I begin with - Al fateha

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Istikhara....

Solat-Istikhara

This "prayer for guidance" is often used to help in important decision-making .

Anytime a Muslim is making a decision, he or she should seek Allah's guidance and wisdom. Allah alone knows what is best for us, and there may be good in what we perceive as bad, and bad in what we perceive as good.

If you are ambivalent or unsure about a decision you have to make, there is a specific prayer for guidance (Salat-l-Istikhara) that you can do to ask for Allah's help in making your decision.

Should you marry this certain person? Should you attend this graduate school? Should you take this job offer or that one?

Allah knows what is best for you, and if you are not sure about a choice that you have, seek His guidance.

The Prophet Muhammad said, "If one of you is concerned about some practical undertaking, or about making plans for a journey, he should perform two cycles (rak'atain) of voluntary prayer."

Then he/she should say the following du'a:

Oh Allah! I seek Your guidance 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.
Oh Allah! If in Your knowledge, (this matter*) is good for my religion, my livelihood and my affairs, immediate and in the future, then ordain it 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 future, then turn it away from me, and turn me away from it. And ordain for me the good wherever it may be, and make me content with it.
Transliteration:
Allahumma inni astakheeroka bi ilmik. Wa'astaq-diroka biqodratik. Wa'as'aloka min fadlikal-azeem. Fa'innaka taqdiru wala aqdir. Wata lamo wala-a lam. Wa'anta-allamul ghuyoob.
Allahumma 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.

* When making the du'a, the actual matter or decision should be mentioned instead of the words "hathal-amra" ("this matter").

* After doing solat-istikhara, you may feel more inclined toward a decision one way or the other.
( taken from : islam.about.com )

5 comments:

Red said...

Ummi, I korek2 some of my notes and found this wirid:

Subhanaka laa'ilma lana illa maa 'alamtana innaka antal 'alimul kakiim.

Erti: Maha Suci Engkau, tiada pengetahuan bagi kami kecuali apa yang telah engkau ajarkan kepada kami, sesungguhnya Engkau Maha Mengetahui Lagi Bijaksana.

Sebaiknya wirid ini dibaca 40 kali dlm sujud terakhir solat Istikharah (sekurang2nya 3 kali). Boleh juga diamalakan setiap kali solat harian, dibaca sebanyak 3 kali di dalam sujud terakhir.

Wallahu'alam.

Anonymous said...

Salaam.

I think it's always difficult when you want to take on something new...

I think, the most important thing, is that you really seek Allah's guidance - then, usually, you'll get a clear sign.

I usually solat istikharah in the early morning, unless, I fail to wake up. Then, I hope for a dream because that's usually the easiest sign to detect. Although, sometimes, it's a feeling or a certain situation which arises.

Thanks for the post...

Ummi's Blog said...

thxs sooo much , i know this doa.. hubby always read after solat..I will try to amalkan.

Ihsan..its sooo sooo sooo difficult. Im finally facin the bridge yet Im a coward nutcase to even try crossing it.

i hope for a dream too.. tapi so far, just uncertainties... lucky hubby have been a great motivator..if not, i guess id drop the subject totally.

Anonymous said...

test comment ...

Anonymous said...

gal, i really love this solat.. i did it for all the times i needed to make decisions or simply to assure myself.. did it before i got married and when i wanted to choose my flat.. alhamdulillah, through this solat, i could really feel His guidance
-id-