Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Istikhaarah prayer |
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| Marcie |
| 07/14/01 at 09:33:53 |
| As salamu alaykum, Could someone please tell me where I can find an explanation of how to pray Istikhaarah on the web? Jazakum Allah Khair As salamu alaykum Marcie |
| Re: Istikhaarah prayer |
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| Mona |
| 07/14/01 at 10:54:22 |
| assalamu alaikum, It is explained at [url]http://islam.about.com/blistikhara.htm[/url] wassalam |
| Re: Istikhaarah prayer |
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| nehar |
| 07/14/01 at 12:58:53 |
| [slm] this is from islam-qa, hope it helps [wlm] Nehar 2217 How to pray istikhaarah -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [color=Green]Assalam alaikum. How do I pray salat al istikhara, at what times , and are there special dua that I can read for different cicumstances?[/color] Praise be to Allaah. The description of Salaat al-Istikhaarah was reported by Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah al-Salami (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to teach his companions to make istikhaarah in all things, just as he used to teach them soorahs from the Qur’aan. He said: ‘If any one of you is concerned about a decision he has to make, then let him pray two rak’ahs of non-obligatory prayer, then say: Allaahumma inni astakheeruka bi ‘ilmika wa astaqdiruka bi qudratika wa as’aluka min fadlika, fa innaka taqdiru wa laa aqdir, wa ta’lamu wa laa a’lam, wa anta ‘allaam al-ghuyoob. Allaahumma fa in kunta ta’lamu haadha’l-amra (then the matter should be mentioned by name) khayran li fi ‘aajil amri wa aajilihi (or: fi deeni wa ma’aashi wa ‘aaqibati amri) faqdurhu li wa yassirhu li thumma baarik li fihi. Allaahumma wa in kunta ta’lamu annahu sharrun li fi deeni wa ma’aashi wa ‘aaqibati amri (or: fi ‘aajili amri wa aajilihi) fasrifni ‘anhu [wasrafhu ‘anni] waqdur li al-khayr haythu kaana thumma radini bihi (O Allaah, 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 Allaah, if in Your knowledge, this matter (then it should be mentioned by name) 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 next), then turn me away from it, [and turn it away from me], and ordain for me the good wherever it may be and make me pleased with it.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 6841; similar reports are also recorded by al-Tirmidhi, al-Nisaa’i, Abu Dawood, Ibn Maajah and Ahmad). Ibn Hijr (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, commenting on this hadeeth: “Istikhaarah is a word which means asking Allaah to help one make a choice, meaning choosing the best of two things where one needs to choose one of them. Concerning the phrase ‘The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to teach us to make istikhaarah in all things,’ Ibn Abi Jamrah said: ‘It is a general phrase which refers to something specific. With regard to matters that are waajib (obligatory) or mustahabb (liked or encouraged), there is no need for istikhaarah to decide whether to do them, and with regard to matters that are haraam (forbidden) or makrooh (disliked), there is no need for istikhaarah to decide whether to avoid them. The issue of istikhaarah is confined to matters that are mubaah (allowed), or in mustahabb matters when there is a decision to be made as to which one should be given priority.’ I say: it refers to both great and small matters, and probably an insignificant issue could form the groundwork for a big issue. The phrase ‘If any one of you is concerned…’ appears in the version narrated by Ibn Mas’ood as: ‘if any one of you wants to do something…’ ‘Let him pray two rak’ahs of non-obligatory prayer.’ This is mentioned to make it clear that it does not mean fajr prayer, for example. Al-Nawawi said in al-Adhkaar: He can pray istikaarah after two rak’ahs of regular sunnah prayer done at zuhr for example, or after two rak’ahs of any naafil prayers whether they are regularly performed or not… It seems to be the case that if he made the intention to pray istikhaarah at the same time as intending to pray that particular prayer, this is fine, but not if he did not have this intention. Ibn Abi Jamrah said: The wisdom behind putting the salaat before the du’aa’ is that istikhaarah is intended to combine the goodness of this world with the goodness of the next. A person needs to knock at the door of the King (Allaah), and there is nothing more effective for this than prayer, because it contains glorification and praise of Allaah, and expresses one's need for Him at all times. The phrase ‘then let him say’ would seem to imply that the du’aa’ should be said after finishing the prayer, and the word thumma (then) probably means after reciting all the words of the salaat and before saying salaam. The phrase ‘O Allaah, I seek Your guidance by virtue of Your knowledge’ is explaining ‘because You know best.’ Similarly, ‘by virtue of Your power’ most likely means ‘seeking Your help.’ ‘I seek ability’ (astaqdiruka) means ‘I ask You to give me the power or ability (qudrah) to do’ whatever is being asked for, or it probably means ‘I ask You to decree (tuqaddir) this for me.’ So it may mean making it easy. ‘I ask You of Your great bounty’ refers to the fact that Allaah gives out of His great generosity, but no one has the right to His blessings. This is the opinion of Ahl al-Sunnah. ‘You have power, I have none. And You know, I know not’ refers to the fact that power and knowledge belong to Allaah alone, and the slave has no share of them except what Allaah decrees for him. ‘O Allaah, if in Your knowledge this matter…’ According to one report, he should mention it by name. It is apparent from the context that he should state it, but it is probably sufficient to be thinking of the matter whilst making this du’aa’. ‘Then ordain it for me’ means ‘make it happen for me’ or it may mean ‘make it easy for me.’ ‘Then turn it away from me, and turn me away from it’ means ‘so that my heart will no longer feel attached to it after it has been turned away.’ ‘Make me pleased with it’ means ‘make me content with it, so that I will never regret asking for it or be sorry that it happened, because I do not know how it will turn out, even if at the time of asking I am pleased with it.’ The secret is that one’s heart should not be attached to the matter in question, because that will result in a person becoming restless. Being pleased with something means that one’s heart is content with the decree of Allaah. (Summarized from the commentary of al-Haafiz Ibn Hijr (may Allaah have mercy on him) on the hadeeth in Saheeh al-Bukhaari, Kitaab al-Da’waat and Kitaab al-Tawheed.). |
| Re: Istikhaarah prayer |
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| jannah |
| 07/15/01 at 00:01:25 |
| [quote] He can pray istikaarah after two rak??ahs of regular sunnah prayer done at zuhr for example, or after two rak??ahs of any naafil prayers whether they are regularly performed or not [/quote] jazakallah khair.. ppl were telling me u should do istakhara after maghrib but i've never heard of a time limitation before!! btw something i found to be really helpful personally is doing the 2 rakats , doing the istakhara dua and right after doing 2 or more extra rakats... i don't know why but it just seems to work |
| Re: Istikhaarah prayer |
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| Haniff |
| 07/17/01 at 00:20:59 |
| Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh I hope the following article, authored by Dr Muhammad Kamal Al-Shareef, will also be of use to us: Seeking Gods help on important decisions It is important to realize that anxiety is always related to the future. We may grieve or be sorry about what might have happened in the past, but we never experience anxiety regarding it. It is what will happen tomorrow that may give us all anxiety. A person may often need to take some steps concerning a matter of importance in his life. He may have options and choices open to him. He may either choose to take a particular measure or refrain from taking it or he may have the choice between two different options, or he may indeed choose between several options. When he weighs up his options, he realizes that each has its points of advantage, and carries some negative points as well. He feels that should he opt for a particular course of action to ensure some gain, he will lose out on the benefit achieved through a different choice that may be open to him. Or he may feel that the advantage he is certain to gain through a particular measure will not come without a price he has to pay. All this leaves the person concerned in a state of worry, fearing to make the wrong choice, or that his choice will cause him to miss out on higher benefits. That leads to a sort of internal conflict, which psychologists describe as a conflict between action and inaction. The conflict could easily develop into anxiety that is bound to increase if one's worry and internal conflict becomes greater. It is a particularly troublesome sort of anxiety that causes man to be in constant worry. It may deprive him of sleep and comfort. In order to avoid such worry and the anxiety that results from it, and to be able to deal with it and overcome it when it occurs, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has taught us to seek God's help in making our choices in important matters. That means to pray God to grant us what is best in any such matter, choosing for us what is of benefit to us in this world and in the life to come. Seeking God's help in such a situation is known as istikharah, and it is done by offering two rakaahs of voluntary prayers followed by a special supplication. The Prophet has encouraged us to repeat this istikharah seven times, which together may not take more than half an hour. After that we should try to ascertain how we feel about the option which, before doing the istikharah, we were about to choose. We either feel now more inclined to it, in which case we take our decision in its favor and go ahead with it, placing our trust in God that the choice is to be to our benefit. Or, alternatively, we find ourselves less inclined, or even averse to it. In this case we refrain from doing it. It must be borne in mind that istikharah is not answered through a dream or a vision. It is the inner feeling that we experience after we have completed it. The Prophet says: "Before you embark on something, seek God's help in making your choice seven times. Then determine the option to which you are more inclined, for in that you are certain to have what is to your benefit. (Related by At-Tirmithi, Ibn Majah and Al-Hakim.) The supplication that we should say in istikharah is contained in the following Hadith: "When any of you embarks on something of importance, let him offer two rakaahs other than obligatory prayers, then follow it with this supplication: My Lord, I seek Your choice on the basis of Your knowledge, and Your support through Your power, and I appeal to You to bestow on me Your abundant grace. You certainly know, while I do not know, and You are certainly able while I am weak, and You know everything. My Lord, if You know that this matter (at this point the person should mention the choice concerned) is good for me in my faith and my daily life as well as in my future, then choose it and facilitate it for me, and make it a blessed choice. But if You know it to be bad for me in my faith, life and future, then keep it away from me and steer me away from it, and choose for me what is good whatever it may be, and make me feel content with it. There is no power but Yours." (Related by Al-Bukhari, Ahmad, and others) The sort of anxiety that is generated by the conflict of action or inaction, when a person feels that the advantages of any choice he makes are counterbalanced by disadvantages is particularly troublesome. It is even more acutely so when the person concerned is unable to make a choice in favor of one option rather than another, because, like all human beings, he is unable to discern the future. This sort of anxiety is often very difficult to treat in the normal methods of treatment modern psychiatry administers. It is often the case that a person's keenness to have what is advantageous and his worry about making the wrong decision and opting for the wrong choice ultimately deprive him of what is to his benefit and bring him what is to his disadvantage. Both keenness to achieve what is good and worry over what may be disadvantageous are perfectly normal feelings. Moreover, a psychotherapist cannot get round the fact that all human beings remain ignorant of what the future may bring. Hence it is wrong for a psychotherapist to try to resolve the issue on behalf of his patient, directing him to choose a particular option. It may well be that his decision proves to be wrong and he would be put to blame. Moreover, when a psychotherapist makes a choice on behalf of his patient, he undermines the ultimate goal of psychotherapy, which is to help the patient to be able to make his own choices and bear responsibility for them. Hence the only way is to refer to the One who knows everything in the universe, seeking His help and guidance. Thus we benefit by the light of faith in matters of this world. [i]Arab News - 26 June 2000[/i] I have this article as a Word document. Anyone interested in receiving it, please? Wassalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh Haniff |
| Re: Istikhaarah prayer |
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| destined |
| 10/28/01 at 18:07:32 |
| [slm] I'm not sure if these questions have been addressed or not but if anyone can help me out inshaAllah--I would greatly appreciate it :) #1 - Would it be ideal to memorize the istikharra dua? #2- If one doesn't have the dua memorized, how exactly should the prayer be performed? I've heard that you can hold a piece of paper but that seems really weird to me to do for this particular prayer. |
| Re: Istikhaarah prayer |
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| Arsalan |
| 11/03/01 at 00:51:02 |
| [slm] You can say the du'aa of istikhara either before tasleem or after tasleem. If you say it after tasleem, you can simply read it out of the book (or a piece of paper) if you don't have it memorised. It would, of course, be ideal if you can memorise the du'aa. |
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