ISTIKHARAH

Istikharah

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Sent By: Umm Hassan

Sa'ad ibn Waqas radhiyallahu anh reported that the Prophet,Sallallahu alaihi wasalaam, said, " Istikharah (seeking guidance from Allah) is one of the distinct favours (of Allah) upon man, and a good fortune for the son of Adam is to be pleased with the judgment of Allah. And a misfortune of the son of Adam is his failure to make istikharah (seeking Allah's guidance), and a misfortune for the son of Adam is his displeasure with the judgment of Allah." 
He who seeks guidance from the Creator and consults the creatures will never regret it. It has been my habit to perform Istikharah whenever some important decision has to be made. Through Istikharah, we ask Allah to guide us to what's best for us in the long run, in fact in both dunya and aakhirah.
I used to offer the two rakaats of salaat at night and read the specific duaa for Istikharah.Then I would go to sleep. Now according to the method that I had initially learnt, I expected to be guided through the dream I would see that night. Something like a garden meant I should go ahead with my plan and things like fire or blood indicated the opposite. It had always been that simple.