How to do Istikharah

How to do Istikharah (seeking Allah’s Counsel)
Jabir bin Abdullah (RA) said: The Prophet (SAW) used to teach us to seek Allah's Counsel in all matters, as he used to teach us a Surah from the Qur'an. He would say: When anyone of you has an important matter to decide, let him pray two Rak'ahs other than the obligatory prayer, and then say:
"اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمَكَ، 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- عَاجِلِهِ وَآجِلِهِ- فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ، وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي- عَاجِلِهِ وَآجِلِهِ- فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ وَاقْدُرْ لِيَ الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِي بِهِ".
Allaahumma 'innee 'astakheeruka bi'ilmika, wa 'astaqdiruka biqudratika, wa 'as'aluka min fadhtikal-'Adheemi, fa'innaka taqdiru wa laa 'aqdiru, wa ta'lamu, wa laa 'a'lamu, wa 'Anta 'Allaamul-Ghuyoobi, Allaahumma 'in kunta ta'lamu 'anna haathal-'amra-[then mention the thing to be decided] Khayrun lee fee deenee wa ma'aashee wa 'aaqibati 'amree - [or say] 'Aajilihi wa 'aajilihi - Faqdurhu lee wa yassirhu lee thumma baarik lee feehi, wa 'in kunta ta'lamu 'anna haathal-'amra sharrun lee fee deenee wa ma'aashee wa 'aaqibati 'amree - [or say] 'Aajilihi wa 'aajilihi - Fasrifhu 'annee wasrifnee 'anhu waqdur liyal-khayra haythu kaana thumma 'ardhinee bihi.
O Allah, I seek the counsel of Your Knowledge, and I seek the help of Your Omnipotence, and I beseech You for Your Magnificent Grace. Surely, You are Capable and I am not. You know and I know not, and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah, if You know that this matter [then mention the thing to be decided] is good for me in my religion and in my life and for my welfare in the life to come, - [or say: in this life and the afterlife] - then ordain it for me and make it easy for me, then bless me in it. And if You know that this matter is bad for me in my religion and in my life and for my welfare in the life to come, - [or say: in this life and the afterlife] - then distance it from me, and distance me from it, and ordain for me what is good wherever it may be, and help me to be content with it.

Whoever seeks the counsel of the Creator will not regret it and whoever seeks the advice of the believers will feel confident about his decisions .

Allah said in the Qur'an :
And consult them in the affair. Then when you have taken a decision , put your trust in Allah."Reference: Al-Bukhari 7/162. and Aal-'Imran 3:159.

Brothers and sisters in Islam Istikharah means to seek Allah's advice or asking Allah to choose for you something that you are about to do like before applying for Job or before you are going to choose your life partner etc..It is not allowed to do Istikhara for worng purpose or for sin.

After seeking Istikharah we should compeletly leave our choice or our decision to Allah swt and should be honest in seeking aid from Allah's power and knowledge...one more thing my dear brothers and sisters in Islam some people mistakenly wait for a dream to give a clear sign as to what decision to make but this is not true and often times it never really happens.Dreams dont have any thing to do with Istikhara infact dreams may lead us away from Allah's Decision....as shaytan might try to decieve you in your dreams...so dont allow sahaytaan to get control over you... verily Allah alone can fix right tings for us.

Allah swt says in the Glorious Quran:"Put your trust in Allah,Certainly, Allah loves those who put their trust in him."(surah Al- Imran : 159)

you can approach any Good Scholar who can make you understand your Dreams means normal dreams what we saw in sleep only. There is nothing like Istikhara Dream.

May Allah make things Easy for us to practise his Deen.. Aameen..

Posted by: #Fazr@ A Call Towards Islam

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Concerning the One Who Abandons Prayer

*Concerning the One Who Abandons Prayer*

The Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), mentioning the prayer, said (which means): If anyone keeps to it, it will be light, evidence and salvation for him on the Day of Resurrection. But if anyone does not keep to it, it will not be light, evidence and salvation for him on the Day of Resurrection, and on that Day he will be associated with Qaroon, Pharaoh, Namaan and Ubayy bin Khalaf (an enemy of Islaam from among the Quraysh). [Ahmad, Tabaraanee, Ibn Hibbaan]

Ibn Al-Qayyim(rahimahullah) explained: The person who abandons prayer will be raised in a deformed state because his neglect of player may be due to his involvement with his property, his country, his administrative work or his trade. Therefore, if he was involved with his property he will be resurrected with Qaroon; if with his country, then with Pharaoh; if with his administrative work, then with Hamaan; and iThe Scholars have differed on those intentionally neglect the solah but fall short of denying its obligation. Some say that they are kaafir who are to be given 3 days to repent, but if they do not repent then they are to be executed. The funeral prayer will not be recited over them, and they are not to be buried in the Muslim graveyard. The greeting of salaam is not to be given to them, in life or in death, and their greeting is not to be returned; prayers for forgiveness and mercy for them cannot be offered; they cannot inherit, neither can their wealth be inherited, instead it is to be given to the Muslim treasury (bayt al-maal). This ruling applies whether the number of people who are neglecting their prayers are many or a few.

Because the prophet Muhammad(sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: "The difference between us and them is solah and whoever neglects it is a kaafir." (Reported by Imaam Ahmad and the authors of Sunan with a saheeh isnaad).

The Prophet(sallallahu aiahi wa sallam) also said, "(Nothing stands) between a man and kufr and shirk, except prayer: (whoever neglects it becomes a kaafir and a mushrik)." (Reported by Imaam Muslim in his Saheeh, with other similar ahaadeeth).

If he does not deny that it is obligatory, but he neglects it because of laziness, for example, then he is guilty of a major sin (kabeerah), but he is not considered to be a kaafir. Then in this case if they die, then they must still be considered and treated like any other Muslims, ie they are to be washed, shrouded, prayed upon, sought forgiveness for them and their wealth are to be distributed in accordance to the faraa'id.

Also from Imaam ibn Baaz rahimahhullaah:

"Any sane adult person who dies and does not pray, given that he knows the Islaamic ruling about prayer, is a disbeliever. He is not to be washed nor should he be prayed over. He is not to be buried in the Muslim cemetery. His Muslim relatives do not inherit from him. In fact, his wealth is to be given to the state treasury according to the strongest opinion among the scholars. This is based on the authentic hadeeth in which the Prophet (sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam) said, "Between a person and kufr (disbelief) and shirk (associating partners with Allaah) is the abandonment of the prayer." This was recorded by Imam Muslim in his Saheeh. The Prophet (sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam) also said, "The covenant dividing us and them is the prayer. Whoever abandons it has committed kufr (apostasy)." This was recorded by Ahmad and the Compilers of the Sunan with an authentic chain from the Hadeeth of Buraydah. ‘Abdullaah ibn Shaqeeq al-'Aqeelee, one of the Noble Followers, stated, "The Companions of the Prophet (sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam) did not consider the abandonment of any act as kufr except the [abandonment of] prayer." There are many Ahaadeeth and reports with that meaning. This is concerning the one who does not pray out of laziness. The one who refuses to accept it as being obligatory is an apostatising disbeliever according to all of the scholars of Islaam.

We ask Allaah to make the affairs of the Muslims good and lead them to follow the Straight Path. He is the All-Hearing, the Responder.

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