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It is a sunnah that, if one must choose between permissible
alternatives, one may pray two non-obligatory rak'at, even if
they are of the regular sunnah prayers or a prayer for
entering the mosque, and so on, during any time of the day or
night, and to recite therein whatever one wishes of the Qur'an
after reciting al-Fatihah. Then one praises Allah and sends
salutations to the Prophet sallallahu alehi wasallam and
recites the following supplication which has been recorded by
al-Bukhari in Jabir's narration: "The Prophet sallallahu
alehi wasallam would teach us al-istikhara for all of our
affairs as he would teach us a surah from the Qur'an. He said:
'If one of you is deliberating over an act, he should pray two
non-obligatory rak'at and say:
"O Allah, I consult You as You are All-Knowing and I
appeal to You to give me power as You are Omnipotent, I ask
You for Your great favor, for You have power and I do not, and
You know all of the hidden matters . O Allah ! If you know
that this matter (then he should mention it) is good for me in
my religion, my livelihood, and for my life in the Hereafter,
(or he said: 'for my present and future life,') then make it
(easy) for me. And if you know that this matter is not good
for me in my religion, my livelihood and my life in the
Hereafter, (or he said: 'for my present and future life,')
then keep it away from me and take me away from it and choose
what is good for me wherever it is and please me with
it."
There is nothing authentic concerning something specific
that is to be recited in the prayer nor is there any authentic
report concerning how many times one should repeat it.
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."
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