Thus, this hadith indicates that it is recommended for one returning from a journey to be in a state of ablution, to go first to the mosque before going home, perform prayer, and then sit to receive those who come to greet him. (1)
(12-4) The Prayer of Istikhāra
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, prescribed for his community that they seek Allah’s guidance as to what He has in store concerning the matters they encounter in life, and ask Him, Most High, to choose what is best for them. He did so by teaching them the Prayer of Istikhāra in place of the superstitious omens and attempts to seek answers through divining lots and arrows that had been practiced in the Age of Ignorance.
This prayer is described in the following report:
Jābir ibn Abd Allah, may Allah be pleased with them both, reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, would teach us to perform istikhāra in all matters just as he would teach us a surah of the Quran. He would say:
“When one of you intends to undertake a matter, let him perform two units of prayer other than the obligatory prayer, and then say: ‘O Allah, I ask You, by Your knowledge, to choose what is best for me; I ask You, by Your power, to grant me ability; and I ask You of Your immense bounty. You have power, while I have none; You know, while I do not; and You are the All-Knower of the 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 long-term course of my affair—then decree it for me, make it easy for me, and then bless it for me. If You know that this matter is bad for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the outcome of my affair—or he said: in the immediate and long-term course of my affair—then turn it away from me and turn me away from it. Decree what is good for me wherever it may be, and then make me content with it.’”
He said, “And he should name his need.” Narrated by al-Bukhārī. (2)
I say: The hadith contains several benefits: