Riyadh Al-Salehin | Episode (96) | Chapter on istikharah and consultation

0:00 *Riyad al-Salihin* (The Meadows of the Righteous) from the Words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

0:09 Chapter: Istikharah (Seeking Allah’s Counsel) and Consultation.

0:15 Allah Almighty said: "And consult them in the matter."

0:22 And Almighty Allah said: "And whose affair is [determined by] consultation among themselves."

0:27 That is: they consult with one another regarding it.

0:30 On the authority of Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

0:34 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

0:37 used to teach us Istikharah in all matters,

0:40 just as he would teach us a surah from the Qur'an.

0:43 He would say: "When one of you intends to undertake a matter,

0:47 let him offer two non-obligatory units of prayer,

0:50 and then say:

0:52 'O Allah, I seek Your counsel by Your knowledge,

0:55 and I seek strength through Your power,

0:58 and I ask You of Your tremendous bounty.

1:01 For You have power, while I have none;

1:04 and You know, while I do not know;

1:06 and You are the Knower of all the unseen.

1:09 O Allah, if You know that this matter

1:13 is good for me in my religion, my livelihood,

1:16 and the outcome of my affair'—

1:18 or he said: 'in my immediate affair and its end'—

1:22 'then decree it for me, make it easy for me,

1:24 and then bless it for me.

1:27 But if You know that this matter

1:30 is bad for me in my religion, my livelihood,

1:33 and the outcome of my affair'—

1:35 or he said: 'in my immediate affair and its end'—

1:39 'then turn it away from me and turn me away from it,

1:42 and decree for me the good wherever it may be,

1:45 and then make me pleased with it.'"

1:47 He said: "And he should name his specific need."

1:50 Recorded by al-Bukhari.

1:53 Istikharah is

1:56 seeking the better of two choices for the one who needs it.

2:00 Points of benefit from the hadith:

2:02 Istikharah is not performed for obligatory or recommended acts,

2:08 because the fundamental rule regarding them is to perform them.

2:10 Likewise, one does not perform Istikharah to refrain from forbidden or disliked acts.

2:14 Therefore, the statement of Jabir:

2:17 "The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

2:20 used to teach us Istikharah in all matters"

2:23 refers to a specific scope,

2:25 meaning all permissible matters.

2:28 Istikharah is recommended in every matter,

2:31 even if it seems trivial in the estimation of the person,

2:33 for a minor thing may become significant,

2:36 and major consequences may result from it.

2:39 It demonstrates the profound eagerness of the Prophet, peace be upon him,

2:43 to teach his Companions this prayer,

2:46 due to the great benefit and goodness it contains.

2:50 The command to perform the Istikharah prayer is not obligatory,

2:54 due to his statement, peace be upon him:

2:57 "Let him offer two non-obligatory units of prayer."

3:00 The supplication is to be made after the prayer,

3:04 due to his statement, peace be upon him:

3:07 "Then let him say."

3:09 A servant must refer all matters back to Allah

3:13 and absolve himself of any reliance on his own power and might,

3:16 for there is no power or might except with Allah.

3:20 Some of the common people mistakenly believe

3:23 that it is necessary after Istikharah

3:26 for the person to see a dream indicating what they should do,

3:30 but this is a false assumption.

3:33 What is apparent is that the supplication of Istikharah should follow two units of prayer

3:37 performed specifically for the purpose of Istikharah and nothing else;

3:40 thus, one should not recite the Istikharah supplication after an obligatory prayer or a regular Sunnah prayer.

3:47 The person seeking guidance should proceed with the matter for which he sought Allah's counsel;

3:51 so he embarks upon it,

3:53 and if he finds ease, facilitation, and success,

3:56 he continues,

3:58 otherwise he refrains and desists.

4:00 And Allah knows best.

4:05 Chapter: The Recommendation to Go to the Eid Prayer,

4:08 Visit the Sick,

4:10 Perform Hajj, Military Expeditions, Funerals, and the Like

4:14 by One Route and Return by Another,

4:18 to Multiply the Places of Worship.

4:22 On the authority of Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

4:25 On the day of Eid, the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

4:29 would take alternate routes.

4:31 Recorded by al-Bukhari.

4:33 His statement: "He would take alternate routes"

4:36 means he would go by one path and return by another.

4:40 Points of benefit from the hadith:

4:45 It is recommended to take an alternate route when returning on the day of Eid, both for the imam and the congregation.

4:51 The path will testify for the person on the Day of Resurrection.

4:55 And on the authority of Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both:

4:59 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

5:02 used to leave via the road of al-Shajarah

5:05 and enter via the road of al-Mu'arras;

5:08 and when he entered Mecca,

5:10 he entered from the upper pass (al-Thaniyyah al-'Ulya)

5:12 and left from the lower pass (al-Thaniyyah al-Sufla).

5:15 Agreed upon.

5:17 Points of benefit from the hadith:

5:21 The recommendation to take alternate routes when going and coming during Hajj,

5:26 in order to multiply the paths of goodness.

5:32 Chapter: The Recommendation of Prioritizing the Right Hand

5:35 in Everything Involving Honor and Dignity,

5:38 such as performing Wudu, Ghusl, and Tayammum,

5:40 putting on garments, sandals,

5:42 leather socks, and trousers,

5:44 entering the mosque,

5:46 using the tooth-stick (siwak), applying kohl,

5:48 trimming the nails,

5:50 clipping the mustache,

5:52 plucking the armpit hair, shaving the head,

5:54 giving the greeting of salam to end the prayer,

5:56 eating, drinking,

5:58 shaking hands,

6:00 touching the Black Stone,

6:02 exiting the lavatory,

6:04 giving and receiving,

6:06 and other similar dignified actions.

6:09 It is also recommended to prioritize the left side in the opposite cases,

6:13 such as blowing the nose, spitting to the left,

6:16 entering the lavatory,

6:18 exiting the mosque,

6:20 taking off leather socks, sandals, trousers, and garments,

6:24 leaving the mosque,

6:26 and handling impurities and the like.

6:31 Allah Almighty said:

6:33 "So as for him who is given his record in his right hand,

6:37 he will say, 'Here, read my record!'"

6:41 to the end of the verses.

6:43 And Almighty Allah said:

6:45 "Then the companions of the right—

6:47 what are the companions of the right?

6:49 And the companions of the left—

6:51 what are the companions of the left?"

6:56 On the authority of Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:

6:59 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

7:02 liked to prioritize the right side in all his affairs:

7:05 in his purification, combing his hair, and putting on his sandals.

7:09 Agreed upon.

7:11 *Al-Tayammun*

7:14 means beginning with the right side.

7:16 *Tana'uluh*

7:18 means putting on his sandals.

7:20 *Tarajjuluh*

7:21 means combing and oiling his hair.

7:24 Points of benefit from the hadith:

7:27 The recommendation to begin with the right-side limbs

7:31 during Wudu and Ghusl.

7:33 The recommendation to begin with the right side of the head

7:36 when combing, washing, and shaving.

7:39 The recommendation to begin with the right foot when putting on sandals.

7:44 And on the authority of Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:

7:49 The right hand of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

7:53 was used

7:54 for his purification and his food,

7:56 while his left hand was for his toilet and anything unclean.

8:01 Recorded by Abu Dawud.

8:03 Points of benefit from the hadith:

8:07 The left hand is not used except in removing impurities

8:12 and for everything that does not involve dignity.

8:15 And on the authority of Umm 'Atiyyah, may Allah be pleased with her:

8:19 The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

8:22 said to them regarding the washing of his daughter Zaynab, may Allah be pleased with her:

8:27 "Begin with her right side and the parts washed in Wudu."

8:32 Agreed upon.

8:34 Points of benefit from the hadith:

8:38 Women are to undertake the washing of a deceased female,

8:41 and it is not permissible for men to wash her,

8:44 with the exception of spouses,

8:47 for it is permissible for either spouse to wash the other.

8:52 The Sunnah in washing the deceased

8:55 is to begin with the right side and the areas washed in Wudu.

8:59 It highlights the honor of the limbs of Wudu over the rest of the body.

9:04 On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him:

9:08 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

9:12 "When one of you puts on sandals, let him start with the right foot;

9:17 and when he takes them off, let him start with the left foot.

9:21 Let the right foot be the first to be shod

9:24 and the last to be barefoot."

9:27 Agreed upon.

9:29 Points of benefit from the hadith:

9:32 The recommendation to put on sandals with the right foot

9:35 and take them off with the left.

9:37 This demonstrates that honor belongs to the right side,

9:41 so one begins with it and ends with it.

9:45 And on the authority of Hafsah, may Allah be pleased with her:

9:49 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

9:52 used his right hand for his food, drink, and dressing,

9:57 and used his left hand for other than that.

10:01 And on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him:

10:04 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

10:08 "When you dress and when you perform Wudu,

10:11 begin with your right side."

10:14 Recorded by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi.

10:17 And on the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him:

10:21 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

10:24 came to Mina;

10:26 he went to the Jamrah and stoned it,

10:29 then went to his lodging in Mina and slaughtered the sacrifice.

10:32 He then said to the barber:

10:34 "Shave," and gestured towards the right side of his head,

10:38 and then the left side,

10:40 and then he began distributing it among the people."

10:42 Agreed upon.

10:44 In another narration:

10:46 "When he stoned the Jamrah,

10:48 slaughtered his sacrificial animal, and exited the state of ihram,

10:50 he presented the right side of his head to the barber,

10:53 who shaved it.

10:55 Then he called Abu Talhah al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him)

10:59 and gave it to him.

11:01 Then he presented the left side,

11:03 saying, 'Shave,'

11:05 and he shaved it,

11:07 and he gave it to Abu Talhah,

11:09 saying,

11:11 'Distribute it among the people.'"

11:13 "His sacrificial animal" (nusukahu)

11:16 refers to the sacrificial offering (hady) that he had brought with him,

11:19 peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, on his Pilgrimage.

11:22 Among the benefits derived from this hadith:

11:26 the recommendation of instructing the barber

11:28 where to begin shaving

11:30 and where to finish;

11:32 that whatever separated from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

11:36 is permissible to seek blessings (barakah) from;

11:38 and this is exclusive to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

11:42 with no one else from the Ummah sharing in it;

11:46 the permissibility of singling out certain individuals for good

11:50 over others,

11:52 which is why the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, called

11:55 Abu Talhah al-Ansari,

11:58 gave him his hair,

12:00 and commanded him to distribute it among the people.

12:04 Riyad al-Salihin.

Riyadh Al-Salehin | Episode (96) | Chapter on istikharah and consultation

Transcript