Istikhara Dua for Marriage: The Full Text and How to Pray It

To pray istikhara, make wudu, pray two voluntary rak’ahs, then recite the istikhara dua the Prophet ﷺ taught. In it, you name your matter, such as “my marriage to [name]”. You don’t wait for a dream afterwards: you carry on with the proposal and see whether Allah makes it easy or turns it away.

What is istikhara?

Istikhara means asking Allah to choose the better option for you. It is a sunnah prayer, also called salat al-istikhara (the istikhara prayer) or, in Urdu, dua-e-istikhara.

Jabir ibn Abdullah said the Prophet ﷺ taught them istikhara for all their affairs, as he taught them a surah (Sahih al-Bukhari 1166). Some sites number it 1162, because editions differ.

Istikhara is for choices where both options are allowed (IslamQA 11981), such as marrying a particular person. It isn’t for obligations or for clear wrongs. If a suitor doesn’t pray or is known for immoral behaviour, IslamQA advises refusing him rather than praying istikhara (IslamQA 125848).

The istikhara dua in Arabic, transliteration and English

Here is the istikhara dua from Sahih al-Bukhari 1166. The Prophet ﷺ told anyone concerned about a matter to pray two rak’ahs other than the obligatory prayer, then say it.

Words in brackets are a second wording, kept because a narrator wasn’t sure which phrase the Prophet ﷺ used. Either is fine, and many people say both.

Istikhara dua in Arabic

Istikhara dua transliteration

Allahumma inni astakhiruka bi’ilmika, wa astaqdiruka biqudratika, wa as’aluka min fadlikal-‘azim. Fa innaka taqdiru wa la aqdiru, wa ta’lamu wa la a’lamu, wa anta ‘allamul-ghuyub.

Allahumma in kunta ta’lamu anna hadhal-amra khayrun li fi dini wa ma’ashi wa ‘aqibati amri (or: ‘ajili amri wa ajilihi), faqdurhu li, wa yassirhu li, thumma barik li fihi.

Wa in kunta ta’lamu anna hadhal-amra sharrun li fi dini wa ma’ashi wa ‘aqibati amri (or: fi ‘ajili amri wa ajilihi), fasrifhu ‘anni, wasrifni ‘anhu, waqdur lil-khayra haythu kana, thumma ardini bihi.

Istikhara dua in English (translation)

O Allah, I ask You to choose for me by Your knowledge, and I ask You for ability by Your power, and I ask You from Your immense bounty. For You are able and I am not; You know and I do not; and You are the Knower of the unseen.

O Allah, if You know that this matter is good for me in my religion, my worldly life and the outcome of my affairs (or: in my affairs now and later), then decree it for me, make it easy for me, and then bless me in it.

And if You know that this matter is bad for me in my religion, my worldly life and the outcome of my affairs (or: in my affairs now and later), then turn it away from me and turn me away from it. Decree for me what is good, wherever it may be, and then make me content with it.

Where to name the marriage: at hadhal-amra (“this matter”), name it, for example “my marriage to [name]” (zawaji min [name]). The hadith itself says to name your need.

Not memorised yet? Reading it from paper is allowed, though memorising is better (IslamQA 164729).

How do you pray istikhara? Step by step

The istikhara prayer is an ordinary two-rak’ah voluntary prayer followed by the dua. Here is how to do istikhara:

Step	What to do
1. Consult	Make enquiries and talk to your wali and family first.
2. Wudu	Make wudu as for any prayer.
3. Pray	Two voluntary rak’ahs, not the obligatory prayer, intending istikhara.
4. Recite	Al-Fatihah, then any surah, in each rak’ah.
5. Dua	After the salam, praise Allah, send blessings on the Prophet ﷺ, then say the dua.
6. Name it	At “this matter”, say “my marriage to [name]“.
7. Carry on	Continue the normal steps and see what Allah makes easy.

Which surahs do you recite in istikhara?

Any surah after al-Fatihah is fine; no authentic report fixes one (Islamweb 81434, which also describes praising Allah before the dua). Hanafi, Maliki and Shafi’i scholars recommend al-Kafirun in the first rak’ah and al-Ikhlas in the second. The Hanbali school names none (IslamQA 11981).

Is the dua said before or after the salam?

Most scholars put the dua after the salam, following the hadith’s wording (IslamQA 164728). Ibn Taymiyyah allowed both, preferring before the salam (IslamQA 11981). If you’re unsure, say it after.

When can you pray istikhara?

You can pray istikhara any time of day or night, except when the Prophet ﷺ forbade voluntary prayer (Sahih al-Bukhari 586; Sahih Muslim 831):

• after the Fajr prayer until the sun has fully risen;
• when the sun is at its highest, shortly before Dhuhr;
• after the Asr prayer until sunset.

Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta also says istikhara isn’t prayed in these times. Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn ‘Uthaymeen allowed it then only for a matter that can’t wait (IslamQA 41697), and a marriage decision almost always can.

Istikhara for marriage: consult first, then pray

For a proposal, istikhara comes after consultation, not instead of it. Al-Nawawi recommended consulting someone sincere, caring and experienced first (IslamQA 11981). The Qur’an tells the Prophet ﷺ to consult people and, once decided, to rely on Allah (Al ‘Imran 3:159).

Istishara (consultation) for a proposal means:

• Your wali makes enquiries, meets him and his family, and asks the hard questions. See our wali’s guide to vetting a suitor.
• People who know him: the imam at his mosque, colleagues, neighbours.
• You ask your own questions before nikah: prayer, money, where you’ll live, children, past marriages.

Istikhara and careful thought work together (IslamQA 161248). IslamQA sets out the order: look into it, consult, narrow your options to one, then pray about that one (IslamQA 130169). With several proposals, start with the most suitable; Dar al-Ifta also allows praying about each separately.

IslamicKnot is set up so the wali is involved from the start. A man pays once to contact a family and, where a wali is listed, receives the wali’s number and never messages the sister. He first declares five commitments, including praying the five daily prayers, which her wali then tests in person.

Fathers and brothers can manage her profile and receive every enquiry with a free guardian account.

What happens after istikhara?

After istikhara, you carry on with the matter and watch what Allah makes easy; no dream, colour or feeling is required. Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta says the main result is whether you are enabled to do the matter (fatwa 7938).

Scholars describe the “answer” in two overlapping ways:

• Ease and inclination. Ibn Taymiyyah wrote that what Allah makes your heart at ease with, and makes easy, is His choice for you (IslamQA 229702). Al-Nawawi said to act on what you then feel inclined to, without clinging to your earlier wish (Islamweb 81434).
• Go ahead and trust the outcome. Others said you simply proceed, because whatever follows istikhara is good. IslamQA cites this from Ibn ‘Allan, and from al-‘Iraqi via Ibn Hajar (IslamQA 5882).

IslamQA’s own conclusion: if the matter becomes easy, proceed; if obstacles keep coming, Allah is turning you away (IslamQA 5882). For a proposal, “easy” looks like good enquiries, families who get on and details that settle. “Turned away” looks like him withdrawing, something serious coming out, or families who can’t agree on the basics.

Don’t read every delay as a sign: an ordinary difficulty may be just that, or a whisper from Shaytan (IslamQA 125848). Ask Allah, as the dua does, to make you content. We may dislike what is good for us and love what is bad for us; Allah knows and we do not (Al-Baqarah 2:216).

Istikhara myths and warnings

Most istikhara myths add things the hadith never says.

“You have to see a dream.” No dream is needed. Ibn al-Hajj al-Maliki said waiting for one counts for nothing: the Prophet ﷺ taught us to pray and consult, not to rely on dreams (IslamQA 72255). Some dreams come from Shaytan and some from your own thoughts (Sahih Muslim 2263).

“Green means yes, red means no.” The hadith says nothing about colours or signs. The dua asks Allah to make the good easy and turn the bad away, and that is the whole mechanism.

“Pay us and we’ll do your istikhara.” Some websites and individuals charge to pray istikhara for you and report back. Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said istikhara on another’s behalf isn’t valid, even if they ask (IslamQA 134612); Islamweb’s fatwa committee agrees (Islamweb 84818). Nobody can see your answer: in the dua’s own words, “You know and I do not.”

“Someone saw a dream about your proposal.” Relatives sometimes use dreams to push a sister towards a man or away from him. IslamQA advised against ending an engagement over a dream, citing Ibn ‘Uthaymeen: if the man is upright, the dream doesn’t matter (IslamQA 93399). Want a dream interpreted? Ask a trustworthy scholar, not a charlatan, and treat it only as a hint (IslamQA 72255).

“Going against istikhara is a sin.” It isn’t, though you may lose out (IslamQA 125848).

Istikhara questions sisters ask

Can I do istikhara on my period?

Yes, by saying the dua without the prayer. The Hanafi, Maliki and Shafi’i schools allow istikhara by dua alone when you can’t pray, including during postnatal bleeding (Islamweb 16125, in Arabic). Al-Nawawi and Shaykh Ibn Baz said the same (IslamQA 408677).

Ibn Baz added that the version with the prayer is better, because it follows the sunnah. So if the decision can wait until your period ends, you can pray the full istikhara then; if not, make the dua now.

Can my parents or wali do istikhara for me?

The sunnah is that the person facing the decision prays it, and scholars such as Ibn ‘Uthaymeen say no one can pray it in your place (IslamQA 134612; Islamweb 84818). Your parents can still make dua for you.

Your wali has his own decision, though: whether to accept this man for you. He can pray istikhara about that part, because that choice is his.

What if I feel nothing after istikhara?

That’s normal, and it doesn’t mean the prayer failed (IslamQA 72255). Keep going with the enquiries, repeat istikhara if you’re still torn, and decide.

What if my family disagrees with my istikhara?

Istikhara isn’t a veto over real concerns. If they object because of his prayer, character, honesty or how he’d treat you, listen: istikhara was meant to sit alongside exactly that. A good feeling doesn’t cancel what they’ve found.

It works the other way too: a relative’s dream doesn’t remove your right to accept or refuse, because your consent is required (Sahih al-Bukhari 5136). Most scholars also require the wali’s consent. The Hanafi school lets an adult woman conclude her own nikah, with conditions (what a wali is in Islam).

Talk it through with your wali, ideally with an imam you both trust. For your own situation, ask a qualified imam or scholar who can hear both sides.

Istikhara checklist for a marriage proposal

• I know his prayer, character, work, family and any previous marriage.
• My wali has asked people who know him, not just him.
• I’ve asked my own questions and I’m happy with the answers.
• No red lines: he prays, avoids alcohol and drugs, and has been honest.
• I’ve consulted a sincere, experienced person.
• I have wudu, it isn’t a forbidden time, and I’ve prayed two voluntary rak’ahs.
• I’ve said the dua and named “my marriage to [name]“.
• I’m continuing the normal steps and watching what Allah makes easy.
• I’m not waiting for a dream or paying anyone for an answer.

If the answer becomes yes, here is how the nikah works. No proposal yet? Make dua for marriage for now; istikhara is for when one arrives.

Want proposals to reach your wali first? Create a free profile and add his number; on a profile listed with your wali, men never message you directly (how it works for sisters).

Sources

• Sahih al-Bukhari 1166 (the istikhara hadith), 586 (no prayer after Fajr and Asr), 5136 (a woman’s consent)
• Sahih Muslim 831 (three times prayer is forbidden), 2263 (types of dreams)
• Qur’an: Al ‘Imran 3:159, Al-Baqarah 2:216
• IslamQA: 11981 (how to pray) · 164728 (after the salam) · 164729 (reading from paper) · 41697 (timing) · 130169 (several options) · 161248 (using judgement) · 125848 (faults in a fiancé) · 5882 (signs) · 229702 (repeating) · 72255 (dreams) · 93399 (engagement and dreams) · 134612 (on another’s behalf) · 408677 (menses) · 107633 (dua without prayer) · 20953 (language of dua)
• Islamweb: 81434 (how to pray) · 84818 (on another’s behalf, repeating) · 172573 (wording) · 359392 (dua for a particular man) · 16125 (when one cannot pray, Arabic)
• Dar al-Ifta, Egypt: istikhara and its results · fatwa 7938, recognising the result