Prayer of Istikharah with Sheets

Istikharah is the process of praying Almighty Allah for leading to the best option from among many options.

When you are too confused to decide on a certain matter and you thus intend to ask Almighty Allah to lead you to the most suitable option, you may take six sheets of paper and write down the following on three of them:

On the other three sheets of paper, you may write down the following:

In the Name of Allah, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful.

خدا کے نام سے جو بڑا رحم کرنے والا مہربان ہے

This is request of deciding on an option addressed to Allah, the Almighty and All-wise from so-and-so, the son of so-and-so (his mother’s name). Do it.

طلبِ خیر ہے اللہ سے جو غلبہ و حکمت والا ہے فلاں ابن فلاں کے لیے یہ کام کروں

You may then put all these sheets under your prayer-rug and offer a two-unit prayer. Upon accomplishment, you may prostrate yourself and repeat the following words one hundred times while prostrating:

I seek option from Allah out of His mercy; an option that will bring about wellbeing.

اب یہ کام کروں خدا کی رحمت کے واسطے سے اس سے خیر طلب کرتا ہوں اور آسانی بھی۔

You may then take the position of sitting and say the following:

O Allah, (please) show me and choose for me in all of my affairs

اے خدا! مجھے خیر عطا کر میرے تمام امور میں بہتری پیدا فرما

witheasiness and wellbeing from You.

جس میں سہولت اور آسانی ہو۔

You may then put your hand on the sheets of paper and scatter them randomly and then take them out one by one. If the three sheets carrying the word “do it” come out in sequence, then you may do what you have intended to do. If the three sheets carrying the word “do it not” come out in sequence, then you must not do what you have intended to do. If the first sheet you pick up contains the word “do it” while the second contains the word “do it not”, then you must put all the sheets together again and pick up five sheets. If three out of these five sheets contain the word “do it”, then you must do what you have intended to do, and vice versa.