Istikharah Prayer

Istikhara is performing ablution, praying two rak'ahs (units of prayer), reciting the Istikhara supplication, and then going to sleep with the intention of seeing a dream related to a matter, in order to understand whether it is beneficial or not. This prayer, performed before going to sleep, is called the Istikhara Prayer. Performing Istikhara is a Sunnah (recommended practice) in our religion, it has a place in authentic hadiths, and it is a Sunnah that was constantly performed by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Istikhara prayer is performed in two rak'ahs. Imam Ghazali recommended reciting Surah Al-Kafirun after Al-Fatiha in the first rak'ah of the Istikhara prayer and Surah Al-Ikhlas in the second rak'ah.

How to Perform

3 Steps

The greatest source for Istikhara is the hadith mentioned. As can be understood from the hadith, Istikhara is a supplication and can be performed with two rak'ahs of voluntary prayer.
To perform Istikhara, it is generally stated that one should pray two rak'ahs of Istikhara prayer before going to sleep, recite the Istikhara supplication, and then go to sleep.
However, there is no specific time or method for doing it. It can be done at any time. For example, after the noon prayer, one can pray two rak'ahs of voluntary prayer, recite the Istikhara supplication, and ask Allah for the matter to be resolved if it is good, and for it to be rejected if it is bad.

After performing the prayer, the following supplication narrated from our Prophet (peace be upon him) is recited:
"O Allah, I seek guidance from You with Your knowledge, and I seek power from You with Your might, and I ask You from Your great bounty. For indeed You are able and I am not able, and You know and I do not know, and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah, if You know that this matter is good for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the outcome of my affair, both immediate and future, then decree it for me and make it easy for me, and then bless me in it. And if You know that this matter is bad for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the outcome of my affair, both immediate and future, then decree it for me and make it easy for me, and then bless me in it."

"O Allah, make it easy for me, by Your knowledge, to know which is better for me, doing or abandoning this matter that I am considering. I seek strength from You by Your power, and I ask for Your favor. Surely You have power over all things, and I do not. You know, and I do not. You are the All-Knowing, O Allah. If You know that this matter is good for me in terms of my religion, my life, and the outcome of my work, or in this world or the Hereafter, then decree it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me. If You know that this matter is bad for me in terms of my religion, my life, and the outcome of my work, or in this world or the Hereafter, then keep it away from me and keep me away from it. Decree what is good for me wherever it may be, and then make me content with that good."