The prayer of seeking Allah's guidance, exactly as taught in the Sunnah
This is the method recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari and practised across the four Sunni schools of fiqh (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanbali).
Jabir ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to teach us istikhara in all matters, just as he would teach us a surah of the Quran. He said: ‘When one of you is concerned with a matter, let him pray two rak'ah other than the obligatory prayer, then say…’”
Sahih al-Bukhari 1166, also 6382 and 7390
Istikhara is made for a permissible choice you are genuinely considering — a marriage proposal, a job, a move, a purchase. It is not made for obligatory acts or forbidden things, and not for a vague 'what should I do with my life'.
The scholars pair istikhara with consulting knowledgeable, sincere people. Gather the facts, then bring the matter to Allah.
Pray two voluntary rak'ah outside the obligatory prayer, with full concentration. Any surah may be recited after al-Fatihah; many recite al-Kafirun in the first rak'ah and al-Ikhlas in the second, though no specific surah is required.
Begin the supplication with praise of Allah and salawat on the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), as this is from the etiquettes of dua.
When you reach the words 'this matter', mention your actual need aloud or in your heart — for example, 'this marriage', 'this job'.
Proceed with what your heart inclines toward after seeking advice and considering the facts. If Allah facilitates it, He has chosen it for you; if it is turned away, be pleased, for He has protected you. Ibn Hajar and other scholars noted that a dream is not required.
There is no harm in repeating the istikhara several times until your heart settles. Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported the Prophet (peace be upon him) advising repetition of good supplications.
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 — عَاجِلِهِ وَآجِلِهِ — فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ. وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي — عَاجِلِهِ وَآجِلِهِ — فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ، وَاقْدُرْ لِيَ الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِي بِهِ
Allahumma inni astakhiruka bi 'ilmik, wa astaqdiruka bi qudratik, wa as'aluka min fadlikal-'azim, fa innaka taqdiru wa la aqdir, wa ta'lamu wa la a'lam, wa anta 'allamul-ghuyub. Allahumma in kunta ta'lamu anna hadhal-amra khayrun li fi dini wa ma'ashi wa 'aqibati amri — 'ajilihi wa ajilihi — faqdurhu li wa yassirhu li thumma barik li fih. Wa in kunta ta'lamu anna hadhal-amra sharrun li fi dini wa ma'ashi wa 'aqibati amri — 'ajilihi wa ajilihi — fasrifhu 'anni wasrifni 'anhu, waqdur liyal-khayra haythu kana thumma ardini bih.
“O Allah, I seek Your guidance through Your knowledge, and I seek strength through Your power, and I ask You of Your immense bounty. For You are able and I am not, You know and I do not, and You are the Knower of all that is hidden. O Allah, if You know that this matter is good for me in my religion, my livelihood and the outcome of my affairs — in the near term and the far — then decree it for me, make it easy for me, and bless me in it. And if You know that this matter is bad for me in my religion, my livelihood and the outcome of my affairs — in the near term and the far — then turn it away from me and turn me away from it, and decree for me what is good wherever it may be, and then make me content with it.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 1166
Must I see a dream? No. Nothing in the hadith mentions dreams. The sign is that Allah makes the good path easy and turns the harmful one away.
When can I pray it? At any time it is permitted to pray voluntary prayers. Avoid the disliked times (right after Fajr until the sun rises well, at midday zenith, and after Asr until sunset).
Can I make the dua without praying? If you are unable to pray — such as a woman in her menses — the scholars permit making the supplication alone, though the complete Sunnah is the two rak'ah with it.
What if I still feel unsure? Repeat it, keep consulting sincere advisers, then act. Acting after istikhara with trust in Allah is itself part of the Sunnah.
