Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/114)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

bless him and grant him peace—used to teach us istikhāra in all matters just as he taught 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 apart from the obligatory prayer, then let him say:

‘O Allah, I seek Your guidance through Your knowledge, seek ability through Your power, and ask You of Your immense bounty. You are able, while I am not; You know, while I do not; and You are the All-Knower of the unseen. O Allah, if You know that this matter—and he should name it—is good for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the outcome of my affair, then decree it for me, make it easy for me, and then bless it for me. But if You know that this matter is bad for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the outcome of my affair, then turn it away from me and turn me away from it. Decree good for me wherever it may be, and then make me content with it.’” (1)

In the hadith of Ammār ibn Yāsir, narrated by al-Nasāʾī and others, Ammār ibn Yāsir reported that (2) the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—used to supplicate with these words:

“O Allah, by Your knowledge of the unseen and Your power over creation, keep me alive for as long as life is better for me, and cause me to die when death is better for me. O Allah, I ask You to grant me fear of You in private and in public. I ask You to enable me to speak the truth in anger and in contentment, and I ask You for moderation in

(1) The hadith is narrated from Jābir ibn Abd Allāh (may Allah be pleased with him) in: al-Bukhārī, 2/56 (Book of Night Prayer, chapter “Reports Concerning Voluntary Prayer”); 8/81 (Book of Supplications, chapter “Supplication When Performing Istikhāra”); 9/118 (Book of Tawhīd, chapter on the words of Allah Most High, “Say: He is able”); Sunan Abī Dāwūd, 2/120 (Book of Witr, chapter on Istikhāra); Sunan al-Tirmidhī, 2/298–299 (Book of Witr, chapter “Reports Concerning the Istikhāra Prayer”); Sunan al-Nasā’ī, 6/66 (Book of Marriage, chapter “How Istikhāra Is Performed”); Sunan Ibn Mājah, 1/440 (Book of Establishing the Prayer and Its Sunnah, chapter “Reports Concerning the Istikhāra Prayer”); and al-Musnad (al-Halabī ed.), 3/344. The hadith is not found in Muslim. See also: Miftāh Kunūz al-Sunnah, under “Istikhāra.” (2) A reads: “from.”

عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - يُعَلِّمُنَا الِاسْتِخَارَةَ فِي الْأُمُورِ كُلِّهَا كَمَا يُعَلِّمُنَا السُّورَةَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ، يَقُولُ: " إِذَا هَمَّ أَحَدُكُمْ بِالْأَمْرِ فَيَرْكَعْ رَكْعَتَيْنِ مِنْ غَيْرِ الْفَرِيضَةِ، ثُمَّ لِيَقُلِ: اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ، وَأَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْعَظِيمِ، فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلَا أَقْدِرُ، وَتَعْلَمُ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوبِ. اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ - يُسَمِّيهِ - خَيْرٌ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي، فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ، وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي، فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ، وَاقْدُرْ لِيَ الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ رَضِّنِي بِهِ» (١) . وَفِي حَدِيثِ عَمَّارِ بْنِ يَاسِرٍ الَّذِي رَوَاهُ النَّسَائِيُّ وَغَيْرُهُ، عَنْ عَمَّارِ بْنِ يَاسِرٍ أَنَّ (٢) النَّبِيَّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - كَانَ يَدْعُو بِهَذَا الدُّعَاءِ: " «اللَّهُمَّ بِعِلْمِكَ الْغَيْبَ، وَبِقُدْرَتِكَ عَلَى الْخَلْقِ، أَحْيِنِي مَا كَانَتِ الْحَيَاةُ خَيْرًا لِي، وَتَوَفَّنِي إِذَا كَانَتِ الْوَفَاةُ خَيْرًا لِي، اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ خَشْيَتَكَ فِي الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ كَلِمَةَ الْحَقِّ فِي الْغَضَبِ وَالرِّضَا، وَأَسْأَلُكَ الْقَصْدَ فِي

(١) الْحَدِيثُ عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي: الْبُخَارِيِّ ٢/٥٦ (كِتَابُ التَّهَجُّدِ، بَابُ مَا جَاءَ فِي التَّطَوُّعِ) ، ٨/٨١ (كِتَابُ الدَّعَوَاتِ، بَابُ الدُّعَاءِ عِنْدَ الِاسْتِخَارَةِ) ، ٩/١١٨ (كِتَابُ التَّوْحِيدِ، بَابُ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: قُلْ هُوَ الْقَادِرُ) ; سُنَنِ أَبِي دَاوُدَ ٢/١٢٠ (كِتَابُ الْوِتْرِ، بَابٌ فِي الِاسْتِخَارَةِ) ; سُنَنِ التِّرْمِذِيِّ ٢/٢٩٨ - ٢٩٩ (كِتَابُ الْوِتْرِ، بَابُ مَا جَاءَ فِي صَلَاةِ الِاسْتِخَارَةِ) ; سُنَنِ النَّسَائِيِّ ٦/٦٦ (كِتَابُ النِّكَاحِ، بَابُ كَيْفَ الِاسْتِخَارَةُ) ; سُنَنِ ابْنِ مَاجَهْ ١/٤٤٠ (كِتَابُ إِقَامَةِ الصَّلَاةِ وَالسُّنَّةِ فِيهَا، بَابُ مَا جَاءَ فِي صَلَاةِ الِاسْتِخَارَةِ) ; الْمُسْنَدِ (ط. الْحَلَبِيِّ) ٣/٣٤٤. وَلَيْسَ الْحَدِيثُ فِي مُسْلِمٍ، وَانْظُرْ: مِفْتَاحَ كُنُوزِ السُّنَّةِ (الِاسْتِخَارَةُ) . (٢) أ: عَنْ.