patience tawakkal and istikhara

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By Mohammed Anis khan Patience, tawakkal and istikhara

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Patience, tawakkal and istikhara are interelated, so I have written briefly about them in this booklet

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Page 1: Patience Tawakkal and Istikhara

By Mohammed Anis khan

Patience, tawakkal and istikhara

Page 2: Patience Tawakkal and Istikhara

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Foreword

Verily all praise is for Allah. May the peace and blessings of Allah be on the Prophet Mohammed

and his family and companions!

I have written about five aspects of eeman in this booklet:

• Hardship

• Patience

• Tawakkal

• Seeking Allah’s help in duaa

• Istikhara

First of all we need to change our attitude towards hardship. We hate difficulties and tend to

seek comfort in lives, but Allah has created us to face challenges and they are part of life. We

should accept this reality. However, we are better able to face these challenges with patience.

When we have patience we are able to trust Allah for all decisions and affairs and have less

frustration and anxiety in uncertain situations. We also invoke Allah to help us in tough times.

Lastly I have written about sunnah way of doing istikhara because it helps us make choices and

decisions with guidance and help of Allah.

May Allah accept our good deeds and forgive us and give us the best reward of Jannah.

Your brother in Islam,

Mohammed Anis Khan

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Contents

1. Hardship

• Hardship is part of life

• If Allah loves someone, He gives the person more challenges

• Enterprise is in the natural design of human beings

• Allah makes it easy to do good deeds when we strive for it

• Tests are not possibility, but a certainty

• The hardship is because of our own sins

• Allah rewards us for any hardship that we go through

• Tough times make a pious believer humble and purify his soul

• Hardship as a punishment or test

• No soul shall be burdened more than it can bear

2. Patience

• Human beings are impatient by nature

• Patience is the mother of all virtues

• Patience is the greatest blessing

• Patience curbs other weaknesses

• Allah’s loves those who are patient:

• Patience is success

• Encouraging others for patience

• Goodly Patience- Sabr-e-jameel

• Duaa for patience

• Patience and tawakkal(putting trust in Allah)

3. Tawakkal (putting complete trust in Allah)

• Meaning of tawakkal

• Tawakkal is worship and part of eeman

• Tawakkal means not to have any fear

• Tawakkal means making right choices

• Accountability for all actions

• Tawakkal is positive outlook towards the future

• Tawakkal is not being reactive or passive

• Tawakkal is not fatalism

• Tawakkal means not to be desperate

• Tawakkal on Allah against evil plans of the enemy

• Saying inshaAllah with sincerity and confidence

• The story of Dhul-Qarnain and learning on tawakkal

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4. Seeking Allah’s Help through duaa

• Allah responds when we call upon Him

• Making duaa persistently with salah

• Allah’s help is sufficient

5. Istikhara (seeking guidance from Allah)

• Importance of consultation

• What is istikhara

• Why we need istikhara

• Istikhara means good only

• Hadith on how to do istikhara and duaa of istikhara

• Simple steps for istikhara

• Importance of using one’s reason

• Doing istikhara through some other person

• There is no specific time for offering istikhara prayers

• Habit of doing istikhara means good fotune

• Istikhara is not for something haraam

• Istikhara is not for what we are commanded to do

• We should be cautious of our ego and desires

• How do we get an answer for istikhara?

• Wait for conviction to arise after istikhara

• We should not be hasty in taking decision after istikhara

• Waiting for dreams after doing istikhara

• If we do not have much time for conviction to arise

• Making spontaneous decisions

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Hardship

Hardship is part of life

We find life overbearing many times we seek ease in this life while Allah has made us for

hardship and challenges. We should always remember the following verse which indicates that

hardship and challenges are part of human life.

Verily We have created man into toil and hardship.

(al-Balad 90:4)

I am quoting below the explanation of Moulana Moududi on this verse:

'This is that for which the oaths as mentioned above have been sworn. Man's being created in toil

means that man in this world has not been created to enjoy himself and live a life of ease and

comfort, but the world for him is a place of enduring and undergoing toil, labour and hardship, and

no man can be immune from this. The city of Makkah is a witness that a servant of Allah toiled and

struggled hard, then only did it become a city and the centre of Arabia. In this city of Makkah the

condition of Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace) is a witness that he is enduring every kind

of hardship for the sake of a mission; so much so that there is full peace here for the wild animals

but no peace for him. Then, every man's survival, from the tithe he is conceived in the mother's

womb till the last breath of life, is a witness that he has to pass through trouble, toil, labour,

dangers and hardships at every step. The most fortunate of us is also exposed to grave dangers of

death before birth or of elimination by abortion while in the mother's womb. At birth he is only a

hair-breadth away from death. After birth he is so helpless that had there not been somebody to

look after him, he would perish uncared for and unnoticed. When he became able to walk he

stumbled at every step. Froth childhood to youth and old age he had to pass through such physical

changes that if any change had taken a wrong turn, his very life would have been at stake. Even if

he is a king or a dictator, he at no time enjoys internal peace from the tear that a rebellion might

arise against him somewhere. Even if he is a conqueror he is never at peace from the danger that

one of his generals might rise in revolt against him Even if he is a Korah of his time, he is ever

anxious to increase his wealth and to safeguard it. Thus, there is no one who may he enjoying

perfect peace freely and without hesitation, for man indeed has been created into a life of toil and

trouble.'

This is a hard reality which we must accept. When Allah has declared that He has created us for

hardship, it is futile to strive to get ease but we should try to optimize our energy, resources and

efforts for His cause.

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If Allah loves someone, He gives the person more challenges

We learn from the following hadith that Allah gives tougher challenges to His beloved slaves.

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "If Allah wants to do good to somebody, He afflicts him

with trials." Sahih Bukhari Volume:7 Book :70 (Patients)Number :548

The most beloved person for Allah is the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) and Allah

gave him the toughest challenges. He was called Al-Ameen (The Trustworthy) because of his

character before the message of Islam and the same people started calling him magician and

mad man, and they started to ridicule him. Later on they started to humiliate him and persecute

his followers to an extent that he had to migrate to Madina with his companions. He

experienced defeat in the battle of Uhud. When he visited Taif to call people towards Islam, the

people in the city chased him and threw stones at him to an extent that blood was all over his

body.

I believe the biggest tragedy for any person in the world is to lose his or her children. The only

other human beings we love selflessly are our children because we love them without any

expectations. In all other relations we have expectations. The Prophet Mohammed (peace be

upon him) was tested with the loss of his children. If he could bear such hardship, we should not

expect to be more privileged.

All prophets of Allah have faced the toughest tests that no other human beings have faced.

Prophet Ibraheem (peace be upon him) was thrown in a fire, Prophet Musa (peace be upon him)

had to face the Firaun and call him to the message of One God, Prophet Noah (peace be upon

him) was swallowed alive by a fish. Many Prophets, such as Prophet Yahya (peace be upon him)

were even killed by their people because they used to call people to worship One God.

If you are a sports coach you are going to give bigger challenges to your favorite athlete. You will

love to see him struggling and overcoming those challenges. Parents give challenges to their

children so that they can learn and grow. When children begin to walk, parents like to watch

from a distance even if it means that the child might fall and start crying because they know that

this struggle is important for the child.

In the following verse we know about the trials of a prophet and his followers to the extent that

they cried out of desperateness when will Allah’s help come.

[But] do you think that you could enter paradise without having suffered like those [believers] who

passed away before you? Misfortune and hardship befell them, and so shaken were they that the

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apostle, and the believers with him, would exclaim, "When will God's help come?" Oh, verily, God's

help is [always] near!

(Al-Baqara 2:214)

The following hadith relates to the situation when there was slander against the mother of

believers Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). In this Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her)

expresses patience and also relates to the story of the father Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him)

who was patient when his other sons informed him that Yusuf has been eaten alive by a wolf.

Narrated Az-Zuhri: Urwa bin Az-Zubair, Said bin Al-Musaiyab, 'Al-Qama bin Waqqas and

'Ubaidullah bin 'Abdullah related the narration of 'Aisha, the wife the Prophet, when the slanderers

had said about her what they had said and Allah later declared her innocence. Each of them

related a part of the narration (wherein) the Prophet said (to 'Aisha). "If you are innocent, then

Allah will declare your innocence: but if you have committed a sin, then ask for Allah's Forgiveness

and repent to him." 'Aisha said, "By Allah, I find no example for my case except that of Joseph's

father (when he said), 'So (for me) patience is most fitting.' " Then Allah revealed the ten Verses:--

"Verily those who spread the slander are a gang amongst you.." (24.11) (Book #60, Hadith #212)

Enterprise is in the natural design of human beings

Allah has built enterprise in the nature of human beings. We cannot live without putting efforts

in some direction. The ability to think, judge and reflect also forces us to have a purpose in life.

Many animals have rest in their natural design and they don’t get tired of the same. For example,

a koala sleeps for 22 hours and a sloth sleeps for 20 hours a day. They don’t become ill because

of this, and Allah gives them their rizq within the limited efforts that they do. Blobfish is another

such lazy creature. Its flesh is primarily a gelatinous mass which allows it to float above the sea

floor without expending energy on swimming. It swallows edible matter that floats by in front of

it. It doesn’t spend energy even in chewing food, but swallows it directly. If a man was to lie

down so lazily he would become sick, and probably die of boredom. Animals don’t have a

concept of boredom unless they are enslaved out of their habitat. While human beings need to

use their energies, powers and intellect to create something in order to be satisfied.

Allah says:

Certainly, your efforts and deeds are diverse (different in aims and purposes)

(Al-Layl 92:4)

This means that we anyway put efforts in different direction, but these efforts become useful

when they are directed towards a purpose and to add value in what we are capable of doing.

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Allah makes it easy to do good deeds when we strive for it; and evil path seems easy if we

persist on it

Although hardship is part of life but Allah gives us strength to reach higher levels. If you exercise

with weights, you will find that the same weight has become easier for you to lift after some

time. After that you need to increase repetition of increase the weight, or do the exercise in a

different style. The same weight and exercise will not help you in muscle growth after a certain

level because our body adapts to it.

So when we say Allah makes it easy to proceed on the path of goodness, it should not be taken in

contradiction with the previously mentioned interpretation of a verse that Allah likes to give us

challenges. When we persist on the way of Allah: 1) we will find that it is not as difficult as it

seems to be and 2) we gain more taqwa and can fulfill even very difficult tasks with ease

because of the help of Allah. In an ordinary situation the fajr prayer is extremely difficult

worship and fasting for a month is unimaginable for many non-Muslims. But Muslims do it as a

habit and do not find it difficult. This doesn’t mean that the worship itself has become easy, but

it means that Allah has made it easy for us because we strive for it.

The five verses of Sura Layl talk about how Allah makes the path easy for good and evil. When

we say ‘Allah makes path of evil easy’ it means allow lets people persist with their evil because if

he starts checking them at every step then there will be no test of good and evil in this world.

As for him who gives (in charity) and keeps his duty to Allâh and fears Him,

And believes in Al-Husnâ.

We will make smooth for him the path of ease (goodness).

But he who is a greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient.

And denies Al-Husnâ (The Best i.e. the Paradise)

We will make smooth for him the path for evil.

(Al-Layl 92:5-10)

Thus doing good deeds to earn Husna (The Best i.e. Allah’s reward of Paradise) is the purpose of

life. Allah says in the following verse that He will help those who strive in His cause.

O you who have attained to faith! If you help [the cause of] God, He will help you, and will make

firm your steps;

(Muhammad 47:7)

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Tests are not possibility, but a certainty

We should not be under false impressions that tough times are only a possibility but as I started

by saying we are created to face tough times. Allah reminds us that a believer must face tough

times before he can claim the reward of Jannah.

[But] do you think that you could enter paradise without having suffered like those [believers] who

passed away before you? Misfortune and hardship befell them, and so shaken were they that the

apostle, and the believers with him, would exclaim, "When will God's help come?" Oh, verily, God's

help is [always] near!

(Al-Baqara 2:214)

And most certainly shall We try you by means of danger, and hunger, and loss of worldly goods, of

lives and of [labour's] fruits. But give glad tidings unto those who are patient in adversity

(Al-Baqara 2:155)

These are only tough times that show the real test of our eeman. Allah mentions about these

tests of eeman in the following two verses.

and most certainly We shall try you all, so that We might mark out those of you who strive hard

[in Our cause] and are patient in adversity: for We shall put to a test [the truth of] all your

assertions.

(47:31)

Do you [O believers] think that you will be spared unless God takes cognizance of your having

striven hard [in His cause] without seeking help from any but God and His Apostle and those who

believe in Him? For, God is aware of all that you do

(At-Tauba 9:16)

The hardship is because of our own sins

When we are having good time in life, we tend to forget the blessings of Allah and remember

Him only when He puts us through a trial. Whatever hardship befalls us, it is only because of our

sins.

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For, whatever good thing comes to you, comes from God; and whenever harm befalls you, it is unto

Him that you cry for help

(An-Nahl 16:53)

Now [thus it is:] when affliction befalls man, he cries out unto Us for help; but when We bestow

upon him a boon by Our grace, he says [to himself], “I have been given [all] this by virtue of [my

own] wisdom!” Nay, this [bestowal of grace] is a trial: but most of them understand it not!

(Az-Zumar 39:49)

Allah rewards us for any hardship that we go through

Allah knows that we are weak and we soon fall into despair when we face tough times. Allah

reminds us that hardships will soon be compensated with something good. This is justice of

Allah. In the following verses Allah not only starts by saying ‘verily’ but also repeats the same

statement in emphasize it.

Verily, along with every hardship is relief,

Verily, along with every hardship is relief (i.e. there is one hardship with two reliefs, so one

hardship cannot overcome two reliefs).

(ash-Sharh 094:005-6)

The least reward that we get for any hardship is hassanat for our sabr. And this reward is

continuous till the hardship lasts because it is a burden on our soul. Besides, whenever we go

through any difficulty in this life, Allah makes our Akhira easy by forgiving our sins. The

following hadith mention that Allah forgives our sins if the pain is as small as of a thorn.

Narrated Aisha: (the wife of the Prophet) Allah's Apostle said, "No calamity befalls a Muslim but

that Allah expiates some of his sins because of it, even though it were the prick he receives from a

thorn." Sahih Bukhari Volume:7 Book :70 (Patients)Number :544

Narrated Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri and Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "No fatigue, nor disease, nor

sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives

from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that." Sahih Bukhari Volume:7 Book :70

(Patients)Number :545

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Narrated Abdullah: I visited the Prophet during his ailments and he was suffering from a high

fever. I said, "You have a high fever. Is it because you will have a double reward for it?" He said,

"Yes, for no Muslim is afflicted with any harm but that Allah will remove his sins as the leaves of a

tree fall down." Sahih Bukhari Volume:7 Book :70 (Patients)Number :550

Tough times make a pious believer humble and purify his soul

“Good people are good because they've come to wisdom through failure. We get very little wisdom

from success, you know.”

William Saroyan

It is true that we need to confront the difficult realities of life in order to succeed. We never

learn anything if we spend the life in comfort. A child stays in the womb for a limited time, but to

grow beyond that it has to come out of the comfort zone of liquid and face the airy world, which

is the first shock of this worldly life.

The following hadith tell us that tough times are certainly a blow to a believer but also his

flexibility and faith makes him endure those tough times, while a hypocrite tries to act unnerved

by tough times and then he loses ground all of a sudden.

Narrated Kab: The Prophet said, "The example of a believer is that of a fresh tender plant, which

the wind bends lt sometimes and some other time it makes it straight. And the example of a

hypocrite is that of a pine tree which keeps straight till once it is uprooted suddenly. Sahih Bukhari

Volume:7 Book :70 (Patients)Number :546

Hardship as a punishment or test

We know that Allah puts us through tough times for our sins and also sometimes to test us. Most

of the times his actions are multipurpose; for example one hardship makes a believer humble,

makes him reflect on other people who are facing even difficult situations, makes him see who

are the close friends, makes his eeman strong, and also purifies his sins.

A hardship that comes as a test comes along with sabr. Allah makes our eeman even stronger in

such situations.

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Those (i.e. believers) to whom the people (hypocrites) said, "Verily, the people (pagans) have

gathered against you (a great army), therefore, fear them." But it (only) increased them in Faith,

and they said: "Allâh (Alone) is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs (for us)."

(An-Nisaa 3:173)

But when a hardship comes as a punishment, it reminds us our evil deeds and we repent what

we have done in the past. A pious slave loses no time in repenting his sins and seeking

forgiveness before Allah, not matter how insignificant those sins might have been.

The following verse refers to Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) repentance when a man died

because of his blow although he did not have any intention to kill the man:

[And] he prayed: O my Sustainer! Verily, I have sinned against myself! Grant me, then, Thy

forgiveness!” And He forgave him - for, verily, He alone is truly forgiving, a dispenser of grace

(Al-Qasas 28:16)

The following verse mentions the story of the Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him) who was

swallowed by a fish and then he repented and invoked Allah for forgiveness:

AND [remember] him of the great fish when he went off in wrath, thinking that We had no power

over him! But then heeded out in the deep darkness [of his distress]: “There is no deity save Thee!

Limit-less art Thou in Thy glory! Verily, I have done wrong!”

(al-Anbiyaa 21:87)

No soul shall be burdened more than it can bear

Different people have different capacities. Allah promises that He will only test us as per our

capacities.

God does not burden any human being with more than he is well able to bear: in his favour shall be

whatever good he does, and against him whatever evil he does. O our Sustainer! Take us not to task

if we forget or unwittingly do wrong! "O our Sustainer! Lay not upon us a burden such as Thou

didst lay upon those who lived before us! O our Sustainer! Make us not bear burdens which we

have no strength to bear! "And efface Thou our sins, and grant us forgiveness, and bestow Thy

mercy upon us! Thou art our Lord Supreme: help us, then, against people who deny the truth!"

(Al-Baqara 2:286)

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Patience

Human beings are impatient by nature

We are created impatient; this is why we have to struggle a lot to be patient while we tend to

take hasty decisions.

And man invokes (Allâh) for evil as he invokes (Allâh) for good and man is ever hasty

(Al-Israa 17:11)

We learn two things about patience from the story of Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) and

Khidr which is narrated in the Sura Kahaf. The first thing is that impatience and curiosity are

part of human nature. The second thing is that ignorance is also a reason behind impatience. If

we have knowledge, we are more likely to be patient. In a way the knowledge of religion helps a

person become more patient because he or she knows that there is reward for this patience and

it will not go waste.

He (Al-Khidr) said: "Verily, you will not be able to have patience with me!

"And how can you have patience about a thing which you know not?"

(Al-Kahf 18:67-68)

Patience is the mother of all virtues

Patience is the foundation of eeman because, unless we have patience, how are we going to

believe in the unseen, and bear adversities for rewards in the Hereafter.

We learn from Sura Asr that patience is one of the four main things that prevent human beings

from loss. These four things are: faith, doing good deeds, propagating truth and patience.

Verily Man is in loss,

Except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of

Truth, and of Patience and Constancy.

(Asr 103:2-3)

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Patience is the greatest blessing

We learn two things from the following hadith: 1) Patience is from Allah, and 2) it is the best

blessing from Allah. This is why it is mother of all virtues.

Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri: Some Ansari persons asked for (something) from Allah's Apostle

(p.b.u.h) and he gave them. They again asked him for (something) and he again gave them. And

then they asked him and he gave them again till all that was with him finished. And then he said "If

I had anything. I would not keep it away from you. (Remember) Whoever abstains from asking

others, Allah will make him contented, and whoever tries to make himself self-sufficient, Allah will

make him self-sufficient. And whoever remains patient, Allah will make him patient. Nobody can be

given a blessing better and greater than patience." (Sahih Bukhari Book #24, Hadith #548)

Patience curbs other weaknesses

We cannot control the events that happen in our lives, but we can definitely control our reaction

to the same. This ability to take a response, is called proactivity. A Muslim's response in case of

adverse situations should be that of patience, and Allah puts constant rewards in patience. A

patient slave of Allah is likely to control the following weaknesses more easily:

• Impulsiveness

• Anger

• Greed

• Envy

• Depression

Allah’s loves those who are patient:

Allah mentions in several verses in Quran that He loves those who are patient at the time of

adversity. The clock of good deeds is continuously ticking during the challenges times when we

are patient.

O YOU who have attained to faith! Seek aid in steadfast patience and prayer: for, behold, God is

with those who are patient in adversity.

(Al-Baqara 2:153)

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Hence, if you have to respond to an attack (in argument], respond only to the extent of the attack

levelled against you; but to bear yourselves with patience is indeed far better for (you, since God is

with] those who are patient in adversity.

(An-Nahl 16:126)

[And finally We told him:] “Now take in thy hand a small bunch of grass, and strike therewith, and

thou wilt not break thine oath!” for, verily, We found him full of patience in adversity: how

excellent a servant [of Ours], who, behold, would always turn unto Us!

(Suad 38:44)

Patience is success

In the following verse Allah says that the reward of patience is success.

[But,] behold, today I have rewarded them for their patience in adversity: verily, it is they, they who

have achieved a triumph!”

(Al-Mu'minun 23:111)

Encouraging others for patience

As I wrote we are instinctively impatient and tend to forget the virtue of being patient. Satan

also prompts us to be impatient because when we are impatient, we give up asking help of Alalh

and also start complaining. Allah asks us to encourage one another for patience in several

verses:

Verily Man is in loss,

Except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of

Truth, and of Patience and Constancy.

(Al-'Asr 103:3)

O you who have attained to faith! Be patient in adversity, and vie in patience with one another,

and be ever ready [to do what is right], and remain conscious of God, so that you might attain to a

happy state!

(Al-Imran 3:200)

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“O my dear son! Be constant in prayer, and enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing

of what is wrong, and bear in patience whatever [ill] may befall thee: this, behold, is something to

set one’s heart upon!

(Luqman 31:17)

[But] bear thou with patience whatever they may say, and remember Our servant David, him who

was endowed with [so much] inner strength! He, verily, would always turn unto Us:

(Suad 38:17)

and they produced his tunic with false blood upon it. [But Jacob] exclaimed: "Nay, but it is your

[own] minds that have made [so terrible] a happening seem a matter of little account to you! But

[as for myself,] patience in adversity is most goodly [in the sight of God]; and it is to God [alone]

that I pray to give me strength to bear the misfortune which you have described to me."

(Yusuf 12:18)

Goodly Patience- Sabr-e-jameel

We should strive to have good patience which is mentioned as ‘sabrun jameelun’ in Quran. In

Urdu it can be called ‘Sabr-e-jameel’. This is higher degree of patience to remain unnerved in

extremely challenging situations.

Therefore, [O believer,] endure all adversity with goodly patience:

(Al-Ma'arig 70:5)

Duaa for patience:

Allah has taught us a duaa for patience in the following verse:

"O our Sustainer! Shower us with patience in adversity, and make firm our steps, and help us

against the people who deny the truth!"

(Al-Baqara 2:250)

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The transliteration of this duaa is as follows:

rabbana afrigh Aalayna sabran wathabbit aqdamana wansurna Aala alqawmi alkafireen

Patience and tawakkal(putting trust in Allah)

Patience is also closely associated with tawakkal. We are only going to put trust in Allah when

we are patient that the outcome will be only good for us by the will of Allah.

And how could we not place our trust in God, seeing that it is He who has shown us the path which

we are to follow? "Hence, we shall certainly bear with patience whatever hurt you may do us: for,

all who have trust [in His existence] must place their trust in God [alone]!"

(Ibrahim 14:12)

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Tawakkal (Putting Complete Trust in Allah)

Meaning of tawakkal

We human beings instinctively hate uncertainty because we cannot determine how to react. It

leads to frustration, anxiety and sometimes depression.

Tawakkal means to put complete trust in Allah for all present and future affairs. We have

limited knowledge and power. We take action based on that knowledge and power, but these

actions alone are not sufficient for us to achieve success. We need help of Allah on the top of our

efforts. Tawakkal means that after we have put our efforts we trust Allah to help us and lead us

to success. We have faith that whatever the result may be, it is only going to be good for us. In

the following verse Allah says that the only power that can help us is Allah.

If Allâh helps you, none can overcome you; and if He forsakes you, who is there after Him that can

help you? And in Allâh (Alone) let believers put their trust.

(An-Nisaa3: 160)

Tawakkal is worship and part of eeman

In the following verses Allah command us to put trust in Him.

Believers are only they whose hearts tremble with awe whenever God is mentioned, and whose

faith is strengthened whenever His messages are conveyed unto them, and who in their Sustainer

place their trust - -

(al-Anfaal 8:2)

And God alone comprehends the hidden reality of the heavens and the earth: for, all that exists

goes back to Him [as its source]. Worship Him, then, and place thy trust in Him alone: for thy

Sustainer is not unaware of what you do. –

(Hood 11:123)

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Tawakkal means not to have any fear

Sometimes we hold a young child in hands throw it in the air and grab it back in order to

entertain it, and the child is not afraid because he trusts us. He knows that we are not going to

harm him. The same way when we put our trust in Allah, we are should shun fear because fear

pulls us back and keeps us away from making sound choices.

[Whereupon] two men from among those who feared [God, and] whom God had blessed, said:

"Enter upon them through the gate' -for as soon as you enter it, behold, you shall be victorious! And

in God you must place your trust if you are [truly] believers!" -

(Al-Maa.idah 5:23)

And convey unto them the story of Noah-when he said unto his people: "O my people! If my

presence [among you] and my announcement of God's messages are repugnant to you -well, in God

have I placed my trust. Decide, then, upon what you are going to do [against me], and [call to your

aid] those beings to whom you ascribe a share in God's divinity; and once you have chosen your

course of action, let no hesitation deflect you from it; and then carry out against me [whatever you

may have decided], and give me no respite! -

(Yoonus 10:71)

He answered: "O my people! What do you think? If [it be true that] I am taking my stand on a clear

evidence from my Sustainer, who has vouchsafed me goodly sustenance [as a gift] from Himself -

[how could I speak to you otherwise than I do]? And yet, I have no desire to do, out of opposition to

you, what I am asking you not to do: I desire no more than to set things to rights in so far as it lies

within my power; but the achievement of my aim depends on God alone. In Him have I placed my

trust, and unto Him do I always turn! -

(Hood 11:88)

Tawakkal means making right choices

In the following verses Allah talks about our faculties that He has bestowed upon to make right

choices and then He talks about the path of evil and good. We must make the right choices

because we cannot expect Allah’s help when we make choices that are apparently wrong.

Does he think that none sees him?

Have We not made for him two eyes,

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And a tongue and two lips?

And shown him the two ways (good and evil)?

(al-Balad 90:7-10)

In the following verse again Allah says that we earn the good or evil according to our deeds.

God does not burden any human being with more than he is well able to bear: in his favour shall be

whatever good he does, and against him whatever evil he does. O our Sustainer! Take us not to task

if we forget or unwittingly do wrong! "O our Sustainer! Lay not upon us a burden such as Thou

didst lay upon those who lived before us! O our Sustainer! Make us not bear burdens which we

have no strength to bear! "And efface Thou our sins, and grant us forgiveness, and bestow Thy

mercy upon us! Thou art our Lord Supreme: help us, then, against people who deny the truth!"

(Al-Baqara 2:286)

We learn from the following verse that Allah’s favours or wrath are dependent upon the actions

that they take.

.... Verily, God does not change men's condition unless they change their inner selves; ...

(13:11)

Accountability for all actions

We are accountable for all actions that we take within the capacities gifted by Allah. If Allah

blesses us with intellect, knowledge, power, talent, wealth, free time, health and status, we must

ask ourselves how much percentage of all those blessings we are using to please Allah and how

much we are using to please our weak soul. The following verse talk about accountability of all

that we strive for and Allah reminds us that we will see what we strove for on the Day of the

Judgment.

The Day when man shall remember what he strove for

And Hell-fire shall be made apparent in full view for (every) one who sees.

Then for him who transgressed all bounds (in disbelief, oppression and evil deeds of disobedience

to Allâh).

And preferred the life of this world (by following his evil desires and lusts),

Verily, his abode will be Hell-fire;

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But as for him who feared standing before his Lord, and restrained himself from impure evil desires

and lusts.

Verily, Paradise will be his abode.

(an-Naazi'aat 79: 35- 41)

Tawakkal is positive outlook towards the future

Eeeman is optimism because we struggle in this life with a belief that Allah will reward us in the

Hereafter. Tawakkal is even stronger form of optimism. When we put our trust in Allah, we

become completely assured that the results will only be our favour. We believe that Allah’s help

might be delayed but it shall surely come. The following verses explain the essence of this

belief:

Say: "Nothing will happen to us except what Allah has decreed for us: He is our protector": and on

Allah let the Believers put their trust.

(At-Tauba 9:51)

Tawakkal is not being reactive or passive

Tawakkal should not be understood as being reactive, passive or inactive. I have already spoken

in previously that enterprise is part of human nature. We have to be proactive. Proactivity is

part of religion in all forms, we cannot even pray five times a day without enquiring, what time

the prayer is going to be, without being clean, making wudu, and knowing how to pray.

The following verse tells us that we have to make a decision first, from our reasoning,

knowledge, conscience and consultation; and after we have taken a decision, we put our trust in

Allah for the outcome.

…and consult them in the affairs. Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allâh,

certainly, Allâh loves those who put their trust (in Him).

(Aal-'Imraan 3:159)

We learn from the following hadith that we have to put our efforts first and then put our trust in

Allah.

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“One day Allah's Messenger, sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam, noticed a Bedouin leaving his camel

without tying it. He asked the Bedouin, "Why don't you tie down your camel?" The Bedouin

answered, "I placed my trust in Allah." At that, the Prophet, sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam, said, "Tie

your camel and place your trust in Allah" – Tirmidhi

In the following hadith we learn how Allah feeds the birds. We learn from this hadith to trust

Allah for the rizq and we also learn that we have to put our efforts the way birds go out every

morning seeking food. Allah has given different capacities to different creatures and they utilize

the same for seeking their food. Some creatures like blob fish and sea anemone don’t move and

they get their rizq in their place itself. But Allah has given multiple talents and skills to human

beings which they use for seeking their rizq.

Narrated ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab: I heard Allah’s Messenger saying. “If you all relied on Allah with

due reliance, He would certainly give you provision as He gives it to birds who issue forth hungry in

the morning and return with full belly at dusk.”(At-Tirmidhi)

Tawakkal is not fatalism

Fatalism is an illogical concept to begin with. If Allah has decided about all the things that are

happening or that will happen, what is He doing now? When we say in every prayer, ‘We

worship only You and we seek your assistance only’. This means that there is an interactive

process or engagement that continues to happen all the times in the world. If we believe that

Allah forgives sins, this means that we are responsible for the sins and Allah forgives them when

a slave returns to the true path with sincere repentance. The simplest logic is that we will not be

able to feed ourselves or even eat the food right in front of us, unless we put efforts for the same.

The root word for jihad is juhd, which means 'strive' or 'to struggle'. The Prophet (peace be

upon him) called the Jihad of Soul as the bigger Jihad because it is on the continuous basis. It is

tough to fight the enemy within which is weak soul and an unseen enemy which is Satan.

Struggle is part of all stages in the life of a Muslim, be it the struggle with one’s self, soul, evil,

bad habits, temptations or injustice. Every morning we struggle to wake up an hour for prayers,

when the sleep sounds the sweetest. This is the struggle.

I would like to elaborate on some differences between tawakkal and fatalism:

1. Tawakkal is a belief that all decisions have to come from Allah, and we accept them and trust

that there will be good in some or other form. Fatalism advocates that all the decisions have

already been taken. Nothing can ever be changed now.

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2. Tawakkal demands proactivity and we have to put our efforts first and trust in Allah while

fatalism makes people reactive.

3. Tawakkal is the belief that ‘I did my share in the right manner and now the decision is not

with me, but with Allah’. You prepare hard for the exam but the result is not in your control

because you might fall in on the day of exam or the paper might just have the questions that

you did not study. Our role is to know, identify, reason, plan and execute; and Allah will

decide what should be the result of that execution. Definitely Allah’s help will be at all the

stages but we can never be sure of the results. Muslims prepared well for the battle of Uhud,

but they lost it. They did not have a control of the results despite the best of the Muslims

were part of the Muslim army, although there was learning that disobedience of the Prophet

of Allah (peace be upon him) is not liked by Allah.

4. Tawakkal means accepting an outcome with patience and humility, even if it seemingly

seems untoward or negative. This is because you have faith that this is a trial and Allah will

reward you for your patience; and in the wisdom of Allah something else is better for you.

Fatalism doesn’t leave any scope for patience even because even patience requires positive

thinking and proactivity.

Tawakkal means not to be desperate

Sometimes we attach more importance to the goal than faith in Allah’s mercy and justice. Our

aspirations lead us to believe that what we want is the only desirable solution. For example a

student aspires to become a doctor, and believes that it is the best career he can have. Such

belief takes us beyond tawakkal because we do not know what thing has good or bad in us. A

colleague told me about his friend in UK who moved to one of the top companies just before the

recent recession started. He was very excited about the job move, but within a month the

company decided to sack the newly recruited staff. He was jobless, and there weren’t new jobs

due to economic recession. Thus, only Allah knows whether anything is good or bad for us. He

thought us way to seek his guidance through istikhara

The other extreme is fear which also takes a Muslim away from tawakkal. For example, an

athlete is preparing to participate in a competition, but he has fear in his heart that if he loses it

might ruin his sports career. This is not tawakkal, because trust in Allah should remove all

fancies and fear. We might lose in one sphere and succeed in another. The fear should not be for

any loss or defeat, but for Allah’s displeasure. No dream is too big to realise with Allah’s help,

the difference resides only in our sincerity and Allah knows whether what we seek is good or

bad for us. Sincerity makes a difference between dream and fancies, and Allah guides only

sincere goals, while satan manipulates fancies.

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Tawakkal is more confidence in Allah’s help than in one’s capabilities. Khalifa Omar ibn Khataab

(may Allah be pleased with him) used to advise his army commanders that they don’t win wars

because of military superiority but because of Allah’s help. Some historians analyze that when

he relieved Khalid Bin Waleed (may Allah be pleased with him) from the position of commander

of Muslim army, his intention was restore the faith that the victories of Muslim armies were not

due to military genius of their commanders but due to help of Allah. His faith proved right

because Muslim armies continue to be victorious even under other generals.

Tawakkal on Allah against evil plans of the enemy

The following verse talks about the hypocrites during the time of Prophet Mohammed (peace be

upon him) who used to claim belief but hated Islam in their heart. They used to plan day and

night how to weaken Islam and to stop its progress. Allah guides us to put trust in Him alone in

such situations because we cannot know the secret plans of the enemy and by worrying about

something unknown we tire ourselves. Tawakkal means to strive with the right means when we

have a solution, and to trust Allah to sort out affairs when there is no solution in our hands.

Allah's assurance is to save us from worry and it is not wise to waste energies by directing

efforts in negative direction. Such worry is unhealthy and takes away focus from other tasks

that require constructive and positive efforts.

They say: "We are obedient," but when they leave you (Muhammad [sal-Allâhu 'alayhi wa sallam]),

a section of them spends all night in planning other than what you say. But Allâh records their

nightly (plots). So turn aside from them (do not punish them), and put your trust in Allâh. And

Allâh is Ever All-Sufficient as a Disposer of affairs.

(004:081)

In following verses Allah says no matter how intricate plans evil people might have drawn what

prevails is the will of Allah. His plans can never be superseded.

And they plotted, and Allâh planned too. And Allâh is the Best of those who plan.

(003:054)

O you who believe! Remember the Favour of Allâh to you when some people desired (made a plan)

to stretch out their hands against you, but (Allâh) held back their hands from you. So fear Allâh.

And in Allâh let the believers put their trust.

(005:011)

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Saying inshaAllah with sincerity and confidence

In Surah Kahaf Allah mentions the beautiful phrases that should be part of a Muslim’s regular

speech. The surah begins with ‘Alhamdulillah’, and Allah mentions ‘the story of owner of

gardens’ who would not say ‘MashaAllah’ upon seeing his bounties (verse-39), and ‘inshaAllah’

which is mentioned in two verses i.e. 23 and 69.

InshaAllah is mentioned first in the following verse as an important reminder.

And never say of anything, "I shall do such and such thing tomorrow."

(018:023)

The above-mentioned verse was a reminder to the Prophet (peace be upon him) for when some

Makkans came to him with questions related to Christian traditions to test his claim of divine

revelations he promised to answer them tomorrow. He forgot to say ‘InshaAllah’, after all he

was a human being. The word insaan comes from nasee which means ‘to forget’. After this

event, the archangel Jibreel (peace be upon him) did not visit him for several days until the

Prophet (peace be upon him) became worried. His enemies jeered at him during these days of

no revelations. Then Jibreel (peace be upon him) came with this verse and reminded the

Prophet (peace be upon him) that he should not mention any future intention without saying

‘inshaAllah’. This incident, like several others, is a proof that the Prophet (peace be upon him)

was not writer of Quran because he is being warned in this verse. If he was writing the book, he

would not have allowed himself to be ridiculed before his enemies for failing to answer their

questions, but could have invented something to keep them quiet.

InshaAllah is also mentioned second time in verse 69 that relates to Prophet Musa (peace be

upon him):

[Mûsâ ] said: "If Allâh wills, you will find me patient, and I will not disobey you in aught."

(018:069)

In this verse Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) reassures Khidr that he will patiently

accompany the later and would not ask any questions. Although we learn from subsequent

verses that he forgot his promise, and asked questions impetuously. This verse again refers to

the forgetful nature of human beings. This verse indicates that saying inshaAllah doesn’t

guarantee that what we intend to do will certainly take place. This means that we should have

sincere intention to do a thing, and we should have confidence in our ability and help of Allah.

We put more trust in Allah than in our abilities or circumstances because we never know what

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the future will be like. This is one way of trusting Allah for all affairs and strengthening eeman

through day to day conversation.

Many people say inshaAllah even if they are not sincere about what they intend to do., while

some others doubt whether they what they intend to do is possible or not. I knew some people

would say ‘inshaAllah’ when they do have positive intentions and such behaviour is not only

ridicules religion but might imply that ‘inshaAllah’ is not needed if we have sincere intention or

confidence because we only need Allah’s help when we lack confidence.

Besides, InshaAllah doesn’t absolve a Muslim from his responsibility to take necessary action

and it should not said as a lazy expression that something will automatically take place without

taking responsibility to do it. When Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) forgot his promise and

asked questions, he regretted what he did. He did not put the blame on Allah but took

responsibility for it, as said in the following verses.

He (Al-Khidr) said: "Did I not tell you, that you would not be able to have patience with me?"

(018:072)

[Mûsâ (Moses)] said: "Call me not to account for what I forgot, and be not hard upon me for my

affair (with you)."

(018:073)

The words of Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) were to regain confidence of Khidr but he did

accept that the forgetfulness was on his part, not a failure of ‘inshaAllah’. Islam asks us to take

responsibility for each action, which is why we have to be accountable for all good and bad

deeds, and we have to be judged on the Day of Resurrection based on these deeds.

The story of Dhul-Qarnain and learning on tawakkal

The story of Dhul-Qarnain in Surah Kahaf has many important lessons but I will only talk about

the tawakkal part in it. Allah describes Dhul-Qarnain as a king in history who was bestowed

with immeasurable power and glory by which he conquered most parts of the world.

Mufassereen have done much research to identify who was Dhul-Qarnain.

We have the following lessons on tawakkal from the story of Dhul-Qarnain:

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1. He seeks pleasure of Allah alone. When Dhul-Qarnain met people who sought his help

and offered to pay tribute, he said that the favours that Allah has bestowed upon him are

sufficient for him. A true slave seeks tribute from Allah, not from people.

2. He is eager to help others in his capacity.

3. He believes that big tasks are accomplished by team work and collaboration. He lays out

a plan and seeks collaboration. Dhul-Qarnain asked people to help him with strength of

men and material.

4. When any task is accomplished, he doesn’t credit himself with the success but attributes

it to the mercy of Allah.

5. Even after the task is completed, he believes that the success of it can only last as long as

Allah wishes. And the day Allah decides to against this endeavour, no one will be able to

stop Him.

The following verses have the story of Dhul-Qarnain:

They said: "O Dhul-Qarnain! Verily, Ya'jûj and Ma'jûj (Gog and Magog people) are doing great

mischief in the land. Shall we then pay you a tribute in order that you might erect a barrier

between us and them?"

He said: "That (wealth, authority and power) in which my Lord had established me is better (than

your tribute). So help me with strength (of men), I will erect between you and them a barrier.

"Give me pieces (blocks) of iron;" then, when he had filled up the gap between the two mountain-

cliffs, he said: "Blow;" then when he had made them (red as) fire, he said: "Bring me molten copper

to pour over them."

So they [Ya'jûj and Ma'jûj (Gog and Magog people)] could not scale it or dig through it.

(Dhul-Qarnain) said: "This is a mercy from my Lord, but when the Promise of my Lord comes, He

shall level it down to the ground. And the Promise of my Lord is ever true."

(Al-Kahf 18: 94)

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Seeking Allah’s Help through duaa

Allah responds when we call upon Him

We should seek Allah’s help continuously because Allah promises to respond to the people who

call upon him.

And if My servants ask thee about Me - behold, I am near; I respond to the call of him who calls,

whenever he calls unto Me: let them, then, respond unto Me, and believe in Me, so that they might

follow the right way.

(Al-Baqara 2:186)

Making duaa persistently with salah

We should make dua persistently and it is even better to make duaa after prayers.

And seek aid in steadfast patience and prayer: and this, indeed, is a hard thing for all but the

humble in spirit,

(Al-Baqara 2:45)

We learn from the following hadith that all duaa are responded by Allah unless we become

impatient and give up asking for it.

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "The invocation of anyone of you is granted (by Allah)

if he does not show impatience (by saying, "I invoked Allah but my request has not been granted.")

(Sahih Bukhari Book #75, Hadith #352)

Allah’s help is sufficient

Nothing is beyond power of Allah. He just says ‘be’ and the thing is done. So if Allah helps us, we

do not have to worry about anything else, and if He forsakes us, then no helper can be of any

use.

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Dost thou not know that God's is the dominion over the heavens and the earth, and that besides

God you have none to protect you or bring you help?

(Al-Baqara 2:107)

If God helps you, none can ever overcome you; but if He should forsake you, who could help you

thereafter? In God, then, let the believers place their trust!

(Al-Imran 3:160)

Behold, your only helper shall be God, and His Apostle, and those who have attained to faith - those

that are constant in prayer, and render the purifying dues, and bow down [before God]: (Al-

(Ma'idah 5:55)

There, is also a du'aa from Quran in which a Muslim declares his full trust in Allah and seeks

protection from oppressors. We should recite it, and more du'aa from Quran and sunnah, in the

face of difficulty:

They said: "In Allah do we put our trust. Our Lord! make us not a trial for those who practise

oppression;

(Yunus 10:85)

The transliteration of this duaa is as follows:

Ala-Allahi tawakkalna rabbana la tajAalna fitnatan lilqawmi alzaalimeena

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Istikhara

Importance of consultation

Islam encourages us to take decisions after consultations because we get to see multiple

perspectives of an issue. We can get advice which we had not thought of.

…and consult them in the affairs. Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allâh,

certainly, Allâh loves those who put their trust (in Him).

(Aal-'Imraan 3:159)

What is istikhara

Istikharah means seeking the best course of action. In Islam, it is used for approaching Allah

through Prayer for guidance in a case when one cannot make up his mind.

Istikharah prayer is a two-rak`ah non-obligatory prayer by which one seeks Allah's guidance

when he is confused or can't choose between permissible alternatives. In this case, the Muslim

should offer two rakah sunnah prayers and make istikhara duaa asking Allah to guide him to the

right alternative/ option and make his heart satisfied with the decision.

Thus, after praying Istikharah, one should decide on a course of action, and trust that if the

matter does not work out, it is because it was not good for him. One should not then feel

disappointed if things did not go as hoped. Istikharah is only prescribed for matters deemed

permissible by the Shari`ah and not for any issue that plainly opposes Allah's Laws. It is when

you have two permissible options and you do not know which is better for you that you should

resort to Allah the Almighty to seek His guidance.

Why we need istikhara

When faced with important decisions in life, a believer is persuaded to use all of his Allah-given

resources, as well as to consult people who are known for their knowledge, piety and sound

opinion. After having done so, he can turn to Allah for guidance. Humans are limited in

knowledge, and Allah alone possesses perfect knowledge.

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We do not always know what is good or bad for us but Allah knows it. It may be possible that we

take a decision based on outward goodness of a thing and later on realize other problems

associated with it.

…it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for

you. Allâh knows but you do not know.

(Al- Baqara 2.216)

Our knowledge is very little; we do not know many things that can be crucial for our decision.

But Allah has knowledge of unseen (gaib), present and future. This is why we need Allah’s help

and guidance.

And of knowledge, you (mankind) have been given only a little."

(Al-Israa 17:85)

Our powers are very limited. We do not have ability to accomplish anything on our own. We

need help of Allah in all affairs. Istikhara is also a duaa for help and barakah.

Istikhara takes away noise, confusion and anxiety; and replace them with contentment and

peace of mind. Even if the outcome is unexpected, we get convinced that it was not good for us,

rather than going on regretting the negative outcome and blaming ourselves or someone else

for it. Some people who regularly do istikhara never seem worried about the way a situation

goes. On the other hand, many others who can never stop regretting lost opportunities or bad

choices in life.

Ibn Taimiyyah said, “He who seeks guidance from the Creator and consults the creatures will

never regret it.”

Istikhara means good only

When we do istikhara leave the decision up to Allah. A decision from Allah has to be good only.

It is a dua which He always answers because there is no other option in the duaa. He must guide

us after the duaa.

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The dua of istikhara also includes that ‘O Allah, if it is not good for me, take it away from me, and

give me something better instead.’ So you should believe that if you lost something after

istikhara, it was not good for you and Allah will certainly give a better option than this.

Hadith on how to do istikhara and duaa of istikhara

The following hadith is narrated by Jabir bin Abdullah about Salat-ul-Istikhara in Sahih Bukhari

(volume 2, hadith number 263 and again volume 9, hadith 487):

The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to teach us the way of doing Istikhara (Istikhara means to

ask Allah to guide one to the right sort of action concerning any job or a deed), in all matters as he

taught us the Suras of the Quran. He said, "If anyone of you thinks of doing any job he should offer

a two Rakat prayer other than the compulsory ones and say (after the prayer):

'Allahumma inni astakhiruka bi'ilmika, Wa astaqdiruka bi-qudratika, Wa asaluka min fadlika al-

'azim Fa-innaka taqdiru Wala aqdiru, Wa ta'lamu Wala a'lamu, Wa anta 'allamu l-ghuyub.

Allahumma, in kunta ta'lam anna hadha-l-amra Khairun li fi dini wa ma'ashi wa'aqibati amri (or

'ajili amri wa'ajilihi) Faqdirhu li wa yas-sirhu li thumma barik li Fihi, Wa in kunta ta'lamu anna

hadha-lamra shar-run li fi dini wa ma'ashi wa'aqibati amri (or fi'ajili amri wa ajilihi) Fasrifhu

anni was-rifni anhu. Waqdir li al-khaira haithu kana Thumma ardini bihi.'

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Translation of dua of istikhara

(O Allah! I ask guidance from Your knowledge, and Power from Your Might and I ask for Your

great blessings. You are capable and I am not. You know and I do not and You know the unseen. O

Allah! If You know that this job is good for my religion and my subsistence and in my Hereafter--(or

said: If it is better for my present and later needs)--then You ordain it for me and make it easy for

me to get, and then bless me in it, and if You know that this job is harmful to me in my religion and

subsistence and in the Hereafter--(or said: If it is worse for my present and later needs)--then keep

it away from me and let me be away from it. And ordain for me whatever is good for me, and make

me satisfied with it)." The Prophet added that then the person should name (mention) his need

Simple steps for istikhara

1. Perform wudu (the ablution) if you do not have it already.

2. Pray 2 raka’at with the intention of praying Istikhara

3. After you have completed the 2 rakats, recite the above-mentioned Istikhara Dua.

4. Mention the task/ action/ decision that you intend to do

5. Trust that Allah will surely guide you to the right path.

Importance of using one’s reason

Istikhara doesn’t mean that we give up complete and do not use our reason or enterprise to

determine an issue. I have mentioned in earlier chapters that Allah wants us to use our reasons

and powers to take good actions. The same way we have to use our common sense, reasons,

opinion of others while making a choice after istikhara. We have believe that all this process

that we do after istikhara has guidance of Allah.

Also, Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, former head of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and

member of the Fiqh Council of North America, states: “Doing Istikharah does not mean that one

should not use one's reason or experience. Allah the Exalted has commanded us in the Qur'an

that we should use our intellect and seek knowledge. If we do not know something, we should

ask those who know. But human reason has limitations. We do not know everything; only Allah

does know all things. When we are faced with a dilemma then we should turn to Allah to seek

His guidance. After offering Istikharah, you may do whatever is best in your understanding or

whatever convinces you.

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Doing istikhara through some other person

According to sunni path: ‘This is one means you can take: to seek the istikhara of a pious person.

The permissibility of this was mentioned explicitly by the Malikis and Shafi`is. The Hanafis do not

appear to have discussed this issue.’

Istikhara is a personal duaa to Allah . I don’t have knowledge of madhab and don’t get into that. I

believe the sunnah way of choosing the easy path. The Prophet (peace be upon him) advised his

companions to do istikhara for ‘each and every matter’ which we learn from the hadith, so every

person should do the istikhara himself or herself. This habit spreads the sunnah of istikhara

because if I asked a learned person to do istikhara I will only ask for important tasks, but if I do

it myself, I will do it even for smaller issues. Besides when I gain confidence over it, I will spread

this sunnah to my family and friends. This way this sunnah is likely to spread form people to

people, rather than being limited to religious scholars. I believe religious scholars have more

important things to do than doing istikhara for others. Their knowledge and capacities should

be used for fiqh, writing books, lecturing, teaching, and spreading the deen of Allah.

There is no specific time for offering istikhara prayers

The hadith mentions that we should offer two rakah in addition to fardh rakah and doesn’t

specify any specific time for istikhara prayers. Thus we should not make a sunnah difficult for us

by choosing to do it only in specific times.

We should not offer any salah in two times: 1) After fajr until sunrise, and 2) after asr until

maghrib time. Obviously it will also apply to istikhara prayers.

Habit of doing istikhara means good fotune

Sa’ d ibn Waqas reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, “Istikharah (seeking

guidance from Allah) is one of the distinct favors (of Allah) upon man, and a good fortune for the

son of Adam is to be pleased with the judgment of Allah. And a misfortune of the son of Adam is

his failure to make istikharah (seeking Allah’s guidance), and a misfortune for the son of Adam

is his displeasure with the judgment of Allah.”

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Istikhara is not for something haraam

Allah has told us the permissible and non-permissible things i.e. halaal and haraam. It is

common sense that we cannot seek Allah’s guidance and help in something that is prohibited by

Him. For example a Muslim man cannot do istikhara whether he should wear gold or silk.

Istikhara is not for obvious good deeds

The same way we are commanded to carry out many responsibilities and thus we have to make

obvious choice when it comes to those responsibilities. For example a head of the family cannot

do istikhara whether he should take care of the family or spend all his money in charity because

Allah commands us to take care of the family first.

At the same time in many cases we are not clear about what we should do, for example someone

comes to you to borrow large amount of money and you are confused because you have little

money, you are not sure whether you will get your money back in the promised time and so on.

If you do istikhara may be the person stops asking for money, may be you give him lesser money

which is sufficient for him, or may be Allah opens a new solution for him and you are saved from

the trouble of saying ‘no’ to him. Thus, istikhara can also be done when we are not sure what

decision to make.

We should be cautious of our ego and desires and be clear of what we really want

Sometime we are too eager for something that we are unable to accept it go out of our hands.

We might think that a job opportunity is too good for us to miss. We should not be so desperate

in any case because Allah’s knows what is good for us and what is bad. When we give in to our

desires and ego, we are not trusting Allah for the decision and we are just seeking His help in

fulfilling what we want.

…it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for

you. Allâh knows but you do not know.

(Al- Baqara 2.216)

It is better to feel a bit detached towards the decision after doing istikhara because this way we

clear our heart from any ego based inclinations and we show more trust in Allah. This also takes

away anxiety from heart.

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How do we get an answer for istikhara?

Most jurists of Shafi`i, Maliki, Hanbali and Ja`fari schools say that one should do that which is

most convincing.

An-Nawawi holds that “after performing the istikharah, a person must do what he is

wholeheartedly inclined to do and feels good about doing and should not insist on doing what

he had desired to do before making the istikharah. And if his feelings change, he should leave

what he had intended to do, otherwise he is not completely leaving the choice to Allah, and

would not be honest in seeking aid from Allah’s power and knowledge. Sincerity in seeking

Allah’s choice, means that one should completely leave what he himself had desired or

determined.”

Wait for conviction to arise after istikhara

As long as we are confused we should be haste in taking an action. If certain thing is good for us,

Allah will strengthen our faith in it and will make it easy for us. But sometimes when we are too

eager for a certain thing, we take an action even when we are not fully convinced at heart. In

such scenarios we are following our whims, not a conviction.

After we have done istikhara, we go through lots of internal dialogue and try to assess as

situation. We should not be in haste to take an action because hastiness is the character of

shaytan. A Muslim is patient and he should take an action only when he is sure about a thing. If

an option is good for us, we are not going to lose it and if an option is slipping out of hand, it is

not good for us.

We should not be hasty in taking decision after istikhara

Allah dislikes hastiness as he mentions in the following verse:

And man invokes (Allâh) for evil as he invokes (Allâh) for good and man is ever hasty

(Al-Israa 17:11)

We learn from the following hadith that we should not be hasty in seeking a response for any

duaa. Istikhara is also a duaa so we should wait until we have conviction in favour or against a

decision.

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Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "The invocation of anyone of you is granted (by Allah)

if he does not show impatience (by saying, "I invoked Allah but my request has not been granted.")

(Sahih Bukhari Book #75, Hadith #352)

Waiting for dreams after doing istikhara

Some scholars have advised about receiving guidance through dreams after doing istikhara but I

struggle to accept it. First of all the the hadith on istikhara is reported thrice in Sahih Bukhari

and there is no mention of dreams. Secondly it is a complicated thing while Islam is about

simplicity.

Allah likes to strengthen our heart to a certain thing in gradual manner. It is not Allah’s way to

change our hearts overnight because such changes may not be lasting. Allah makes reflect upon

something, analyze, and evaluate it before making a decision. Allah refers to intelligence,

understanding, appreciation etc. (aql, fiqh, shaoor) in many verses in Quran. He could have

made all Makkans believers in one night, but He wanted them to use their reasons.

But when they are told, "Follow what God has bestowed from on high," some answer, "Nay, we

shall follow [only] that which we found our forefathers believing in and doing." Why, even if their

forefathers did not use their reason at all, and were devoid of all guidance?

(Al-Baqara 2:170)

Islam is common sense and its common sense that most of the people do not remember their

dreams, let alone trying to analyze them or interpret them. Allah doesn’t hold us accountable for

our deeds when we are sleep which we learn from the following hadith.

Ali Bin Abi Talib (raa), the Messenger of Allah (saas) said: "The Pen that records the deeds has

been lifted from three people; the insane person, until he recovers; the sleeping person, until he

wakes up; and the minor, until he dreams (i.e., has wet dreams.)" (Recorded in Abu Dawud -4403,

and Ibn Majah -2041)

So we should wait for the guidance of Allah and when He guides us we become convinced of

something. The same way when He guides some people to the light of Islam, they start seeing

the beauty of it and become more and more convinced. Allah doesn’t guide people to Islam in

their dreams, so why should He guide results of istikhara in dreams.

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If we do not have much time for conviction to arise

If we do not have enough time for conviction and we have to make a quick decision, we should

at least pray the salah for istikhara and make duaa before taking the decision. This way we

ensure that even a spontaneous decision has guidance of Allah as long we are sincere about the

urgency of the task and not pursuing it because of our greed, desire or ego.

Making spontaneous decisions

Sometimes we have to make a choice spontaneous and the stakes are not so high that we want

to wait to do istikhara before taking an action. For example, somebody seeks our spontaneous

opinion over phone and we are not sure how to respond to it but have some inclination. In such

cases we should do it by saying bismillah and Alhamdulillah. Anyway we should to all tasks with

bismillah and alhamulidllah.

In one hadith the Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned any task that do without saying

‘alhamdulillah’ in the beginning, there is some short coming in it. So if we have to do something

spontaneous, we should say bimillah and Alhamdulillah thrice each and do it trust Allah for the

good results.

***

May Allah guide us to the right path, and forgive our sins, and reward us Jannah.

The translation referred here is mostly from M. Asad and in some places by Dr. Muhammad Taqiuddeen al-

Hilaalee . I have replaced the word ‘succour’ (used M. Asad) with ‘help’ because the later is an easier word.

For more writings you can visit my blog: http://beliefinunseen.blogspot.com/