of the earth
nor anything fresh or dry, but is written in a Clear Record." [(6): 59]

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"And I seek Your assistance by Your Power and I ask you from Your immense
favor, for verily you are Able and I am not"

Meaning I request from You in that which You have decreed for me, and I seek
means of approach to You by Your Power.

Here, the slave of Allah requests His Lord to make Him content with His
choice by His Power, Ability and Immense Favor, since, the slave's ability
is from the Ability and Power of Allah, otherwise he is weak. Making matters
easy is from the Ability of Allah and the Great Favor from Him that He has
bestowed upon His slaves, if He doesn't make things easy for His slave, they
will turn difficult and he may dislike what Allah chooses for him, unaware
of the good that is placed in it for him. So, he requests Allah from His
immense Favor keeping in view the following statement of Allah:

"And it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you
like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not." [Soorah
Baqarah (2): 216]

One of the manifestations of this great fact is the treaty of Hudaybiyah.
The year of Hudaybiyah, when the pagan Arabs of Quraish tribe prevented the
Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) and his Companions (radhi allahu anhu)
from entering Makkah to perform Umrah. Instead of the severe conditions
imposed by the Mushriks and great dislike of the treaty by his Companions,
Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) accepted them, being
confident that Allah would not abandon him and that He will grant him
victory. Allah knew that the treaty of al-Hudaybiyah was the beginning of
victory. On the way back to Madinah Allah revealed the verse:

"Verily! We have given you (O Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam)),
Fathan Mubeen, a manifest victory." [(48): 1]

And indeed, due to the treaty, many good things regarding the manifestation
of Deen and retreat of Kuffr took place. People came nearer and entered
discussions with each other, Muslims could speak about Islam with proofs and
evidences. There came in the fold of Islam as many people as the people who
entered before. And regarding this treaty Allah says in His Book:

"He knew what you knew not, and He granted besides that a near Fathan
(victory)." [(48): 27]

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"And verily You know and I do not, and you are the Knower of unseen"

"Say: None in the heavens and the earth know the unseen except Allah."
[Soorah an-Nahl (27): 65]

So not a soul knows anything from the Ghaib (unseen), except by His
permission:

This permission is of two types:
1. Permission through Revelation – Particular to the Prophets and
Messengers:

"(He Alone) the All-Knower of the Ghaib, and He reveals to none His Ghaib.
Except to a Messenger whom He has chosen (He informs him of unseen as much
He likes), and then He makes a band of watching guards (angels) to march
before him and behind him." [Soorah Al-Muzzammil (73): 26-27]

And similar was the case with the Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi
wa-sallam), the information of the future in his prophecies were the little
that he was told of the future through the Angel Jibreel (alaihis-salaam)
and not a result of his own knowledge. Allah made him manifest to this when
He said: "Say: I have no power to bring good to myself nor avert harm, but
it is only as Allah wills. If it were that I know the unseen, I would have
multiplied the good and no evil would have touched me." [Soorah al-A'raf (7:
188]

2. Permission through the creation of the universe – Knowledge of the way
Allah's creation operate and its scientific discoveries – whatever a
believer or a disbeliever comes to know from the knowledge that was
previously unknown, like the discovery of electricity etc...

============ ========= ===

"O Allah if You know this affair to be good for me in relation to my
religion, my life and end (or he said my present and my future), then decree
and facilitate it for me and bless me with it. And if You know this affair
to be detrimental for me concerning my religion, my life and end (or he said
my present and my future), then remove it from me and remove me from it and
decree for me what is good wherever it be and make me satisfied with it."

Here, the slave asks Allah for His Blessings in his affair because if Allah
guides him due to His Knowledge, helps him due to His Ability and Power,
then he needs Allah's help to preserve it and His Blessings in it so that
his matter becomes firm and grows.

*Precisely, Istikharah is dependant on three things:*

1. The Absolute Knowledge of Allah
2. Allah's Ability and Power of decreeing
3. Allah's Blessings, which does not diminish, and His generosity, which is
not repelled.

For theses reasons, it is appropriate to start the Du'aa with seeking a
means of approach by His Knowledge in choosing what is good for him, then
follows that which is required for his choice to be attained, by seeking
help through His Power – the ability to enact the action. Then, because the
affair requires the blessing of Allah and His favors so that the choice is
blessed and so is the benefit from it – it is appropriate that he asks Allah
for His blessings, which encompass everything.

Then, since the slave is short-sighted, his affairs unsettled, not being
pleased with what is given to him and not content with what is ordained for
him, it is appropriate that he should end his Du'aa by asking for
contentment in what will be ordained for him. Wisdom and Benefits behind
seeking Guidance from Allah, the All-Knower: Apart from the great blessing
that Allah, the Exalted grants by answering the Du'aa (supplication) and
fulfilling the request, there are many more benefits in performing this
beautiful prayer.

1. The first of the benefits is the realization of the meaning of worship
for Allah – comprising of humility to Him, expressing one's weakness and
lowliness to Him, manifesting one's need and dependence upon Him, imploring
Him, asking for the best of Him. Realization of Tawheed of Worship – a
necessary aspect of eeman and the reason behind the creation of mankind: "I
did nor create Jinn and mankind, except for My worship" [Soorah Adh-Dhariyat
(51): 56]

2. Realization of the Tawheed of Allah's Lordship and Tawheed of Allah's
Names and Attributes by affirming that in His Hands are the keys of the
affairs and He knows the Unseen matters of the heavens and the earth and He
loves good for His slaves and He chooses that which benefits them.

"And your Lord creates whatsoever He wills and chooses..." [Soorah al-Qasas
(28): 68]

"And with Him are the keys of Unseen, none know them but He. And He knows
whatever is there in the earth and in the sea. Not a leaf falls but by His
knowledge; there is not a grain in the darkness (or the depth) of the earth,
nor any flesh or dry (green or withered) but is written in a Clear Record."
[Soorah al-An'aam (6): 59]

3. Assurety of Allah and pleasure with His decree before and after the
Istikharah, reliance upon Him, and resigning the affairs to Him, thus
removing the confusion, hesitation and anxiety which weakens the self,
wearing down the body, giving way to distress and sorrow.

4. The fourth benefit is that Allah grants the request of one who makes
al-Istikharah. Allah grants him two favors who makes al-Istikharah: the
first that Allah answers the Du'aa of His servant and this is a great
benefit and an evidence of the servants piety or him gradually achieving it.

The second is the ability to enact the affair for which he sought guidance
and choosing the good for him, turning and directing him towards it rather
than abandoning him and leaving him astray. How to perform the Salaat
al-Istikharah?
First – Fulfill all the conditions of supererogatory prayer – which are the
same conditions of the obligatory prayer except the condition of the
entering time for that particular prayer. The conditions of prayer are:

a) The clothes being clean and free of any impurities
b) The body being in the state of purity
c) The place of prayer being clean and free of any impurities
d) Covering of the awwrah (that which individual men and women must cover)
e) Entering of the time for that particular prayer
f) Facing the Qiblah (The Ka'bah in Makkah)
g) Intention [Refer to Fiqh books for a detailed explanation on these
points]