Du'a of Istikhara
Istikhara is asking Allah to choose. The Prophet ﷺ taught it, says the narrator of Bukhari 1162, as he taught a surah of the Quran — for any matter a person is weighing. The du'a does not ask for a sign or a dream; it asks that if this matter is good it be made possible and blessed, and if it is bad that it be turned away, and that whatever is good be decreed instead — and it ends by asking for contentment with the outcome.
Updated July 16, 2026
- Bukhari 1162
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 فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ، وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ، وَاقْدُرْ لِيَ الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِي بِهِ
Allahumma inni astakhiruka bi'ilmik, wa astaqdiruka biqudratik, wa as'aluka min fadlikal-'azim. Fa innaka taqdiru wa la aqdir, wa ta'lamu wa la a'lam, wa anta 'allamul-ghuyub. Allahumma in kunta ta'lamu anna hadhal-amra khayrun li fi dini wa ma'ashi wa 'aqibati amri faqdurhu li wa yassirhu li thumma barik li fih. Wa in kunta ta'lamu anna hadhal-amra sharrun li fi dini wa ma'ashi wa 'aqibati amri fasrifhu 'anni wasrifni 'anh, waqdur liyal-khayra haythu kana thumma ardini bih.
“O Allah, I seek Your guidance by Your knowledge, and I seek Your power by Your power, and I ask You of Your immense bounty — for You have power and I have none, You know and I do not, and You are the Knower of all that is hidden. O Allah, if You know that this matter is good for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the outcome of my affair, then decree it for me, make it easy for me, and bless me in it. And if You know that this matter is bad for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the outcome of my affair, then turn it away from me and turn me away from it, and decree for me what is good wherever it may be, then make me content with it.”
Said after praying two rak'ahs outside the obligatory prayers, when weighing a decision. At the point of 'this matter', the person names the matter.
Source: Bukhari 1162
Frequently asked questions
What is istikhara?
Istikhara is asking Allah to choose the better of two courses. Jabir reported that the Prophet ﷺ taught the du'a for every matter as he would teach a surah of the Quran (Bukhari 1162). It is prayed after two rak'ahs, naming the matter being weighed.
Do you have to see a dream after istikhara?
No. Nothing in the hadith mentions a dream or a sign. The du'a asks Allah to make the matter easy and blessed if it is good, to turn it away if it is not, and to make the person content with what is decreed — so a person proceeds by ordinary means and trusts the outcome.
When can istikhara be prayed?
The hadith attaches it to any matter a person is deciding, after two rak'ahs outside the obligatory prayers. Muslims differ on details of timing and repetition; those are questions for a qualified scholar in your own school.
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