The Secrets of Well-Wishing (The Academy of Istikharah and Istisharah)

A Mystical and Practical Commentary on Supplication 33 of al-Ṣaḥīfa al-Sajjādiyya: Principles, Etiquette, Methods and the Secrets of Seeking What Is Best and Consulting Directly with the Lord

Contents and Chapter Headings

Chapter One: The Epistemology of Istikhāra and the Reality of Seeking What Is Best

• The lexical and technical meaning of istikhāra: wishing for what is best and truly seeking the good
• Istikhāra as a revelatory experience and a direct conversation with God
• A critical examination of the harms of traditional, passive approaches to istikhāra in society
• A categorical rejection of proxy istikhāras and a demonstration of the need for personal solitude with God
• Comparing the place of istikhāra with that of prayer in the journey of drawing near to God

Chapter Two: A Mystical Commentary on Supplication 33 of al-Ṣaḥīfa al-Sajjādiyya (The Haven of All Good)

• The gateway to blessings: the unique place of Supplication 33 within the structure of al-Ṣaḥīfa
• A passage-by-passage commentary: «اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ…»
• The connection between divine knowledge, a beneficial decree, and the warding off of ordained evils
• The art of attaining inner peace amid the gale of momentous decisions
• Contentment with and surrender to God’s desire for what is best after istikhāra

Chapter Three: The Relationship between Reasoning, Consultation and Istikhāra

• Reason as the inner proof and the need to make the fullest use of thought
• A culture of consultation: the principles of seeking counsel from perceptive believers and trustworthy experts
• The fine line between faithful reliance on God and intellectual laziness cloaked in istikhāra
• A threefold framework for decision-making: reflection, consultation and istikhāra when all else reaches an impasse

Chapter Four: Types of Istikhāra in the Hadith Tradition of the Ahl al-Bayt (AS)

• Istikhāra of the heart and inspiration: hearing the call of guidance from within a purified heart
• Istikhāra through supplication and seeking what is best in the prayers recited after the canonical prayers
• Istikhāra with the Noble Qur’an and the etiquette of reflecting on the verses that come forth
• Istikhāra with prayer beads and slips of paper (riqāʿ), including an examination of their chains of transmission and conditions

Chapter Five: Etiquette, Conditions and Obstacles to Istikhāra Being Answered

• Physical purity, ablution, facing the qibla and sincerity of intention
• The two-unit prayer for istikhāra and transmitted invocations from Imam al-Bāqir and Imam al-Ṣādiq (AS)
• Avoiding istikhāra for matters that are obligatory, forbidden or definitively settled by reason
• The harms of scrupulosity and repeated istikhāras, and how to abide by the result

Golden Passages from the Book

Istikhāra: Striving for Revelatory Experiences upon the Polished Tablet of the Heart
«Istikhāra is, in reality, a person’s endeavour to attain revelatory experiences. The one seeking guidance polishes the heart through the Lord’s grace, so that they may receive what they seek and the guidance they need from that very illumined page of the heart—which is the perfect image of God’s sanctuary. All people yearn in their hearts for God to speak directly to them, to unravel the mystery of what has been locked and closed to them, and to show them the sound path. Istikhāra answers this innate thirst for connection with the source of unseen guidance.» (p. 16)

A Critique of Proxy Istikhāras: A Proxy Istikhāra Is Like a Proxy Prayer!
«Istikhāra is an intimate solitude, a private consultation between the servant and the All-Knowing, All-Wise. Bringing in a mediator for this important matter deprives one of a great blessing and severs the servant’s direct connection with the Lord. A proxy istikhāra is just like a proxy prayer! Prayer is a means for the servant to draw near to God; istikhāra, too, is one of the most beautiful highways leading to nearness to God. Why would a wise person entrust their private consultation with the merciful Creator to someone else? Purify your own heart and enter the sanctuary of solitude to speak with your God!» (p. 21)

Supplication 33 of al-Ṣaḥīfa al-Sajjādiyya: The Gateway to the Haven of All Good and the University of Divine Unity
«At first glance, Supplication 33 of al-Ṣaḥīfa al-Sajjādiyya seems to be no more than a prayer for what is best. But viewed deeply and realistically, it is a complete course in divine unity and a comprehensive mystical journey. This blessed supplication is a spiritual haven of safety in which a person may rebuild and renew themselves. In these passages, Imam al-Sajjād (AS) teaches us how, in times of crisis, to take refuge in the fortress of God’s knowledge and power, and how to connect our decisions to the heart of the divine will rather than leaving them within the orbit of human illusions.» (p. 29)

Istikhara: The Art of Receiving the Divine Message and Reaping the Fruits of God-Given Inspiration
“Istikhara is an effort to receive the divine message and attain inspiration from God. It is the most beautiful form of question and answer between Lord and servant, and the highest degree of communion accessible to an ordinary human being. Yet to hear the Creator’s answer, the ear of the heart and soul must be awakened. A heart filled with prejudice, preconceptions and worldly attachments will receive the message of Truth in a distorted form.” (p. 25)

The Inseparable Bond between Istikhara and Consultation: Reason as God’s Inner Messenger
“Istikhara is never a substitute for reflection and consultation; it completes and crowns them. Reason is the inner prophet and God’s inward proof, while seeking counsel from the collective wisdom of believers and trustworthy experts is a Quranic duty (وَ شاوِرْهُمْ فِي الْأَمْرِ). Istikhara becomes meaningful only after a person has exercised reason and sought advice, yet remains at a crossroads, uncertain which way to turn—not when it is used to avoid the responsibility of thinking or to indulge intellectual laziness.” (p. 118)

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَRelying on the Ocean of God’s Infinite Knowledge
“‘اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ وَ أَسْتَعِينُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ’ is an admission of absolute poverty before God’s absolute richness. Human vision reaches only as far as the tip of one’s nose in the material world; we cannot know the consequences or the inner reality of things. When the seeker says, ‘O God, by Your knowledge I ask You to guide me to what is good,’ the heavy burden of anxiety about the future is lifted from their shoulders, and they entrust the course of their affairs to the Master Planner of all existence.” (p. 185)

Polishing the Heart’s Mirror: Conditions for Receiving True Insight through Istikhara
“True istikhara requires physical and spiritual purity, a two-unit prayer of istikhara, and freeing one’s intention from predetermined desires. If the person seeking guidance already favors one option, the mirror of the heart is clouded and cannot reflect the truth. Istikhara means standing at the point of complete impartiality, submitting wholly to the pleasure of God Almighty and being fully prepared to accept whatever the Lord deems best.” (p. 242)

Tranquility and Peace after Istikhara: Avoiding the Obsession with Repeating It
“The greatest pitfall of istikhara is becoming obsessive and repeating it. Once you have sincerely sought God’s guidance and the way has become clear, act with courage and resolve (فَإِذا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ). Repeating istikhara shows disrespect toward the All-Knowing and makes a plaything of unseen guidance. The fruits of sincere istikhara are peace of heart, decisiveness in action and acceptance of the Lord’s decree through all of life’s ups and downs.” (p. 310)

Frequently Asked Questions