The Istikhara and Consultation

…whose affairs are by consultation among themselves. (ash-Shura 42:38)

 

376. Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, used to teach us the istikhara, asking for the good in all matters, as he would teach us a surah (chapter) of the Qur’an. He said, ‘When one of you is intending to do something, he should pray two units (rak’ahs) outside the obligatory Prayer and then say, ‘O Allah, I ask You for the best by Your knowledge and I ask You for strength by Your power and I ask You for some of Your immense bounty. You have power and I do not. You know and I do not. You are the Knower of the Unseen worlds. O Allah, if You know that this matter is good for me in my religion and my livelihood and the end of my affair (or he said, ‘my affair sooner and later’), then ordain it for me and make it easy for me and then bless me in it. If You know that this matter is bad for me in my religion and my livelihood and the end of my affair (or he said, ‘my affair sooner and later’), then avert it from me and avert me from it and ordain something better for me wherever it may lie and make me content with it.’ He added, ‘Then he should name the thing he wants to do.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Da’awat, 48, Tawhid, 10).

 

Nawawi, Imam. Riyad As-Salihin; The Gardens of the Righteous: A collection of authentic hadiths. Tughra Books Press, Inc. 2014