The Prayer of Istikhara
اَللّٰهُـمَّ إِنِّيْٓ أَسْتَخِيْـرُكَ بِعِلْـمِكَ، وَأَسْتَقْـدِرُكَ بِقُـدْرَتِـكَ، وَأَسْـأَلُـكَ مِنْ فَضْـلِكَ الْعَظِـيْمِ، فَإِنَّـكَ تَقْـدِرُ وَلَا أَقْـدِرُ، وَتَـعْلَـمُ وَلَا أَعْلَـمُ، وَأَنْـتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُـيُوْبِ، اللّٰهُـمَّ إِنْ كُنْـتَ تَعْـلَمُ أَنَّ هٰـذَا الْأَمْـرَ خَـيْرٌ لِّيْ فِيْ دِيْنِيْ وَمَعَاشِيْ وَعَاقِـبَةِ أَمْـرِيْ، فَاقْـدُرْهُ لِيْ وَيَسِّـرْهُ لِيْ ثُـمَّ بَارِكْ لِيْ فِيْـهِ، وَإِنْ كُنْـتَ تَعْـلَمُ أَنَّ هٰـذَا الْأَمْـرَ شَـرٌّ لِّيْ فِيْ دِيْنِيْ وَمَعَـاشِيْ وَعَاقِـبَةِ أَمْـرِيْ، فَاصْرِفْـهُ عَنِّيْ وَاصْرِفْنِيْ عَنْـهُ وَاقْـدُرْ لِيَ الْخَـيْرَ حَيْـثُ كَانَ ثُـمَّ أَرْضِـنِيْ بِـهٖ
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 make me satisfied with it.
References
[Sahih Bukhari - 1162]
Notes
Jabir bin Abdullah (Radi allahu anhu) said: The Prophet ﷺ used to teach us to seek Allah’s Counsel in all matters, as he used to teach us a Surah from the Qur`ān. 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: 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.
