ISTIKHARA786

Praise belongs to God, who has guided human beings through

reason and revelation. Human beings through their intellectual endowments

and experiences are capable of making right decisions when encountering

difficult situations in their everyday life. And, yet, there are moments when

the consequences of one’s decisions are difficult to gauge. Mere analysis of

pros and cons do not answer tough questions about what lies ahead in store.

Moreover, some decisions have implications for family members, friends, and

others near and far. It is at such crossroads that one needs to meditate and seek

God’s help through God’s revelation to choose that which is appropriate at a

given time.

This process of meditation on the Qur’an and prayer is known as

Istikhara, meaning “seeking a course of action that is beneficial and that avoids

harm and injury to oneself and to others.” Muslim tradition has preserved several

methods of seeking God’s guidance through prayer and meditation on the

verses of the Qur’an. In this Istikhara, When You Need It mobile app we have

endeavored to make the Qur’an the major source of such meditative efforts to

find the right course of action when confused and in doubt. Keep in mind that

faith in God’s guidance is a prerequisite to consult this divine resource. Any

casual contact with this source should be avoided.