Sharh Riyad as-Saliheen by Ibn Uthaymeen — Volume 3 (شرح رياض الصالحين) — Page 134

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

أَمَّا مَا كَانَ فِيهِ الأَمْرُ وَاسِعًا، فَلَا يَجُوزُ أَنْ يَسْتَخِيرَ وَقْتَ النَّهْيِ، يَعْنِي بَعْدَ العَصْرِ لَا يَسْتَخِيرُ، وَبَعْدَ الفَجْرِ حَتَّى تَرْتَفِعَ الشَّمْسُ مِقْدَارَ رُمْحٍ لَا يَسْتَخِيرُ، وَعِنْدَ زَوَالِهَا حَتَّى تَزُولَ لَا يَسْتَخِيرُ، إِلَّا فِي أَمْرٍ قَدْ يَفُوتُ عَلَيْهِ، يُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ مِنْ غَيْرِ الفَرِيضَةِ، ثُمَّ يُسَلِّمُ، وَإِذَا سَلَّمَ قَالَ: «اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ، وَأَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ العَظِيمِ، فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلَا أَقْدِرُ، وَتَعْلَمُ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ، وَأَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الغُيُوبِ اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كَانَ هَذَا الأَمْرُ» -

For non-urgent matters, one should not perform the Istikhara prayer during prohibited times. This includes the period after the Asr prayer, the time after Fajr until the sun has risen to the height of a spear, and the time when the sun is at its zenith until it moves past it. If the matter is urgent and might be lost, one may pray two rak'ahs outside of the obligatory prayers, then conclude with the taslim and say: 'O Allah, I seek Your guidance through Your knowledge, and I seek ability through Your power, and I ask You of Your great bounty. You have power and I have none; You know and I know not; You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah, if this matter...'

وَيُسَمِّيهِ مَثَلًا: لِنَفْرِضْ أَنَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يُصَاهِرَ أُنَاسًا يَتَزَوَّجُ بِنْتَهُمْ، اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ زَوَاجِي بِهَذِهِ البِنْتِ خَيْرًا لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي أَوْ قَالَ: «عَاجِلِ أَمْرِي وَآجِلِهِ»، يَعْنِي إِمَّا أَنْ تَقُولَ هَذَا، أَوْ هَذَا - «فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي، ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ.

He then names the matter. For instance, if he intends to marry into a family, he says: 'O Allah, if You know that my marriage to this woman is good for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the final outcome of my affairs,' or he may say, 'my immediate and future affairs'—either phrasing is acceptable—'then ordain it for me, make it easy for me, and bless me in it.'

وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي أَوْ قَالَ: «عَاجِلِ أَمْرِي وَآجِلِهِ؛ فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي، وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ، وَاقْدُرْ لِي الخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ، ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِي بِهِ» وَيَنْتَهِي.

'If You know that this matter is evil for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the final outcome of my affairs,' or 'my immediate and future affairs, then turn it away from me, turn me away from it, ordain for me the good wherever it may be, and make me content with it.' This concludes the prayer.

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Vocabulary · المفردات (35 verbs · 43 nouns)

• كَانَ — to be
• جَازَ — to be permissible
• اِسْتَخَارَ — to seek guidance
• أَمْرٌ — matter
• وَقْتٌ — time
• نَهْيٌ — prohibition