How is the prayer of istikhara performed? How is istikhara done?

Istikhara is when a person, before going to bed, performs two units (rak‘ahs) of prayer and prays to Allah in order to receive a sign about whether something they wish to do is good for them or not. Sometimes, when people have to make an important decision or choice, they cannot determine which option is better for them in terms of this world and the Hereafter. To understand this, they consult others and seek help from Allah. In this sense, istikhara is essentially asking Allah for the goodness of the matter at hand and, if it is good, for it to come to pass, and seeking His help. The Prophet taught his companions to perform istikhara in all matters just as he taught them a surah from the Qur’an. (Bukhari, Tahajjud, 28 [Chapter Heading]; Da‘awat, 48 [6382]; Tawhid, 10 [7390])

The prayer of istikhara is recommended (mandub). In the first rak‘ah, after al-Fatiha, Surah al-Kafirun is recited; in the second rak‘ah, after al-Fatiha, Surah al-Ikhlas is recited. After the prayer, the supplication of istikhara is made. The Prophet recommended the following supplication for istikhara:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ وَأَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ العَظِيمِ، فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلاَ أَقْدِرُ وَتَعْلَمُ وَلاَ أَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الغُيُوبِ، اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الأَمْرَ خَيْرٌ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي - أَوْ قَالَ عَاجِلِ أَمْرِي وَآجِلِهِ - فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي، ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي - أَوْ قَالَ فِي عَاجِلِ أَمْرِي وَآجِلِهِ - فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ وَاقْدُرْ لِي الخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِي.

“O Allah! I seek Your guidance through Your knowledge, and I seek ability through Your power, and I ask You from Your immense bounty. For You have power and I do 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 life, and the outcome of my affairs – or he said, in the immediate and the distant future – then decree it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me. And if You know that this matter is bad for me in my religion, my life, and the outcome of my affairs – or he said, in the immediate and the distant future – then turn it away from me and turn me away from it, and decree for me what is good wherever it may be, and make me content with it!” (Bukhari, Tahajjud, 28 [Chapter Heading]; Da‘awat, 48 [6382]; Tawhid, 10 [7390])

Istikhara is not performed for matters that are clearly good, such as acts of worship and good deeds, or clearly bad, such as what is forbidden and sinful. Istikhara is performed for matters about which there is doubt as to whether it is right to do them, and it can be repeated up to seven times. After istikhara, a person’s heart will feel at ease, and it is accepted that the first inclination that comes to the heart is the good one, and one acts accordingly. (Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, 2/26-27) There is no basis for seeing a dream after istikhara or for interpreting such a dream as good or bad. If one is unable to perform the prayer of istikhara, it is sufficient to recite only the supplication.

Source: T.C. Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı, Din İşleri Yüksek Kurulu