Istikhara (Arabic) means to ask Allah to guide one to the right thing concerning any affair in one’s life, especially when one has to choose between two permissible alternatives, e.g. a career choice, getting married, etc. Similarly, a traveller should consult good righteous persons before setting out on a journey, because Allah says, “And consult them (O Prophet) in affairs (of moment),” (Qur’an, 3: 159) and one of the characteristics of the believers is that “they (conduct) their affairs by mutual consultation”


(Qur’an, 42: 38).

Qatadah said, “Every people who seek the pleasure of Allah and consult with one another are guided to the best course in their affairs.” The traveller should also make istikharah and seek guidance from Allah.

Sa’ d ibn Waqas reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said,

“Istikharah (seeking guidance from Allah) is one of the distinct favors (of Allah) upon man, and a good fortune for the son of Adam is to be pleased with the judgment of Allah. And a misfortune of the son of Adam is his failure to make istikharah (seeking Allah’s guidance), and a misfortune for the son of Adam is his displeasure with the judgment of Allah.” Ibn Taimiyyah said, “He who seeks guidance from the Creator and consults the creatures will never regret it.”

Salatul Istikharah is a sunnah.

It is a prayer that one may pray if one must choose between permissible alternatives:

it is two non-obligatory rak’at

(that can be recited separately or in combination with the regular sunnah prayers or the prayer for entering the mosque [...] during any time of the day or night, and to recite therein whatever one wishes of the Qur’an after reciting al-Fatihah.

After the two-rak’ats, one praises Allah and sends salutations to the Prophet sallallahu alehi wasallam and recites the following supplication which has been recorded by al-Bukhari in Jabir’s hadith (see full text below):

“The Prophet sallallahu alehi wasallam would teach us al-istikhara for all of our affairs as he would teach us a surah from the Qur’an. He said: ‘If one of you is deliberating over an act, he should pray two non-obligatory rak’at and say:

“O Allah, I consult You as You are All-Knowing and I appeal to You to give me power as You are Omnipotent, I ask You for Your great favor, for You have power and I do not, and You know all of the hidden matters . O Allah ! If you know that this matter (then he should mention it) is good for me in my religion, my livelihood, and for my life in the Hereafter, (or he said: ‘for my present and future life,’) then make it (easy) for me. And if you know that this matter is not good for me in my religion, my livelihood and my life in the Hereafter, (or he said: ‘for my present and future life,’) then keep it away from me and take me away from it and choose what is good for me wherever it is and please me with it.”

The Fiqh-us-Sunnah scholars maintain that there is nothing authentic concerning something specific (e.g. specific qur’anic ayats, etc.) that is to be recited in the prayer nor is there any authentic report concerning how many times one should repeat salat-ul-Istikhara.

An-Nawawi holds that “after performing the istikharah, a person must do what he is wholeheartedly inclined to do and feels good about doing and should not insist on doing what he had desired to do before making the istikharah. And if his feelings change, he should leave what he had intended to do, otherwise he is not completely leaving the choice to Allah, and would not be honest in seeking aid from Allah’s power and knowledge. Sincerity in seeking Allah’s choice, means that one should completely leave what he himself had desired or determined.”

The following hadith (referred above in Fiqh-us-Sunnah) is narrated by Jabir bin Abdullah about Salat-ul-Istikhara in Sahih Bukhari (volume 2, hadith number 263 and again volume 9, hadith 487):

The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to teach us the way of doing Istikhara (Istikhara means to ask Allah to guide one to the right sort of action concerning any job or a deed), in all matters as he taught us the Suras of the Quran. He said, "If anyone of you thinks of doing any job he should offer a two Rakat prayer other than the compulsory ones and say (after the prayer):

'Allahumma inni astakhiruka bi'ilmika, Wa astaqdiruka bi-qudratika, Wa asaluka min fadlika al-'azim Fa-innaka taqdiru Wala aqdiru, Wa ta'lamu Wala a'lamu, Wa anta 'allamu l-ghuyub. Allahumma, in kunta ta'lam anna hadha-l-amra Khairun li fi dini wa ma'ashi wa'aqibati amri (or 'ajili amri wa'ajilihi) Faqdirhu li wa yas-sirhu li thumma barik li Fihi, Wa in kunta ta'lamu anna hadha-lamra shar-run li fi dini wa ma'ashi wa'aqibati amri (or fi'ajili amri wa ajilihi) Fasrifhu anni was-rifni anhu. Waqdir li al-khaira haithu kana Thumma ardini bihi.'



(O Allah! I ask guidance from Your knowledge, and Power from Your Might and I ask for Your great blessings. You are capable and I am not. You know and I do not and You know the unseen. O Allah! If You know that this job is good for my religion and my subsistence and in my Hereafter--(or said: If it is better for my present and later needs)--then You ordain it for me and make it easy for me to get, and then bless me in it, and if You know that this job is harmful to me in my religion and subsistence and in the Hereafter--(or said: If it is worse for my present and later needs)--then keep it away from me and let me be away from it. And ordain for me whatever is good for me, and make me satisfied with it)."

The Prophet added that then the person should name (mention) his need.


Salat ul Istikahara: Prayer for consultation



To summarize, here is how you pray Salat-ul-Istikhara step-by step:


1. Perform Wudu (the ablution) if you do not have it already.

2. Pray 2 raka’at either with the intention of praying Istikhara separately by itself or jointly with 2 rakat of, for example, tahajjud.

3. Immediately after you have completed the 2 rakats, recite the abovementioned Istikhara Dua.

4. Name the deed you wish Allah to provide you with guidance about.

5. Follow An Nawawi's advice on how to interpret Allah's guidance (again see above).

6. There is no limit on the number of times you can pray Salat-ul-Istikhara.

Salat Istikhara and Marriage


Sunni Path Academy

Clip from SunniPath Answers Live event. This answer addresses the issue of how to pray Salat al-Istikhara, particularly in relation to marriage. Answered by Shaykh Hamza Karamali




Divine GPS: The Inner Dimensions of Salat Istikhara

This 39 minute lecture is by Imam AbdulBary Yahya. He was born in Vietnam during the Vietnam War, and very soon thereafter immigrated to the U.S. with his family. He grew up in Seattle, WA and after completing his primary and secondary education there, began his studies at the Islamic University of Madinah. It was at the University that he befriended Muhammad Alshareef, as they sat next to each other in the first year of their studies.

Upon graduation from the Islamic University of Madinah’s College of Shariah, AbdulBary Yahya returned to Vietnam and Cambodia and became a teacher and director of the Revival of Islamic Heritage Society in Cambodia and the Umm al-Qura Charity Organization in Vietnam.

He presently resides in Seattle, WA with his family, and is an instructor with AlMaghrib Institute, an organization that provides trademark double-weekend seminars leading students towards a bachelor’s degree in Islamic Studies. He is currently the Imam (spiritual leader and adviser) of Masjid Jaamiul Muslimeen in Seattle, WA. He also holds the positions of President of the Cham Refugee Community and Vice-President of the Islamic Center of Washington State.