Istikhara dua and how to pray istikhara

What is the istikhara dua?

This is the dua as Sahih al-Bukhari 1166 gives it, from "Allahumma" to the end. In two places the narrator adds "aw qala", "or he said", with a second wording; that aside is not part of the dua, so the text below and its copy button keep the first wording. Line 9 below shows the second.

1AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 1166

What is the istikhara dua in English?

The istikhara dua transliteration and meaning, in 14 lines: the Arabic, a plain transliteration, and the English translated from the Arabic.

1. 1

   اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ

   Allahumma inni astakhiruka bi'ilmika

   O Allah, I ask You to choose what is good for me, by Your knowledge,

2. 2

   وَأَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ

   wa astaqdiruka biqudratika

   and I ask You for ability, by Your power,

3. 3

   وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْعَظِيمِ

   wa as'aluka min fadlika al-'azim

   and I ask You from Your great bounty.

4. 4

   فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلاَ أَقْدِرُ

   fa innaka taqdiru wa la aqdiru

   For You are able and I am not able,

5. 5

   وَتَعْلَمُ وَلاَ أَعْلَمُ

   wa ta'lamu wa la a'lamu

   You know and I do not know,

6. 6

   وَأَنْتَ عَلاَّمُ الْغُيُوبِ

   wa anta 'allamu al-ghuyub

   and You are the Knower of the unseen.

7. 7

   اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الأَمْرَ

   Allahumma in kunta ta'lamu anna hadha al-amra

   O Allah, if You know that this matter

   Name your matter here.

8. 8

   خَيْرٌ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي

   khayrun li fi dini wa ma'ashi wa 'aqibati amri

   is good for me in my religion, my livelihood and the outcome of my affairs

9. 9

   أَوْ قَالَ عَاجِلِ أَمْرِي وَآجِلِهِ

   aw qala: 'ajili amri wa ajilihi

   (or he said: in my affairs now and later)

   "Aw qala" ("or he said") is the narrator's words, not part of the dua. The narration gives both wordings: "wa 'aqibati amri" (line 8) or "'ajili amri wa ajilihi".

10. 10

    فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ

    faqdurhu li wa yassirhu li thumma barik li fihi

    then decree it for me, make it easy for me, then bless me in it.

11. 11

    وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي

    Wa in kunta ta'lamu anna hadha al-amra sharrun li

    And if You know that this matter is bad for me

    The words of line 8 follow. Here the narrator's alternative reads "fi 'ajili amri wa ajilihi", in my affairs now and later.

12. 12

    فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ

    fasrifhu 'anni wasrifni 'anhu

    then turn it away from me and turn me away from it,

13. 13

    وَاقْدُرْ لِي الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ

    waqdur li al-khayra haythu kana

    and decree the good for me wherever it is,

14. 14

    ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِي بِهِ

    thumma ardini bihi

    then make me content with it.

Where do you name your matter in the istikhara dua?

At "this matter", هَذَا الأَمْرَ (hadha al-amr), as Sahih al-Bukhari 7390 places it: ثُمَّ تُسَمِّيهِ بِعَيْنِهِ, "then you name it specifically".

2AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 7390

Sahih al-Bukhari 1166, the same hadith, ends وَيُسَمِّي حَاجَتَهُ, "and he names his need", without saying where.

1AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 1166

Say you have been offered a job in another city, and your list of pros and cons now runs to two pages. When you reach hadha al-amr, you name it: this job in Manchester. The dua then asks about that job, in both halves.

How do you pray istikhara, step by step?

How to do or read istikhara, in four steps, all from the istikhara hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari.

What is istikhara, and where does it come from?

Istikhara is asking Allah to choose what is good for you; the word shares its root with khayr, "good". It is also spelt istikharah or istakhara. The istikhara prayer is also called salat istikhara or salatul istikhara, and the dua for istikhara is also known as dua istikhara, dua e istikhara or istikhara ki dua.

Jabir ibn 'Abd Allah, may Allah be pleased with him, said the Messenger of Allah taught them istikhara in matters, as he taught them a surah of the Quran. He would say: when one of you intends a matter, let him pray two rak'ahs other than the obligatory prayer, then say the dua. The hadith ends: and he names his need.

1AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 1166

Al-Bukhari gives the same narration in two more places, and it is also in Sunan Abi Dawud, Jami' at-Tirmidhi, Sunan an-Nasa'i and Sunan Ibn Majah. In Sahih al-Bukhari 7390 the wording is "in all matters".

When to pray istikhara: is there a best time?

Sahih al-Bukhari 1166 names no best time and no number. It ties istikhara to intending a matter.

So the narration names no hour: not after Isha (the night prayer), not before sleep, and no other. Questions about particular times are not answered in this hadith; for your own case, ask a scholar you trust.

1AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 1166

Is the seven-times istikhara or the short istikhara dua authentic?

Both are graded weak. In al-Jami' al-Saghir 876, a narration attributed to the Prophet through Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, tells someone with a matter in mind to ask his Lord for the better choice seven times, then look at what comes first to his heart, since the good lies there.

إذا هَمَمْتَ بأمرٍ ، فاسْتخرْ رَبَّكَ فيهِ سبعَ مراتٍ ، ثمَّ انظرْ إلى الذي يسبقُ إلى قلبِكَ فإنَّ الخَيرَ فيهِ

3WeakAl-Jami' al-Saghir 876

A second report, from Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, says that when the Prophet wanted to do something he would say: اللَّهُمَّ خِرْ لِي وَاخْتَرْ لِي, Allahumma khir li wakhtar li, "O Allah, choose good for me and choose for me". It is often shared as a short istikhara dua.

4WeakJami` at-Tirmidhi 3516

The istikhara with an authentic grade is the one in the steps above: two rak'ahs, then the full dua, naming your matter.

What decisions is istikhara for?

Any matter. Sahih al-Bukhari 7390 says the Prophet taught istikhara "in all matters". Istikhara for marriage, a job, a move or a purchase: each is a matter you can name in the dua.

2AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 7390

The dua does not ask for a sign. It leaves the knowing to Allah ("You know and I do not know") and asks for one of two things:

Asking people for advice is not in the istikhara hadith. The Quran mentions it in another setting, addressing the Prophet: consult with them in the matter, and once resolved, put your trust in Allah.

وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِى ٱلْأَمْرِ ۖ فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ

"...consult with them upon the conduct of affairs. And when you are resolved, then put your trust in Allah." Al Imran 3:159

Do you need a dream or a sign after istikhara?

The istikhara hadith mentions no dream and no sign. We found no narration that links istikhara to a dream, to sleeping after the prayer, or to a sign (source 5). The nearest report, about following what comes first to your heart, is graded weak.

What the dua asks for is in its own words: ease and blessing if the matter is good, being turned away from it if not, and contentment with the good that is decreed. If a dream or a feeling worries you about your decision, ask a scholar you trust.