(youtube by ummsuhayb : here )
Beautifully recited by Mishary Raashid al-'Afasy.
Here is the Arabic of the du'aa:
اللهم إني أستخيرك بعلمك ، واستقدرك بقدرتك ، وأسألك من فضلك العظيم ، فإنك تقدر ولا أقدر ، وتعلم ولا أعلم ، وأنت علام الغيوب . اللهم إن كنت تعلم أن هذا الأمر- ويسمي حاجته - خير لي في ديني ومعاشي وعاقبة أمري فاقدره لي ، ويسره لي ، ثم بارك لي فيه . وإن كنت تعلم أن هذا الأمر شر لي في ديني ومعاشي وعاقبة أمري فاصرفه عني واصرفني عنه واقدر لي الخير حيث كان ثم أرضني به
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Here is the English Transliteration of the du'aa:
[Allaahumma innee astakheeruka bi'ilmik, wa astaqdiruka biqudratik, wa as aluka min fadlikal 'atheem, fa innaka taqdiru wa laa aqdir, wa ta'lamu wa laa a'lam, wa anta 'allaamul ghuyoob. Allaahumma in kunta ta'lamu anna haathal amr. -here you mention your need-. Khayrun lee fee deeni wa ma'aashi wa 'aaqibati amree faqdirhu lee wa yassirhu lee, thumma baarik lee fee. Wa in kunta ta'lamu anna haathal amr sharrun lee fee deenee wa ma'aashi wa 'aaqibati amree fasrifhu annee wasrifni an waqdir li al-khayra haythu kaan thumma ardineebi.]
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And here is the English meaning:
O Allaah, I seek Your counsel by Your knowledge and by Your power I seek strength and I ask You from Your immense favour, for verily You are able while I am not and verily You know while I do not and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allaah, if You know this affair -and here he mentions his need- to be good for me in relation to my religion, my life, and end, then decree and facilitate it for me, and bless me with it, and if You know this affair to be ill for me towards my religion, my life, and end, then remove it from me and remove me from it , and decree for me what is good wherever it be and make me satisfied with such.
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Jabir bin Abdullaah –RadhiAllaahu anhu- said
"the Messenger of Allaah -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- used to teach us al-Istikharah (a prayer said for seeking blessings in carrying out a decision) for all matters, just like he used to teach us a chapter from the Qur’aan, he would say: If any of you intends to undertake a matter then he should pray two Rakah other than an obligatory prayer then he should say the Du'aa of Istikhaarah.
Ibn al-Qayyim -Rahimullaah- said:
‘So the purpose of al-Istikharah is to rely upon Allaah and entrustment to Him and the capability to fulfill the action with Allaah’s Capability, His knowledge. And that Allaah chooses good for His slave, and this is from those things which necessitate being pleased with Allaah as the Lord. As a person will not taste the flavour of Eemaan if he does not have these things (reliance, entrustment etc), and if he is pleased with destiny after al-Istikharah then that is a sign of happiness.’
[Taken from ‘Za’ad al-Ma’aad’ by Ibn al-Qayyim 2/443-445]
Shaykh Muhammad bin Umar Bazmool said:
‘That al-Istikharah is not done when a person is uncertain about the matter at hand; because the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- said: ‘If any of you intends to undertake a matter’ and that the whole of the Dua’ indicates to this point.
So if a Muslim is uncertain about a matter, and he intends to pray al-Istikharah , then he should make a choice between the two matters and then pray al-Istikharah , and then after al-Istikharah he executes that matter, and if it was good then Allaah will make it easy for him and bless him in that, and if it was not good for him, then Allaah turns it away from him and makes easy for him that in which there is good by the permission of Allaah -Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.
[Taken from: ‘Buggeeyat al-Mutattawa’ fee salat at-tattawa’ p.105]