The prayer for guidance (istikhara)
Jabir’s hadith, the full supplication in Arabic and English, and the meaning of its requests for good, ease and contentment.
Istikhara means asking Allah to choose what is good for you when you are considering a matter. Jabir’s hadith teaches two non-obligatory units of prayer, then a supplication entrusting to Allah what you do not know about the future.
Its text does not simply request the fulfilment of the plan you want: it also asks for harm to be removed and another good to be granted. Understanding these two directions helps you say the supplication with its meaning.
Article contents
The complete supplication of the prayer for guidance
The context of the narration
Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah describes the care with which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught istikhara to his companions: as he taught them a surah of the Quran. He then transmits the prayer and supplication to say when a person is considering a matter.“Jabir reports: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to teach us istikhara in our affairs as he taught us a surah of the Quran. He would say: “When one of you is considering a matter, let him perform two units of prayer apart from obligatory prayer, then say: O Allah, I ask You to choose for me through Your knowledge, I ask You for ability through Your power, and I ask You of Your immense favour. For You have power and I do not, You know and I do not, and You know the unseen perfectly. O Allah, if You know that this matter is good for me in my religion, my life and the outcome of my affairs—or he said: in the immediate and later course of my affairs—then decree it for me, make it easy for me and then bless it for me. And if You know that this matter is bad for me in my religion, my life and the outcome of my affairs—or he said: in the immediate and later course of my affairs—then turn it away from me and turn me away from it. Decree good for me wherever it may be, then make me content with it.” He said: and he names his need.”
Read the Arabic text
كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُعَلِّمُنَا الاِسْتِخَارَةَ فِي الأُمُورِ كَمَا يُعَلِّمُنَا السُّورَةَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ يَقُولُ " إِذَا هَمَّ أَحَدُكُمْ بِالأَمْرِ فَلْيَرْكَعْ رَكْعَتَيْنِ مِنْ غَيْرِ الْفَرِيضَةِ ثُمَّ لِيَقُلِ 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 ـ أَوْ قَالَ عَاجِلِ أَمْرِي وَآجِلِهِ ـ فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ، وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي ـ أَوْ قَالَ فِي عَاجِلِ أَمْرِي وَآجِلِهِ ـ فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ، وَاقْدُرْ لِي الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِي بِهِ ـ قَالَ ـ وَيُسَمِّي حَاجَتَهُ ".
Understanding this hadith
Two units of prayer, then a request to Allah. The account specifies two rak‘ahs apart from obligatory prayer, followed by the supplication. A rak‘ah is a unit of prayer. The end of the text specifies that the person names their need: “this matter” therefore concerns the decision they are considering.
Acknowledging what you do not know. The supplication begins with Allah’s knowledge and power. A person can examine a plan, but knows neither all its consequences nor everything that will benefit them. They ask for guidance while entrusting themselves to the One who knows.
Asking for more than immediate success. The good sought concerns religion, life and the outcome of the matter. You are not merely asking for an attractive proposal to succeed: you ask for it to be granted and made easy if it is good, then for Allah to bless it.
Also ask to be turned away from what would be harmful. The second part asks Allah to remove the matter if it is bad and turn the person away from it. It then asks for good wherever it may be and for contentment with that choice. The supplication therefore also allows for the desired project not to happen.
The expressions introduced by “or he said” convey a variant indicated in the transmission; they are not two additional requests to combine. The account teaches a prayer and a supplication without specifying a dream to await or a code of colours or feelings to interpret.
Before a practical decision, you can specify what remains unknown: a project’s commitments, the conditions of a move or the responsibilities that will follow. Seeking advice and checking these details help identify the matter you present in your supplication. Istikhara does not turn a personal impression into certain knowledge of the future.
Also read: seeking what is useful and asking Allah for help.
In practice
- You want to learn the supplicationFirst read the requests in English, then work on the Arabic in groups of meaning.Read the full text
- You are uncertain about a planName the matter you are considering precisely and gather the information you lack.Understand “this matter”
- You are already strongly attached to one optionReread the request for harm to be removed and for good wherever it may be.Reread the two directions of the request
Sources
- Sahih al-Bukhari · 1166The complete supplication of the prayer for guidance