Miscellaneous Articles

"Istikhara literally means to `ask the best' from Allah . O' Allah! I am perplexed and do not know if Your pleasure is in this task or not (which I wish to perform). I ask You to make apparent Your pleasure upon me.

However, in this state, it is necessary for one to supplicate to Allah (swt), and the true Istikhara is just this ‑ supplication. If by this method, one's confusion is not removed, then it is not a problem that to remove the doubt and uncertainty, then one acts according to that which has been mentioned in the narrations and by either the Tasbih or the Qur'an, he can seek to alleviate his difficulties.

However, two conditions must be fulfilled, the first is that the person must be in a state of supplication meaning that his state be such that he truly feels: `O' Allah! Please remove the doubt in me through the blessings of the Glorious Qur'an.'

The second condition, which is the most important one, is understanding the context and meaning of the verses of the holy Qur'an ‑ including the particularities in relation to an Istikhara.

It must be made known that the Qur'an was not revealed simply to perform the Istikhara. Rather, it is a book of knowledge and wisdom, which guides one to the paths of servitude of Allah . Don't get me wrong, I am not opposed to performing the Istikhara by the Qur'an, but those two conditions must be primarily fulfilled.

In the event that after thinking, supplicating and asking others for advice, one still remains in a state of doubt, then the best way to remove this uncertainty, which has also been mentioned in the narrations, is to perform an Istikhara, and that too by the method known as "Dhat al‑Raqa”2 eaning the Istikhara using papers, which even the most well‑known Fuqaha' (Scholars) used to perform."