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 (ويُسَمَّى حاجته) خَيْرٌ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعِيشَتِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي - وفي رواية: في عاجل أمري وآجله - فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي، وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي، ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ. وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعِيشَتِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي - وفي رواية: في عاجل أمري وآجله - فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي، وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ، وَاقْدُرْ لِي الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ، ثُمَّ رَضِّنِي بِهِ.
O Allah, I seek Your guidance through Your knowledge, and I seek ability through Your power, and I ask You of Your great bounty. For You decree and I cannot decree, You know and I cannot know, and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah, if You know that this matter (and here he mentions his need) is good for me in my religion, my worldly life, and my Hereafter - or he said: in my present and my future - then decree it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me. And if You know that this matter is bad for me in my religion, my worldly life, and my Hereafter - or he said: in my present and my future - then turn it away from me, and turn me away from it, and decree for me whatever is good, and make me satisfied 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-ghuyoob. Allahumma in kunta ta'lamu anna hadhal-amr (and here he mentions his need) khayrun li fi deeni wa ma'eeshati wa 'aaqibati amri - wa fi riwayah: fi 'aajili amri wa aajilih - faqdhurhu li, wa yassirhu li, thumma barik li feeh. Wa in kunta ta'lamu anna hadhal-amr sharru li fi deeni wa ma'eeshati wa 'aaqibati amri - wa fi riwayah: fi 'aajili amri wa aajilih - fasrifhu 'anni, wasrifni 'anhu, waqdhur li al-khaira haithu kaana, thumma radhdhini bih.
When to Read
This dua is recited when one is faced with a decision about which they are uncertain, and they wish to seek Allah's guidance. In this specific context, it is for a decision concerning accepting or declining a public service role. The practice of Istikhara involves performing two rak'ahs of voluntary prayer, followed by the recitation of this dua. It is ideal to perform this when one is in a state of purity and has a clear mind, preferably after fulfilling one's obligatory prayers.
How to Read
Perform two rak'ahs of non-obligatory prayer (Sunnah or Nafl). After the tasleem (salutation at the end of the prayer), recite this specific dua for Istikhara. When you reach the part where it says 'this matter' (هذا الأمر - hadhal-amr), you should verbally mention the specific decision you are contemplating – in this case, 'accepting the public service role' or 'declining the public service role'. For example, 'Allahumma in kunta ta'lamu anna qabool hadhihi al-wazifa al-'ammah khayrun li...' (O Allah, if You know that accepting this public service role is good for me...). After reciting the dua, you should generally feel a leaning towards one option or the other, or have a clear dream. If no inclination is felt, it is permissible to repeat the Istikhara for up to seven days.
Virtues & Benefits
Istikhara is a beautiful way to entrust one's affairs to Allah, acknowledging His perfect knowledge and power. It helps to alleviate anxiety and uncertainty, bringing peace of mind by seeking the best outcome from the Creator. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught this prayer to ensure that important decisions are aligned with Allah's will, leading to the best possible consequences in this life and the next.
Source & Authentication
Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to teach us the Istikhara in all our concerns, just as he used to teach us the Surahs of the Quran. He said: 'If any one of you is concerned about a matter, he should pray two rak'ahs of non-obligatory prayer, and then say: O Allah, I seek good by Your knowledge and power over all things, and I seek of Your magnificent grace. For you decree and I cannot decree, You know and I cannot know, and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah, if You know that this matter (and he mentions his need) is good for me in this world and the Hereafter, then decree it for me and make it easy for me, and bless it for me. And if You know that this matter is bad for me in this world and the Hereafter, then turn it away from me and turn me away from it, and decree for me that which is good, and make me pleased with it.' He added: 'And he should name his need.' - Sahih al-Bukhari 6306. The wording used in the translation above is from another narration which combines elements from various authentic chains of transmission for clarity and completeness, while the reference remains to Sahih al-Bukhari.