Can The Answer To Istikhārah Come In A Dream and Can Istikhārah Be Repeated Several Times For One Issue by Shaykh Zakariyyah ibn Shuʿayb al-ʿAdanī

Pivotal Quote

“As for making Istikhārah and then seeing in a dream whether or not you are actually supposed to do it, there is no evidence for this. And as for making Isktikhārah and then having a feeling in your heart whether or not you should proceed, there is also no evidence for this—neither of these are true. Istikhārah has its results in either tangibly being able to move forward or being prevented. The answer to an Istikhārah is not a dream and it is not a feeling in your heart. In fact, there is no one from the Scholars who even had this opinion.

Question:

Does the answer to one praying Istikhārah appear in a dream, and we are to repeat Ṣalāh al-Istikhārah several times for one matter?

Answer:

There is no dalīl [evidence] for the answer to one’s Istikhārah appearing to them in a dream. It is simply that you make Istikhārah, you try to move forward and you either move forward or you are prevented from going forward—this is what Istikhārah is for. You try to move forward and if Allāh (عز وجل) makes it easy for you to go forward, you know that this is the answer to your Istikhārah. And if you are prevented from doing what you are considering doing, that is also the answer to your Istikhārah.

As for making Istikhārah and then seeing in a dream whether or not you are actually supposed to do it, there is no evidence for this. And as for making Isktikhārah and then having a feeling in your heart whether or not you should proceed, there is also no evidence for this—neither of these are true. Istikhārah has its results in either tangibly being able to move forward or being prevented. The answer to an Istikhārah is not a dream and it is not a feeling in your heart. In fact, there is no one from the Scholars who even had this opinion. It is not a matter of difference of opinion; none of the People of Knowledge have said that Istikhārah comes in the form of a dream or in the form of having a feeling towards doing something.

As for repeating the Istikhārah more than one time for the same matter, there is no problem with this and several of the People of Knowledge have said this. Some of the laymen however, say that you should repeat the Istikhārah for one matter seven times, but this is going to an extreme. You can repeat it two or three times. [However], making it one specific number, first of all, there is no evidence for that. And secondly, that is simply going to an extreme.

Likewise, Istikhārah is to be made for something that is mubāḥ (permissible). You do not have to make Istikhārah about something that is wājib [obligatory] or even something that is mustaḥabb [recommended]. These are things that bring you closer to Allāh and you do not make Istikhārah about those.

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