People generally think that istikhārah is a sure-shot way to find out the will of the Almighty in a particular matter. For this they even go to professional istikhārah-doers.

It needs to be realized that istikhārah is nothing but a supplication (du‘ā) to God. It asks God to guide us in matters in which it is difficult to take a decision. One can see how powerful and potent is this prophetic supplication from its words:

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 فَاقْدِرْهُ لِي وَ يَسِّرهُ لِيْ ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيْهِ وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ وَاقْدِرْ لِي الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِي

O Allah! I seek what is better through Your Knowledge, and through Your Might I seek strength, and I beg from You Your great blessings, because You have the might and I do not have the might. And You know everything and I do not know, and You have knowledge of the unseen. O Allah! If in Your Knowledge this action [which I intend to do] is better with regard to my religion, my life and my fate then destine it for me and make it easy for me and then add blessings to it for me. And O Allah! In Your knowledge if this action is bad for me, for my religion and for my fate, then turn it away from me and turn me away from it, and [O Allah!] whatever is better for me, ordain that for me wherever it is, and then make me satisfied with it.[1]

Now, like every supplication, the Almighty either positively responds to it through some indication or there can be times when He defers action on it depending upon His wisdom. Thus, it needs to be realized that the istikhārah is no more than a supplication and is not a formula to find out the will of God.

Moreover, people generally think that only through dreams does one get an indication of Allah’s will after doing istikhārah. It is because of this misconception that they think that an indication through a dream is the only way to know the Almighty’s will in a particular matter. Actually, there are a number of ways in which this indication can come if at all. Dreams are just one of these. There may be several ways. For example, circumstances sometimes become more clear so that a person is able to judge for himself. Similarly, someone might just come along and help a person in his decision. Likewise, the Almighty may directly guide a person by giving him an inner indication.

However, whatever be the source, it is imperative that an indication which is against divine revelation and sense and reason should not be accepted. One should always act according to one’s common sense, since this sense is the foremost guidance provided by the Almighty to man. Generally, dreams help us in deciding when there is an indication from no other source. Again, what is interpreted from them should not refute knowledge, common sense or experience if it is to be accepted and if it does refute any of these bases, then that interpretation must be ignored.

(Dr. Shehzad Saleem)

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1. Al-Bukhārī, Al-Jāmi‘ al-sahīh, vol. 1, 391, (no. 1109).