specifically, or did not so intend; this is the apparent meaning of the hadith.
Al-ʿIrāqī said, “If his intention to undertake the matter arose before he began a regular Sunnah prayer or the like, and he then prayed without intending istikhāra, but after the prayer it occurred to him to recite the supplication of istikhāra, then apparently that suffices.” (1) End quote.
Fourth: It shows that istikhāra is not performed while one is undecided, for the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—said, “When one of you intends to undertake a matter,” and the entire supplication also indicates this.
Thus, if a Muslim is wavering between two courses and wishes to perform istikhāra, he must choose one of them and seek Allah’s guidance concerning it. After performing istikhāra, he should proceed with it. If it is good, Allah will facilitate it and bless it for him; if it is otherwise, He will turn him away from it and facilitate for him whatever contains good, by His leave—Glorified and Exalted is He.
Fifth: It shows that no particular surah or verses are prescribed for recitation after al-Fātiha in the two units of prayer. (2)
(1) This statement is cited in *Nayl al-Awtār*, 3/88. Al-Hāfiz Ibn Hajar disputed this view in *Fath al-Bārī*, 11/185, saying: “It appears that if he jointly intended both that particular prayer and the Prayer of Istikhāra, it suffices; but not if he did not intend the Prayer of Istikhāra. This differs from the prayer of greeting the mosque, because its purpose is to occupy the place with supplication, whereas the purpose of the Prayer of Istikhāra is that the prayer be performed and the supplication follow it immediately or be made within it. It is unlikely to suffice for someone whose desire to seek guidance arose only after completing the prayer, because the apparent meaning of the report is that the prayer and supplication should take place after the intention to undertake the matter has arisen.” End quote.
I say: The apparent meaning of the report does not require that two particular units be specifically designated, except that they must not be part of the obligatory prayer. Thus, if a Muslim intended to undertake a matter, then prayed two units of the regular Sunnah prayer of Zuhr, for example, and afterward recited the supplication of istikhāra, the intended purpose would have been achieved. This is the apparent meaning, as al-Nawawī and al-Irāqī concluded above. Allah knows best.
(2) Al-Nawawī stated in *al-Adhkār*, 3/354, with Ibn Allān’s commentary, that one should recite *al-Kāfirūn* and *al-Ikhlās* in the two units.
Al-Irāqī said: “I have not found any transmission of the hadith that specifies what should be recited in the two units of the Prayer of Istikhāra. Nevertheless, what al-Nawawī mentioned is appropriate…” Ibn Allān’s commentary on *al-Adhkār*, 3/354.
I say: Such suitability does not warrant declaring this practice prescribed or specifying these particular surahs. Allah alone grants success.