Mishkatul Masabih — Hadith #40149

On the authority of Jabir bin Abdullah, he said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, used to teach us istikharah in matters just as he taught us a surah from the Qur’an. He would say: “When they are If one of you is in charge of the command, let him perform two rak’ahs other than the obligatory prayer, then say: O God, I seek guidance from You by Your knowledge and I seek Your power. By Your power, and I ask You of Your great grace, for You have power and I do not have power, and You know and I do not know, and You are the Knower of the unseen. Oh God, if You You know that this matter is good for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the outcome of my affairs - or worse in my immediate and future affairs - so ordain it for me and make it easy for me. For me Then bless me in it, even if you know that this matter is bad for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the outcome of my matter - or he said, in my immediate matter. And honor him - so turn him away from me, and turn me away from him, and ordain for me what is good wherever it may be, and then make me content with it.” He said: “And he names his need.” Narrated by Al-Bukhari