A step closer to Jannah [Book I]

How to pray Istikhara

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Asalamu alaykum warahmatullahi wabrakatuh,
To pray Istikhara you begin with praying 2 rak'ahs (note that this prayer isn't fard (compulsory) but it is strongly recommended) and in the first Rak'ah you recite Surah Kafiroon and in the second rak'ah you recite Surah Al-Ikhlas. When you finish the two Rak'ahs you recite this dua...

Dua for Istikhara

اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أَسْتَخِيْرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ وَأَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْعَظِيْمِ فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلَآ أَقْدِرُ وَتَعْلَمُ وَلَآ أَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوْبِ اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هٰذَا الْأَمْرَ خَيْرٌ لِّيْ فِيْ دِيْنِيْ وَمَعَاشِيْ وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِيْ اَوْ عَاجِلِ أَمْرِيْ وَآجِلِهِۦ فَاقْدِرْهُ لِيْ وَيَسِّرْهُ لِيْ ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِيْ فِيْهِ وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هٰذَا الْأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِّيْ فِيْ دِيْنِيْ وَمَعَاشِيْ وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِيْ اَوْ عَاجِلِ أَمْرِيْ وَآجِلِهِۦ فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّيْ وَاصْرِفْنِيْ عَنْهُ وَاقْدِرْ لِيَ الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ ارْضِنِيْ بِهِۦ
(بخارى)

O Allah, with Your knowledge I seek the good, with Your power I seek ability and Your mighty favour for certainly You have the power that I don't have, You know and I do not Know and You Know the unseen. O Allah, in Your knowledge if this work is good for me with regard to my Deen, my worldly life and the end-result of my work-or with regards to my worldly life and my life in the hereafter, then let it be for me and ease it for me and grant me Barakah in it. And if you know that this work is not good in my favour with regard to my Deen, my worldly affairs and the end-result of my work-or with regards to my worldly life and my life in the hereafter-then keep this work away from me and keep me away from it. Grant me goodness wherever it may be (in whatever is best) and make me happy with it.
(Bukhari)

And when it says 'this work' or 'هٰذَا الْأَمْرَ' comes up, you have to substitute it by saying why you are doing this Istikhara, e.g; You read the start of the Istikhara dua but when you reach this part you say "O Allah, in Your knowledge if buying a car is good for me with regard to my Deen....and then you continue the dua. As you can see I substituted 'this work' with buying a car because I made Istikhara so I can buy a car or not. Another example is; O Allah, in Your knowledge if applying for a job in X company is good for me with regard to my Deen...and you continue the dua. As you can see in this example I substituted 'this work' with 'applying a job in X company.'

May Allah swt increase your knowledge and grant you good understanding Allahuma Ameen :)

Asalamu alaykum warahmatullahi wabrakatuh