اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ، وَأَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ العَظِيمِ، فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلاَ أَقْدِرُ، وَتَعْلَمُ وَلاَ أَعْلَمُ، وَأَنْتَ عَلاَّمُ الغُيُوبِ. اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الأَمْرَ (اذكر الأمر بقلبك: مثلاً، تخصيص وقت معين للقراءة، أو القيام بعبادة جماعية، أو تعلم علم شرعي) خَيْرٌ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعِيشَتِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي، فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي، ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ. اللَّهُمَّ وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعِيشَتِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي، فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ، وَاقْدُرْ لِي الخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ، ثُمَّ رَضِّنِي بِهِ.
O Allah, I seek guidance from Your knowledge, and strength from Your power, and I ask for Your immense favour. For indeed You have power, and I have no power; You have knowledge, and I have no knowledge; and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah, if You know that this matter (mention the matter in your heart: e.g., dedicating specific time for recitation, performing congregational worship, learning religious knowledge) is good for me in my religion, my livelihood, and for my Hereafter (or my present life and my eventual fate), then ordain it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me. O Allah, and if You know that this matter is bad for me in my religion, my livelihood, and for my Hereafter (or my present life and my eventual fate), then turn it away from me, and turn me away from it, and ordain for me whatever is good, and make me pleased with it.
Allahumma inni astakhiruka bi 'ilmika, wa astaqdiruka bi qudratika, wa as'aluka min fadlikal-'adheem. Fa innaka taqdiru wa la aqdiru, wa ta'lamu wa la a'lamu, wa anta 'allamul-ghuyub. Allahumma in kunta ta'lamu anna hadhal-amra (mention the matter in your heart: e.g., dedicating specific time for recitation, performing congregational worship, learning religious knowledge) khairun li fi deeni wa ma'eeshati wa 'aqibati amri, faqduruhu li wa yassirhu li, thumma barik li feehi. Allahumma wa in kunta ta'lamu anna hadhal-amra sharrun li fi deeni wa ma'eeshati wa 'aqibati amri, fasrifhu 'anni wasrifni 'anhu, waqdurlil-khaira haithu kana, thumma radhdhini bihi.
When to Read
This dua is specifically for seeking Allah's guidance when you are unsure about choosing between different acts of worship that could potentially deepen your faith. For example, if you're contemplating whether to dedicate more time to reciting the Quran, memorizing hadith, engaging in voluntary fasting, or participating in a specific study circle, and you feel uncertain about which path will be most beneficial for your spiritual growth.
How to Read
The Istikhara prayer is typically performed after performing two units (rak'ahs) of prayer, outside of the obligatory ones. After the prayer, you recite this specific dua, clearly mentioning the specific act of worship you are contemplating in the place indicated. It's recommended to repeat the prayer and dua for a few days if clarity doesn't come immediately. It's also crucial to have a sincere intention and a firm reliance on Allah after making the dua, and then proceed with what feels right in your heart or what Allah makes easy for you.
Virtues & Benefits
The Istikhara prayer is a beautiful Sunnah that allows us to delegate our decisions to Allah, the All-Knowing. By reciting this dua, we acknowledge our limitations and seek the best outcome from the One who has perfect knowledge of what is beneficial for us. It helps to remove indecision, brings peace to the heart, and ensures that our choices align with Allah's pleasure, leading to greater spiritual benefit and contentment.
Source & Authentication
Jabir bin 'Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to teach us the Istikhara in all matters as he taught us a Surah from the Quran. He said: 'If anyone of you is concerned about an undertaking, he should pray two rak'ahs of non-obligatory prayer and then say: O Allah, I seek the best from Your knowledge, and the best from Your power, and I ask from Your magnificent favour, for indeed You have the power and I have not, and You have the knowledge and I have not, and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah, if You know that this undertaking is good for me in my religion and in my worldly life, (or he said: for my Hereafter and my livelihood), then decree it for me and make it easy for me, and then bless it for me. And if You know that this undertaking is bad for me in my religion and in my worldly life, (or he said: for my Hereafter and my livelihood), then turn it away from me and turn me away from it, and decree for me the good wherever it may be, and make me content with it.' The narrator added: 'And he said the name of the undertaking in his need.' (Sahih al-Bukhari 6306)