عنْ جابِرٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قالَ: كانَ رسولُ الله صَلّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وسَلَّمَ يُعَلِّمُنَا الاسْتِخَارَةَ في الأُمُورِ كُلِّهَا كالسُّورَةِ منَ القُرْآنِ، يَقُولُ: «إِذا هَمَّ أَحَدُكُمْ بالأمرِ، فَليَركعْ رَكعتَيْنِ مِنْ غَيْرِ الفرِيضَةِ، ثُمَّ ليقُلْ: اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بعِلْمِكَ، وأستقدِرُكَ بقُدْرَتِكَ، وأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فضْلِكَ العَظِيمِ، فإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ ولا أَقْدِرُ، وتعْلَمُ ولا أَعْلَمُ، وَأَنتَ علاَّمُ الغُيُوبِ، اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كنْتَ تعْلَمُ أَنَّ هذا الأمرَ خَيْرٌ لي في دِيني وَمَعَاشي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي -أَوْ قالَ: عَاجِلِ أَمْرِي وَآجِلهِ- فاقْدُرْهُ لي، وَيَسِّرْهُ لي، ثمَّ بَارِكْ لي فِيهِ، وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تعْلمُ أَنَّ هذَا الأَمْرَ شرٌّ لي في دِيني وَمَعاشي وَعَاقبةِ أَمْرِي -أَوْ قالَ: عَاجِلِ أَمري وآجِلهِ- فاصْرِفهُ عَنِّي، وَاصْرفني عَنهُ، وَاقدُرْ لِيَ الخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كانَ، ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِي بِهِ» قالَ: ويُسمِّي حاجتهُ. رَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ.
Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to teach us the istikharah (prayer for guidance) in all matters, just as he would teach us a surah of the Qur'an. He would say: "When one of you is concerned about a matter, let him pray two units of prayer other than the obligatory prayer, then let him say: O Allah, I seek Your guidance through Your knowledge, and I seek Your enabling power through Your might, and I ask You of Your immense bounty. For You have power and I have none, and You know and I do not know, and You are the Knower of all that is unseen. O Allah, if You know that this matter is good for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the outcome of my affair — or he said: in the immediate and the eventual outcome of my affair — then decree it for me, make it easy for me, and then bless me in it. And if You know that this matter is evil for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the outcome of my affair — or he said: in the immediate and the eventual 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, and then make me content with it." He said: And he mentions his need. Reported by al-Bukhari.
الشرح · explanation
الاستخارة: هي سؤال الإنسان ربه أن يختار له الأفضل في الدين والدنيا. كالسورة من القرآن: أي يحرص على دقة تعليمنا لها كحرصه على تعليم القرآن، إشارة إلى الاعتناء التام بها. هم: قصد وأراد أمرًا ولم يبدأ بعد. فليركع ركعتين: فليصل ركعتين. أستقدرك: أطلب منك أن تجعل لي قدرة على ذلك الأمر. أو قال: عاجل أمري وآجله: شكٌ من الراوي، ويمكن للداعي أن يذكر الجملتين. أرضني به: اجعلني راضيًا بما قدَّرته لي. ويسمى حاجته: أي يذكر أثناء الدعاء الأمر الذي يستخير فيه.
Istikharah: it is a person's asking his Lord to choose for him what is best in religion and worldly life. "Just as a surah of the Qur'an": that is, he was as keen to teach it to us precisely as he was keen to teach the Qur'an, indicating the utmost care given to it. "Is concerned": intends and resolves upon a matter but has not yet begun it. "Let him pray two units": let him perform two units of prayer. "I seek Your enabling power": I ask You to grant me the ability for that matter. "Or he said: the immediate and the eventual outcome of my affair": a doubt on the part of the narrator, and the supplicant may mention both phrases. "Make me content with it": make me satisfied with what You have decreed for me. "And he mentions his need": that is, he states during the supplication the matter concerning which he is seeking guidance.
الدروس · lessons
على المؤمن رد الأمور كلها لله تعالى وتفويض كل شيء له إذ هو صاحب الحول والقوة والعالم بحقائق الأمور وما تؤول إليه وعليه الاعتماد والتكلان. استحباب صلاة الاستخارة والدعاء المأثور بعدها. الاستخارة تكون في الأمور التي يظهر للإنسان فيها خير ولكن لا يعلم باطن الحال ولا عواقبه. يجوز أن يكون الدعاء أثناء صلاة الاستخارة قبل السلام أو بعده. الأولى في الاستخارة أن تكون عند بداية البحث وإرادة الفعل. هذه هي الاستخارة المشروعة ولا يجوز غيرها ممّا يتخذه بعض من لا علم له بأحكام الشريعة، كفتح المصحف وعدِّ آياته والاكتفاء بقراءة أوائل السور، وكضرب الرمل، والذهاب إلى الكهّان والمنجمين، وغير ذلك فهي محظورة وتُدخل الإنسان في البدعة والانحراف عن الحقّ.
The believer should refer all matters to Allah the Exalted and entrust everything to Him, since He is the Possessor of all might and power, the Knower of the realities of matters and their outcomes, and upon Him is reliance and trust. It is recommended to pray the istikharah prayer and to make the transmitted supplication after it. Istikharah is made in matters in which good appears to a person but he does not know the inner reality or the outcomes. The supplication during the istikharah prayer may be made before the taslim or after it. It is best that the istikharah be at the beginning of one's inquiry and intention to act. This is the legislated istikharah, and it is not permissible to resort to anything else that some who have no knowledge of the rulings of the Shariah adopt, such as opening the Mushaf and counting its verses, contenting oneself with reciting the openings of surahs, casting sand-divination, or going to soothsayers and astrologers, and the like; all of that is forbidden and leads a person into innovation and deviation from the truth.