Istikhara and Dreams: an
Attempt to Predict the Future through Dreams
Hidayet Aydar, PhD, is the
Head of the Department of the Qur’anic Studies of the Theology
Faculty at Istanbul University. His PhD thesis Kuran-i Kerim’in
Tercumesi Meselesi (The Issue of Translation of the Holy Quran)
was published in İstanbul in 1996. He has authored many books and
articles in scientific journals.
Abstract
Istikhara as an Arabic word means
‘to wish what is beneficial’. Terminologically, it means ‘to wish
the consequences of an issue to be useful for oneself’. But this
requires doing some rituals, such as worshiping, praying about
what one wishes, and then sleeping. According to Islamic
tradition, a person first prays for the task he hesitates to do
and then says: “My Lord, I ask you to inform me what is beneficial
and make me strong. For you are powerful, but I am not. You know
but I do not. You know all secrets. My Lord, if my task (here you
mention the specific task you’re asking help for) is beneficial
for my religion, my life and my afterlife, make it easier and make
it my destiny. If my task (again, mentioning the specific task) is
bad for my religion, my life or my afterlife, make me lose my
desire, send me away and do not make it my destiny. Ordain for me
what is good, wherever it be and then make me happy with it.” He
asks Allah to make this task beneficial to him and then goes to
sleep. If in his dream he sees white and green colors, great
religious persons or something that gives peace, such as something
desirable, useful and good, he decides this task is beneficial for
him and does it contentedly. If he sees in his dream black, blue
and red colors, or unwelcome persons or bad things which are
disgusting, he decides this task is not beneficial for him and
gives it up. That is Istikhara as it is known in Islamic
tradition. Some Muslim scholars add some extra rituals to this,
like renouncing one’s sins, doing it at night, sleeping on the
right shoulder and putting one’s right cheek on the right hand
palm. For them these rituals are necessary for Istikhara.
Istikhara is, at the
same time, an attempt to predict the future. As a matter of fact,
those who do Istikhara learn if the unknown consequences of a
thing are beneficial for them by looking at the items in their
dreams. In this regard, it may be possible to compare Istikhara
with traditions in other societies.
Pious
Muslims and especially mystical circles now give great importance
to Istikhara, as they did in the past.
Two
elements – to worship and to wish – are present in a lot of Hadith
sources. But rituals like sleeping after praying and taking a
decision in accordance with what one sees in one’s dreams are
absent in reliable Hadith sources. They do exist, though, in an
important special work on dreams.
References
Muhammad b. Ismail al-Bukhari,
Sahîh al-Bukhâri, Cagri yay., Istanbul 1401/1981.
Muslim b. al-Hajjaj, Sahîhu
Muslim, Cagri yay., Istanbul 1401/1981.
Abu Isa al-Tirmizi, Sunen al-Tirmizi,
Cagri yay., Istanbul 1401/1981.
Ibn Maja, Sunenu Ibn Maja, Cagri
yay., Istanbul 1401/1981.
Ahmad b. Muhammad Ismail al-Tahtawi,
Hasiya ala Maraqi al-Falah Sarhu Nur al-Izah, al-Matbaah al-Kubra
al-Amiriyya, Bulak, 1318.
