Istikhara prayer is a very simple prayer of seeking guidance.
Does it ever happen to you that you prayed to Istikhaara but you did not see the dream? Well, the answer is: It is not necessary to see a dream after Istikhara Dua. You do not have to get a dream or a “feeling”. On the contrary, in the Istikhara prayer, Allah guides you to what is best (Khayr) for you. If you do the guidance prayer (Istikhara) with good manners, the most important of which is to really entrust the question to Allah and suspend your own inclinations, then Allah will make the events unfold in the direction that is best for your world. and post-world affairs. First of all, let’s see what Istikharah and Istikharah Dua …
Istikhara prayer
Allah says: “… and consult them (the people concerned) in business, and then, when you have made a decision, put your trust in Allah, surely Allah loves those who put their trust in Him.” [ 3: 159]
Narrated by Jaabir ibn Abd-Allaah al-Salami (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said:
“Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to teach his companions to do Istikhaarah in all things, just as he taught them the surahs of the Qur’an. If any of you are concerned about a decision that He must take, then He will pray two rak’ahs of non-obligatory prayer, then say: Allaahumma inni astakheeruka bi ‘ilmika wa astaqdiruka bi qudratika wa as’aluka min fadlika, fa innaka taqdiru wa laa aqdir, wa ta’lamu wa laa a’lam, wa anta ‘allaam al-ghuyoob. Allaahumma fa in kunta ta’lamu haadha’l-amra (then the case should be mentioned by name) khayran li fi ‘aajil amri wa aajilihi (or: fi deeni wa ma’aashi wa’ aaqibati amri) faqdurhu li wa yassirhu li thumma baarik li fihi. Allaahumma wa in kunta ta’lamu annahu sharrun li fi deeni wa ma’aashi wa ‘aaqibati amri (or: fi’ aajili amri wa aajilihi) fasrifni ‘anhu [wasrafhu’ anni] waqdour li al-khayr haythu kaana thumma radini bihi
Translation: “O Allah, I seek Your direction [by making a choice] by virtue of Your knowledge, and I seek the capacity under Your power, and I ask you for Your great generosity.You have the power, I do not I have none, and you know, I do not know, you are the connoisseur of the hidden things, O Allah, if in your knowledge, this case (then it should be mentioned by name) is good for me in this world and in the afterlife (or: in my religion, my livelihood and my business), then order it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me, and if in your knowledge that is bad for me and for my religion, my livelihood and my business (or: for me both in this world and the other), then move me away from him, [and move me away], and order for me the well, wherever he may be, and make me happy. “[Reported by al-Bukhari, 6841, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nisaai, Abu Dawood, Ibn Maajah and Ahmad]
ISTIKHARAH DREAM:
Many people think that after Praying Istikhaarah there must be a dream or a feeling of ease in the heart, and so on, but that is not the case. Even if such a thing does not happen when a person has prayed to Istikhaarah and does his best to find what suits him best, such as consulting people, examining the question and asking those with experience, then We hope it will be best for him, even if he does not feel comfortable in his heart at first. Even if we suppose that he does not succeed in this matter that he pursues after praying istikhaarah, it may be good for him because he does not know it and Allah knows best.
Some of us pray Istikhaarah and wait until they see a dream. But this is not what was said by the Prophet (PBUH). The Prophet (PBUH) told us to pray Istikhaarah and to consult others, not to rely on what is seen in dreams.
When Allah does something easy for us, after decreeing it and accepting our Du’a, it is a sign that it is good to go ahead and do it. The existence of obstacles and difficulties is an indication that Allah is pushing His slave not to do it. This meaning will be very clear when one reflects on the meaning of Jaabir’s hadith concerning al-istikhaarah, where the prophet (PBUH) said:
“… O Allah, if you know this case – [and here he should mention it] – is good for me in relation to my religion, my life, and the end, then decree and facilitate it for me, and bless me, and if you know that this case is bad for me to my religion, my life and my end, then remove it from me and take me away from there, and decreverence for me what is good anywhere and make me satisfied with that.
STATUS OF DREAMS IN ISTIKHARA:
Before looking in dreams Istikharah, one must know the types of dreams:
1. Ruyaa – good visions (dreams)
2. Dreams by Satan to scare us
3. The functioning of the subconscious / imaginations
It was reported from Awf ibn Malik (RA) that the Prophet (PBUH) said, “Dreams are of three types: some are terrifying things of Satan, intended to cause sorrow to the son of Adam; things that a person cares about when he is awake, then he sees them in his dreams, and some are part of the forty-six parts of the prophecy. “[Ibn Maajah, 3155]
It was reported from Abu Huraira (RAA) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Dreams are of three types: the good news of Allah, which is in the spirit and dreams If one of you sees a dream that he loves, let him tell others if he wants to, but if he sees something he does not like, he does not should tell anyone about it and he should stand up and pray. “[Ibn Maajah, 3154]
Sometimes it may happen that we lean towards something, we pray to Istikhara and see Dream about it. But we should not totally rely on Dreams because the dream can also be the work of the subconscious. As for what a person thinks and sees in his daily life. Moreover, one can not interpret any dream by oneself. One must seek the advice of a scientist. If we assume that dream interpretation suggests something good, good dreams are nothing more than hints, but they can not be invoked. Instead, one should try to discover and ask the people concerned in this regard, as it says in the Ayah that explains Istikhaara:
“… and consult them in business Then, when you have made a decision, put your trust in Allah, indeed, Allah loves those who put their trust (in Him).” [3: 159]
