Salat al-Istikhara Masa'il Fiqhiyya wa Fawa'id Tarbawiyya
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- Dar Kunuz Ishbiliya lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzi'
Salat al-Istikhara: Masa'il Fiqhiyya wa Fawa'id Tarbawiyya (The Consultation Prayer: Jurisprudential Issues and Educational Benefits) is a treatise by Aqil bin Salim al-Shahri that examines the legal rulings and spiritual and educational insights derived from the Prophetic tradition regarding the prayer of seeking divine guidance (salat al-istikhara).
Purpose and Background
The author framed the book as a practical application of a broader personal project focused on extracting deductions and reflections from the Prophetic Sunnah, a method he likened to "revitalizing the Sunnah" (تثوير السنة). He noted that he was motivated to analyze the hadith on istikhara because the Prophet ﷺ paid special attention to teaching it to his Companions just as he taught them a chapter of the Quran, signaling profound spiritual and educational dimensions embedded in its wording.
The work was published by Dar Kunuz Ishbilya li-l-Nashr wa-l-Tawzi', and the author acknowledged Khulayf bin Hishan al-Anazi for his efforts in organizing, reading, and indexing the text.
Structure and Contents
The work is organized into an introduction, two primary parts, and a conclusion:
- Part One: Jurisprudential Issues Related to Salat al-Istikhara covers twenty-one specific legal matters. These include the transmitted hadiths and the legal basis of the prayer, its ruling, the types of affairs for which it is prescribed, performing it during times when voluntary prayer is prohibited, the timing of the intention, the number of units (rak'ahs), Quranic recitation within it, and the timing and wording of the supplication. It also addresses rulings for those who have not memorized the supplication, opening the du'a with praise and blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ, repeating the prayer, post-prayer conduct, combining it with other non-obligatory prayers, proxy performance (niyaba), seeking guidance on multiple matters at once, choosing among variant transmitted narrations, naming the specific need versus relying on internal intention, the relationship and order between istikhara and consultation (istishara), and historical statements on the subject.
- Part Two: Educational Benefits from the Supplication of Salat al-Istikhara presents eighty educational and faith-building insights deduced from the wording of the supplication transmitted in the narration of Jabir ibn Abd Allah.
In the conclusion, the author summarizes key jurisprudential findings, noting scholarly consensus that the prayer is a recommended sunnah, examining its permissibility during times of prohibition when a matter is time-sensitive, and clarifying conditions under which repeating the prayer is warranted.
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