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Prayer guide, Hanafi

How to Pray Istikhara: Method and Dua (Hanafi)

Istikhara is the prayer for guidance in a decision. Learn the Hanafi method from Bahar-e-Shariat, the full dua-e-istikhara in Arabic with transliteration and meaning, and what to do afterwards.

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A boy at a fork in the path making dua, with a light shining over the right way
2 rak‘atNafl prayer
DuaSahih al-Bukhari 6382
7 nightsBest to repeat
HanafiBahar-e-Shariat
SourcesBook and page

What is istikhara?

Istikhara means asking Allah to choose what is best. The Prophet ﷺ taught his Companions to pray two rak‘at and recite a special dua for their matters (Sahih al-Bukhari 6382). Bahar-e-Shariat explains the Hanafi method in part 4, pp. 47–50.

How to pray istikhara

  1. Make wuduMake wudu.
  2. Pray two rak‘at naflIn the first rak‘ah, after Al-Fatihah recite Surah Al-Kafirun; in the second, Surah Al-Ikhlas (Radd al-Muhtar, as quoted in Bahar-e-Shariat).
  3. Praise, durood and the duaAfter salam, praise Allah and recite durood, then the dua below, then praise and durood again.
  4. Name your matterWhere the dua says “this matter” (hadhal-amr), think of your matter.
  5. Sleep facing the qiblahSleep in a state of wudu, facing the qiblah. It is best to repeat this for seven nights (Bahar-e-Shariat, part 4, pp. 47–50).

Dua-e-istikhara (Arabic, transliteration and meaning)

Dua-e-istikharaاللَّهُمَّ 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، وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ، وَاقْدُرْ لِيَ الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ، ثُمَّ رَضِّنِي بِهِAllahumma inni astakhiruka bi‘ilmika, wa astaqdiruka bi-qudratika, wa as’aluka min fadlikal-‘azim, fa innaka taqdiru wa la aqdir, wa ta‘lamu wa la a‘lam, wa anta ‘allamul-ghuyub. Allahumma in kunta ta‘lamu anna hadhal-amra khairun li fi dini wa ma‘ashi wa ‘aqibati amri faqdurhu li, wa in kunta ta‘lamu anna hadhal-amra sharrun li fi dini wa ma‘ashi wa ‘aqibati amri fasrifhu ‘anni wasrifni ‘anhu, waqdur liyal-khaira haithu kana, thumma raddini bih.O Allah, I ask You to guide me by Your knowledge and to give me ability by Your power, and I ask You of Your great bounty. You are able and I am not; You know and I do not, and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah, if You know that this matter is good for me in my religion, my life and my final outcome, then decree it for me. And if You know that this matter is bad for me in my religion, my life and my final outcome, then turn it away from me and turn me away from it, and decree for me what is good wherever it may be, then make me content with it.Sahih al-Bukhari 6382, narrated by Jabir. Bahar-e-Shariat, part 4, pp. 47–50, gives this dua and the method of istikhara.

Frequently asked questions

What is a sign after istikhara?

Bahar-e-Shariat (part 4, pp. 47–50, citing Radd al-Muhtar) says that if one sees whiteness or greenness in a dream the matter is good, and if one sees blackness or redness it is better to avoid it.

How many times should I do istikhara?

It is best to do it seven times, on seven nights (Bahar-e-Shariat, part 4, pp. 47–50).

When do I recite the dua?

After the two rak‘at: praise Allah and recite durood, then the dua, then praise and durood again (Radd al-Muhtar, as quoted in Bahar-e-Shariat, part 4).

What can I do istikhara for?

For a permissible matter you are unsure about. It is not done to decide whether to perform an act of worship itself, such as Hajj (al-Durr al-Mukhtar, as quoted in Bahar-e-Shariat, part 4).

Sources

  1. Bahar-e-Shariat, Mufti Amjad Ali A‘zami, part 4 (English translation by M. Afthab Cassim): istikhara, pp. 47–50 (citing Radd al-Muhtar and al-Durr al-Mukhtar).
  2. Hadith: Sahih al-Bukhari 6382.

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Last updated: October 2026

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