Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Need to know about "istikhara". If istikhara result comes out negative for something that you MUST do, what can be done to make it work in your favor? Did Istikhara for brother 6 times for 6 different prospective girls for marriage, came out negative for all...what may be the reason? Is the time not right or are we doing it the wrong way? What if all his results keep coming negative? Please help!

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

How to determine results of Istakhara?

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His  forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Translation of du'a or supplication of Istakhara:

O Allah! I seek Your guidance (in making a choice) by virtue of Your
knowledge, and I seek ability by virtue of Your power, and I ask You of Your
great bounty. You have power, I have none. And You know, I know not. You are
the Knower of hidden things.

O Allah! If in Your knowledge, (this matter) is good for my religion, my
livelihood and my affairs; immediate and in the distant, then ordain for me,
make it easy for me and bless it for me. And if in Your knowledge, (this
matter) is bad for my religion, my livelihood and my affairs; immediate and
in the distant, then turn it away from me, and turn me away from it. And
ordain for me the good wherever it be and make me pleased with it.

Istakhara is not something where one decides on a matter, and then does Istakhara to confirm his choice! Istakhara is done where one has a couple of good choices, and he consults Allah Subhanah to guide him to the option which is best for him in this world and in the Hereafter.

It is not necessary that one gets a definitive or tangible answer every time one does Istakhara. When one does Istakhara, he basically asks Allah Subhanah to make easy for him the option that is best for him in the world and in the Hereafter, and stop the happening of the options which are detrimental to him in the future.

Your Statement: What if all his results keep coming negative?

If you could kindly explain to us how exactly did you determine that the results of the ‘istkhara’ were negative, we might be able to shed some light on the issue.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan

The following is from the book "Selected Prayers"
compiled by Dr. Jamal Badawi.

"When seeking guidance in decision-making (Istikharah)"

Allahomma Inni Astakheeroka Bi'ilmik. Wa'astaqdiroka Biqodratik. Wa'as'aloka
min Fadlikal-azeem. Fa'innaka Taqdiru Wala Aqdir. Wata'lamo Wala-a'lam.
Wa'anta-'allamul ghuyoob.

Allahomma In Kunta Ta'lamu Anna (Hathal-Amra) Khayul-lee Fi Deenee Wama'ashi
Wa'ajila Amri Wa'ajilah, Faqdorho lee, Wayassirho lee, Thomma-barik lee fih.

Wa'in Konta Ta'lamo Anna (Hathal-Amra) sharrul-lee Fi Deenee. Wama'ashi.
Wa'ajila Amri. Wa'ajilaho. Fasrifho 'annee. Wasrifnee 'anh. Waqdur
leyal-khayr Haytho kan. Thomma ardini Bih.


Translation of du'a:
O Allah! I seek Your guidance (in making a choice) by virtue of Your
knowledge, and I seek ability by virtue of Your power, and I ask You of Your
great bounty. You have power, I have none. And You know, I know not. You are
the Knower of hidden things.
O Allah! If in Your knowledge, (this matter) is good for my religion, my
livelihood and my affairs; immediate and in the distant, then ordain for me,
make it easy for me and bless it for me. And if in Your knowledge, (this
matter) is bad for my religion, my livelihood and my affairs; immediate and
in the distant, then turn it away from me, and turn me away from it. And
ordain for me the good wherever it be and make me pleased with it.

Notes:
1. The above du'a is to be recited when there is uncertainty about the
advisability of taking a decision, provided it is Islamically permissable.
2. After performing wudu' (ablution), one should offer two rakahs (sunnah
required for this purpose).
3. Before reciting the dua' it should be made sure that the person is not
already inclined to a given decision; otherwise it will mean the person is
not serious about seeking guidance from Allah (SWT).
4. In making this dua' the actual matter or decision concerning which divine
guidance is being sought should be mentioned instead of the words (Hathal
Amra) in transliteration or the words "this matter" in the translation
above.
5. After reciting the dua' (immediately or later on), one may feel more
favorably disposed toward one choice or the other.


Salatul istekharah
from the book Fiqh us-Sunnah by As-Sayyid Sabiq

It is a sunnah that, if one must choose between permissible alternatives,
one should pray two rak'as sunnah, be they regular sunnah prayers or a
prayer for entering a mosque, and so on, during any time of the day or
night, and to recite therein whatever one wishes of the Qu'ran after
reciting Al-Fatiha. Then one should praise Allah and send salutations to the
Prophet, peace be upon him, and recite the following supplication which has
been recorded by Bukhari in Jabir's narration:

"The Prophet, peace be upon him, would teach us al-Istikharah for all of our
affairs as he would teach us a surah of the Qu'ran. He said 'if one of you
is deliberating over an act, he should pray two rak'ahs 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 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 ordain it for me, make it (easy) for me and bless it for
me. And if You know that this matter is bad for my religion, my livelihood
and my life in the Hereafter (or he said 'for my present and future life')
then turn it away from me and turn me away from it and ordain the good for
me wherever it be and make me be pleased with it."
There is nothing authentic concerning anything specific that is to be
recited in the prayer nor is there any authentic report concerning how many
times one should repeat it.
An-Nawawi holds that "after performing the istikhara, a person must do what
he is wholeheartedly inclined to do and feels good about doing and should
not insist on doing what he has desired to do before making the istikhara.
And if his feelings change, he should leave what he had intended to do,
otherwise he is not completely leaving the choice of 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 one oneself
desired or determined."

"Most surely man is in loss,
except those who believe and do good,
and enjoin on each other truth,
and enjoin on each other patience."

(Al-Qur'an, 23:2-3)
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