MUSLIMS TILL DEATH
AS-SALĀMU ʿALAYKUM WARAHMATULLĀHI WABARAKĀTUHU
Let us begin tonight's Islamic education.
🌙 TYPES OF PRAYERS
Episode 14
Saturday, 19th September 2026
8 Rabīʿ al-Thānī 1448 AH
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🔹 ṢALĀT AL-ISTIKHĀRAH
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Jābir ibn ʿAbdillāh رضي الله عنهما narrated:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to teach us Istikhārah in all matters just as he would teach us a sūrah from the Qur'an.”
He ﷺ instructed that when a person intends to undertake a matter, he should pray two rakʿahs of voluntary prayer, other than an obligatory prayer, and then recite the supplication of Istikhārah.
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6382.
How to perform Ṣalāt al-Istikhārah
Perform two rakʿahs of voluntary prayer with the intention of seeking Allah's guidance.
There is no authentic hadith specifying that Sūrat al-Kāfirūn must be recited in the first rakʿah and Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ in the second. Therefore, one may recite whatever portions of the Qur'an are easy after Sūrat al-Fātiḥah.
After completing the two rakʿahs, recite the duʿāʾ of Istikhārah.
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DUʿĀʾ OF ISTIKHĀRAH
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 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 أَرْضِنِي بِهِ.
Transliteration:
Allāhumma innī astakhīruka bi-ʿilmika, wa astaqdiruka bi-qudratika, wa as'aluka min faḍlika al-ʿaẓīm. Fa-innaka taqdiru wa lā aqdiru, wa taʿlamu wa lā aʿlamu, wa anta ʿallāmu al-ghuyūb.
Allāhumma in kunta taʿlamu anna hādhā al-amra khayrun lī fī dīnī, wa maʿāshī, wa ʿāqibati amrī, faqdurhu lī wa yassirhu lī, thumma bārik lī fīhi.
Wa in kunta taʿlamu anna hādhā al-amra sharrun lī fī dīnī, wa maʿāshī, wa ʿāqibati amrī, faṣrifhu ʿannī waṣrifnī ʿanhu, waqdur liya al-khayra ḥaythu kāna, thumma arḍinī bihi.
This is the authentic supplication reported from the Prophet ﷺ in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī. When reaching “hādhā al-amr” (this matter), the person mentions the matter concerning which he is seeking guidance.
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TRANSLATION
“O Allah, I seek the best from Your knowledge, and I seek ability from Your power, and I ask You from Your great bounty. For indeed, You have power and I do not have power; You know and I do not know; and You are the 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, then decree it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me.
And 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 for me whatever is good wherever it may be, and then make me content with it.”
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IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT ISTIKHĀRAH
Istikhārah does not require a person to receive a dream or a particular colour as an answer.
There is no authentic evidence that seeing white or green in a dream means that the matter is good, while seeing red or black means that it is bad.
Likewise, there is no authentic evidence establishing that Istikhārah must be performed exactly seven times or for seven consecutive days.
A person may repeat Istikhārah if he wishes, but there is no authentic fixed number that must be followed.
The purpose of Istikhārah is to ask Allah, who knows what we do not know, to facilitate what is good and turn away what is harmful.
After making Istikhārah, a person should also use sound judgment, seek appropriate advice, and proceed with the matter while trusting Allah.
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DO I HAVE TO SEE A DREAM AFTER ISTIKHĀRAH?
No.
Seeing a dream is not a condition of Istikhārah.
A person should not wait for a particular colour, symbol or dream before making a decision. There is no authentic evidence establishing a system in which:
🔹 White or green = proceed
🔹 Red or black = avoid
These interpretations are commonly circulated, but they should not be presented as a teaching of the Prophet ﷺ without authentic evidence.
Rather, the believer asks Allah for what is best, takes the appropriate means, and trusts Allah's decree.
And Allah knows best.
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🔹 ṢALĀT TAḤIYYAT AL-WUḌŪʾ
The Two-Rakʿah Prayer After Wuḍūʾ
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Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said to Bilāl رضي الله عنه:
“O Bilāl! Tell me about the deed you have done in Islām for which you hope to receive the greatest reward, for I heard the sound of your sandals before me in Paradise.”
Bilāl رضي الله عنه replied that he did not consider any deed more hopeful than that whenever he performed complete wuḍūʾ during the night or day, he would pray with that purification whatever Allah had decreed for him to pray.
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2458.
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This hadith teaches us the virtue of performing voluntary prayer after wuḍūʾ.
It also demonstrates the great virtue of Bilāl رضي الله عنه and his eagerness to maintain acts of worship.
The Prophet ﷺ informed him that he had heard his footsteps in Paradise.
This is an authentic narration recorded in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim.
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VIRTUE OF TWO RAKʿAHS AFTER WUḌŪʾ
ʿUqbah ibn ʿĀmir رضي الله عنه reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that when a Muslim performs wuḍūʾ properly and then stands and prays two rakʿahs with sincere concentration, Paradise is guaranteed for him.
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 234a.
Therefore, praying two rakʿahs after wuḍūʾ is a virtuous voluntary act of worship.
However, like other voluntary prayers, one should observe the established times in which voluntary prayer is prohibited or disliked according to the relevant fiqh rulings.
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END OF TODAY'S EDUCATION.
سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْكَ
We shall continue on this topic tomorrow, In shā' Allāh.
Questions, problems and complaints concerning this programme are welcome privately.
May Allah ﷻ strengthen us and make us steadfast upon the truth.
May He accept our ʿibādah, forgive our shortcomings, and grant us goodness in this world and in the Hereafter.
May Allah ʿAzza wa Jalla forgive us and grant us Jannatul-Firdaws.
ĀMĪN.
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