Salatul Istikhara: A Step-by-Step Guide

Salatul istikhara is a voluntary prayer of two rak'ahs followed by a specific supplication, in which a Muslim facing a permissible choice asks Allah to bring it about if it is good for them and to turn it away if it is not. You pray the two rak'ahs, then recite the supplication taught by the Prophet ﷺ, naming your matter where it says "this matter" (Sahih al-Bukhari 1162). No dream or sign is required: after praying, you go ahead with what seems best and accept how things unfold.

Where the Prayer Comes From

Jabir ibn 'Abdullah reported that the Prophet ﷺ used to teach his Companions istikhara in all their affairs, just as he taught them a surah of the Quran. He said: "When one of you is concerned about a matter, let him pray two rak'ahs other than the obligatory prayer, then say..." — and the supplication follows. Al-Bukhari records it in three places (Sahih al-Bukhari 1162, 6382 and 7390), and it is also in Sunan Abi Dawud 1538 and other collections.

Three phrases in that report shape the practice:

• "In all their affairs." Jabir's wording is general. Istikhara is not reserved for marriage or other life-changing events; the Companions were taught it for ordinary decisions as well.
• "As he taught them a surah of the Quran." The comparison signals care over the exact wording. The supplication is learned as a fixed text rather than improvised.
• "Other than the obligatory prayer." The two rak'ahs are voluntary. An obligatory prayer does not count as the istikhara prayer.

The word istikhara comes from the Arabic root kh-y-r, "good", and means asking for the better of two things. It sits beside a practice the Quran commands directly, consultation: "And consult them in the matter. Then when you have decided, rely upon Allah" (Al Imran 3:159).

How to Pray Istikhara, Step by Step

Step 1 — Check that the matter calls for istikhara. Istikhara is for a choice between permissible options, or about how and when to do something good. It is not prayed over whether to fulfil an obligation, such as the five daily prayers, or whether to do something forbidden.

Step 2 — Gather information and consult. Find out the facts, think through the options, and ask the advice of people who are knowledgeable and trustworthy in the matter. This is the consultation (istishara) the Quran describes in Al Imran 3:159.

Step 3 — Perform wudu. Istikhara is a prayer, so it needs the same state of purity as any other prayer.

Step 4 — Pray two rak'ahs of voluntary prayer. Make the intention of praying istikhara and pray two rak'ahs exactly as you would any voluntary prayer. Recite al-Fatihah in each rak'ah, followed by any surah you know; the hadith does not specify one. Al-Nawawi, in his book al-Adhkar, recommended al-Kafirun (Surah 109) in the first rak'ah and al-Ikhlas (Surah 112) in the second. This is a recommendation, not a condition.

Step 5 — Recite the supplication after the salam. Begin by praising Allah and sending blessings on the Prophet ﷺ, then recite the istikhara supplication given in the next section. Because the hadith says "then let him say", most scholars place the supplication after the salam. Some, Ibn Taymiyya among them, held that it may also be said in the final sitting before the salam.

Step 6 — Name your matter. Where the supplication says "this matter" (hadha al-amr), mention the actual matter — the job offer, the marriage proposal, the move to another city. You may say it in place of the words or hold it clearly in mind. The narration in Sahih al-Bukhari 1162 ends with the words "and he should name his need."

Step 7 — Decide and act. Go ahead with the option that seems best after praying. If the way becomes easy, continue; if it closes for reasons outside your control, accept that as part of the answer.

The Istikhara Supplication

The wording below follows Sahih al-Bukhari 1162. The narrations differ slightly in places; at two points a narrator records a doubt over whether the Prophet ﷺ said "in my religion, my livelihood and the outcome of my affair" or "in my affairs, the immediate and the later", and either wording may be used.

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ، وَأَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْعَظِيمِ، فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلَا أَقْدِرُ، وَتَعْلَمُ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ، وَأَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوبِ. اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ خَيْرٌ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ، وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ، وَاقْدُرْ لِيَ الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ، ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِي بِهِ.

Transliteration:

Allāhumma innī astakhīruka bi-ʿilmika, wa astaqdiruka bi-qudratika, wa as'aluka min faḍlika al-ʿaẓīm, fa-innaka taqdiru wa lā aqdir, wa taʿlamu wa lā aʿlam, wa anta ʿallāmu al-ghuyūb. Allāhumma in kunta taʿlamu anna hādhā al-amra khayrun lī fī dīnī wa maʿāshī wa ʿāqibati amrī, fa-qdurhu lī wa yassirhu lī, thumma bārik lī fīh. Wa in kunta taʿlamu anna hādhā al-amra sharrun lī fī dīnī wa maʿāshī wa ʿāqibati amrī, fa-ṣrifhu ʿannī wa-ṣrifnī ʿanhu, wa-qdur liya al-khayra ḥaythu kān, thumma arḍinī bih.

Translation:

"O Allah, I ask You to show me what is best through Your knowledge, and I ask You for ability through Your power, and I ask You of Your immense bounty. For You have power and I have none; You know and I do not know; and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah, if You know that this matter is good for me in my religion, my livelihood and the outcome of my affair, then decree it for me, make it easy for me, and then bless me in it. And if You know that this matter is bad for me in my religion, my livelihood and the outcome of my affair, then turn it away from me and turn me away from it, and decree for me what is good wherever it may be, and then make me content with it."

The supplication has three parts. The first admits that power and knowledge belong to Allah. The second asks for one of two outcomes, without presuming which. The third — "decree for me what is good wherever it may be, and make me content with it" — concedes in advance that the good outcome may not be the one the person was hoping for.

When to Pray It

Istikhara can be prayed at any time of day or night except the times in which voluntary prayer is disliked. 'Uqbah ibn 'Amir reported that the Prophet ﷺ forbade prayer at three times: as the sun is rising until it is fully up, when it is at its height until it passes the meridian, and as it is setting until it has set (Sahih Muslim 831). Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported the prohibition of prayer after the Fajr prayer until the sun has risen, and after the 'Asr prayer until it has set (Sahih al-Bukhari 586).

The schools agree that istikhara should not be prayed at these times when the decision can wait. They differ over prayers that have a specific cause (dhawat al-asbab). The Shafi'i school allows some such prayers in the disliked times but generally excludes istikhara, because its cause — the decision — lies ahead rather than having already occurred. Where a decision genuinely cannot wait, a number of scholars said the person may make the supplication on its own, without the prayer.

Many people choose the last third of the night for its general virtue as a time when supplication is answered (Sahih al-Bukhari 1145), but no hadith ties istikhara to the night, and it is equally valid during the day.

What to Expect After Praying

The most common misunderstanding is that istikhara produces a dream. No authentic narration says so. The supplication asks Allah to decree, to make easy and to turn away — not to send a sign.

The second is that a strong feeling of certainty must follow. Al-Nawawi wrote in al-Adhkar that after istikhara a person proceeds with whatever their heart has become settled on. Ibn Hajar, discussing the same question in Fath al-Bari, cautioned that this should not be an inclination the person already had before praying, driven by their own wishes. Other scholars held that the person simply proceeds with what they judge best and relies on Allah to turn them away from it if it is bad. On every view, the answer lies in what follows the decision, not in a signal before it.

A popular report says to repeat istikhara seven times and then follow what first comes to the heart. It is transmitted by Ibn al-Sunni, and Ibn Hajar described its chain in Fath al-Bari as very weak. It should not be treated as a rule. Repeating istikhara while a matter remains undecided is still permitted, since it is a supplication, and many scholars encouraged it.

The Quran's reminder applies here: "Perhaps you dislike a thing and it is good for you, and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. Allah knows, while you do not know" (Al-Baqarah 2:216).

Common Mistakes

• Waiting for a dream, or using istikhara instead of thinking. The hadith mentions no dream, and the Quran commands consultation. Istikhara is prayed alongside research and advice, not in place of them.
• Using it as a rubber stamp. Praying istikhara with the decision already fixed and no willingness to accept a closed door empties the supplication's final words of meaning.
• Handing it to someone else for a fee. The Prophet ﷺ taught the supplication to each Companion to say for himself. Paying someone to "do istikhara" and report back has no basis in the hadith.
• Reading an unwanted outcome as an unanswered prayer. If the matter falls through, that may be the very answer asked for: "turn it away from me and turn me away from it."

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I pray istikhara more than once for the same matter?

Yes. Istikhara is a supplication, and there is no limit on asking Allah. Many scholars encouraged repeating it while a matter remains undecided. The report specifying seven repetitions is very weak, so no fixed number is required.

Can I recite the istikhara supplication after a regular sunnah prayer instead of praying two separate rak'ahs?

Scholars differ. Al-Nawawi held in al-Adhkar that the supplication made after a regular sunnah prayer or another voluntary prayer is sufficient. Others required two rak'ahs prayed with the specific intention of istikhara, since the hadith describes a dedicated prayer. Praying two separate rak'ahs avoids the disagreement.

Can a woman who is menstruating do istikhara?

She cannot pray the two rak'ahs, but she can recite the supplication itself, since supplication is not restricted by menstruation. Several scholars said a person unable to pray may make the supplication alone; if the decision can wait, she may also pray the full istikhara later.

Do I need to recite the supplication in Arabic, or from memory?

Learning the prophetic wording is best, since the Companions were taught it as carefully as a surah. Until you have memorised it, reading it from a paper or a screen after the prayer is fine. Asking Allah for guidance in your own language is still supplication, but the prophetic wording is worth learning.

Can someone else pray istikhara on my behalf?

The hadith addresses the person facing the decision, in the first person. Some later scholars permitted praying it for another person, particularly a parent for a child; others held it is for the person concerned. Where possible, the person deciding should pray it themselves, and others can support them with ordinary supplication.

How long should I wait for an answer?

There is no waiting period in the hadith. Once you have consulted and prayed, proceed with the option that seems best; the answer is in whether the matter is made easy or turned away.