Guidance Prayer (Salat Al-Istikhaarah)

❷Guidance Prayer 

(Salat Al-Istikhaarah)

Introduction:

Probably man faces an important matter in life, in which he/she has no certain opinion, so he/she becomes bewildered between acceptance and rejection and unable to make a critical decision.

God says ﴾So flee to Allah. Indeed, I am to you from Him a clear warner﴿ Chapter of Winds. Verse NO 50

He/she has only to get rid of worry by performing ablution perfectly and then performing two prayer units (guidance prayer) individually in which he/she recites, bows down, and prostrates well. 

After finishing this, he/she invokes Allah saying the text of guidance invocation (Du'aa' Al-Istikhaarah).

Afterwards, Allah helps him/her to accept this matter and makes it easy, or He puts obstacles and hinders it due to a certain rationale that no one knows except Him.

God says ﴾Perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you, and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah knows, while you know not﴿ 

Chapter of the Heifer. Verse NO 216

¨Some scholars prefer making guidance prayer the last thing a Muslim performs in his day after night prayer, its Sunnah prayer, and Witr prayer.

Then he goes to sleep reading Ayat Al-Kursi and Chapters of Daybreak and Mankind.

As a result, he gets up making the right decision.

─ It is important to give very careful consideration for the matter so as not to blame the guidance prayer.

●Jabir ibn Abd Allah reported: The Prophet ﷺ used to teach us the way of doing Istikhaarah (seeking guidance from Allah) in all matters as he taught us Chapters of the Qur'an. 

He said, “If anyone of you thinks of doing anything, he should offer two prayer units other than the obligatory prayer and say (after the prayer):

‘O Allah, I consult You through Your knowledge, I seek strength through Your power, and I ask You of Your great bounty; for You are Capable while I am not and You know and I do not. And You are the Knower of hidden things.

O Allah, if You know that this matter (and name it) is good for me in respect of my religion, my livelihood, the consequences of my affairs, and the sooner or the later of my affairs, then ordain it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me.

But if You know this matter (and name it) to be bad for my religion, my livelihood, the consequences of my affairs, and the sooner or the later of my affairs, then turn it away from me, and turn me away from it. And ordain for me whatever is good for me, and make me satisfied with it.’”

Reference: Sahih Al-Bukhari.   Book 19, Hadith 45    

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Funeral Prayer (Salat AL-Janaazah)

Repentance Prayer - Salat At Tawbah

Specific Nawaafil

Specific Nawaafil 

(That a person performs individually, i.e., not in a group)

□Praises Prayer (Salat At-Tasaabeeh)             

□Guidance Prayer (Salat Al-Istikhaarah)

□Repentance Prayer (Salat At-Tawbah)

❶Praises Prayer (Salat At-Tasaabeeh)

Its time: 

It is performed at any time. But when a Muslim performs it at night, he should end it with a Witr prayer.

Its prayer units’ number: 

It is of four prayer units.

Its text:

“Exalted is Allah, praise be to Allah, no god but Allah, and Allah is the Greatest (Subhana Allah wa Alhamdullilah wa La 'Illaha 'Ilaa Allah wa Allahu Akbar).”

The number of praises in each prayer unit: 

Seventy-five times in each prayer unit.

How to perform it?

①Say, “I have intended to pray four prayer units of the Sunnah of praises prayer. God is the Greatest (Nawaitu 'Usalli 'Arba' Rak'aat Sunnat Salat At-Tasaabeeh, Allahu Akbar).”

②Recite Chapter of the Opening and what seems easy for you from the Qur'an.

③Say praises in the previously mentioned text fifteen times.

④Bow down and say the praises ten times in bowing.

⑤Raise from bowing and say, “Allah hears the one who praises him (Sami'a Allahu Liman Hamidah).” Then say the text of praises for ten times.

⑥Prostrate and say the text of praises ten times in the first prostration.

⑦Raise from prostration and say the text ten times while you are sitting.

⑧Prostrate for the second time and say the text ten times in prostration.

⑨Stand up and say the text ten times.

Thus, the sum of praises is seventy-five.

Then, you start the second prayer unit with reciting Chapter of the Opening and repeating what you have done in the first prayer unit.

You will do the same in the third and fourth prayer units.

The evidence of its legitimacy:

●It was narrated from Abd Allah ibn 'Abbas that the Messenger of Allah ﷺsaid to Al-'Abbas ibn Abd Al-Muttalib: 

“'Abbas, my uncle, shall I not give you, shall I not present to you, shall I not donate to you, shall I not produce for you ten things? If you act upon them, Allah will forgive you for your sins, first and last, old and new, involuntary and voluntary, minor and major, secret and open. 

These are ten things: you should perform four prayer units, reciting in each one Chapter of the Opening and a Chapter (Surah). 

When you finish the recitation of the first prayer unit you should say fifteen times while standing: “Exalted is Allah, praise be to Allah, no god but Allah, Allah is the Greatest.” 

Then you should bow and say it ten times while bowing. 

Then you should raise your head after bowing and say it ten times. 

Then you should kneel in prostration and say it ten times while prostrating yourself. 

Then you should raise your head after prostration and say it ten times. Then you should prostrate yourself and say it ten times. 

Then you should raise your head after prostration and say it ten times. That will be seventy-five times in each prayer unit. 

You should do that in all four prayer units. 

If you can pray it once each day, then do so. If you cannot, then once each week. If you cannot, then once each month. If you cannot, then once in your lifetime.”

Reference: Sunan Abi-Daoud.  Book 5, Hadith 48

●It was narrated from Abi Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

“Uttering the words: ‘Exalted is Allah, praise be to Allah, no god but Allah, Allah is the Greatest (Subhana Allah wa Alhamdullilah wa La 'Illaha 'Ilaa Allah wa Allahu Akbar).’, is dearer to me than anything over which the sun rises.”

Reference: Sahih Muslim.  Book 48, Hadith 42


Read also
Guidance prayer (Salat Al-Istikhaarah)