Supplication al-Istikhara, the prayer of consultation

Dua to make a decision or make a choice

Here is an authentic Al-Istikhara, the prayer of consultation invocation. The dua is available in Arabic, French and phonetic. You can also listen to or download the dua Al-Istikhara, the prayer of consultation, in mp3.

Dua n°74

The dua in Arabic:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيْرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ، وَأَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْعَظِيمِ، فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلَا أَقْدِرُ، وَتَعْلَمُ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ، وَأَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوبِ، اللَّهُمَّ إنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنْ هَذَاالأَمْرَ - ويُسَمِّي حَاجَتَه - خَيْرٌ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي – أو قالَ : عَاجِلِهِ وَ آجِلِهِ - فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي، ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ، وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الأمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي – أوْ قالَ : عَاجِلِهِ وَ آجِلِهِ - فَاصْرِفْهُ عَني، وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ، وَاقْدُرْ لِيَ الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ، ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِي بِهِ. وَ مَا نَدِمَ مَنْ اسْتَخَارَ الخَالِقَ، وَ شَاوَرَ المَخْلُوقِينَ المُؤمِنِينَ، وَ تَثَبَّتَ فِي أمْرِهِ، فَقَدْ قَالَ سُبْحَانَهُ : ﴿وَ شَاوِرْ هُمْ فِي الأَمْرِ فَإذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللهِ﴾ (٢)

The invocation in english:

On the authority of Jabir ibn 'Abd Allah, who said: « The Prophet (sallallahou 'alayhi wa sallam) would instruct us to pray for guidance in all of our concerns, just as he would teach us a chapter from the Qurʾan. He would say ‘if any of you intends to undertake a matter then land him pray 2 rak'ahs of prayer after which he should supplicate : (1) « O Allah, I seek Your counsel by Your knowledge and by Your power I seek strength and I ask You from Your immense favor, for verily You are able while I am not and verily You know while I do not and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah if You know this affair- and here he mentions his need- to be good for me in relation to my religion, my life, and end, then decree and facilitate it for me, and bless me with it, and if You know this affair to be ill for me towards my religion, my life and end, then remove it from me and remove me from it, and decree from me what is good and wherever it be and make me satisfied with such. »

The dhikr in phonetics:

Allâhoumma innî astakhîrouka bi-'ilmika wa astaqdirouka bi-qoudratika, wa as-alouka min fadlika-l-'azîmi. Fa-innaka taqdirou wa lâ aqdirou, wa ta'lamou wa lâ a'lamou, wa anta 'allâmou-l-ghouyûbi. Allâhoumma in kounta ta'lamou anna hâdhâ-l-amra (qoue l on explicite) khayroun lî fî dînî wa ma'âshî, wa 'âqibati amrî (ou : 'âjilihi wa âjilihi) fa-qdourhou lî, wa yassirhou lî, thoumma bârik lî fîhi. Wa in kounta ta'lamou anna hâdhâ-l-amra (qoue l on explicite) sharroun lî fî dînî wa ma'âshî, , wa 'âqibati amrî (ou : 'âjilihi wa âjilihi) fa-srifhou 'annî, wa srifnî 'anhou, wa qdour lî-l-khayra haythou kâna thoumma arddinî bihi.