Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ عِيسَى وَأَبُو سَعِيدٍ يَعْنِي مَوْلَى بَنِي هَاشِمٍ الْمَعْنَى وَهَذَا لَفْظُ إِسْحَاقَ قَالَا حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ أَبِي الْمَوَالِ الْمَدَنِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُنْكَدِرِ عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُعَلِّمُنَا الِاسْتِخَارَةَ كَمَا يُعَلِّمُنَا السُّورَةَ مِنْ الْقُرْآنِ يَقُولُ إِذَا هَمَّ أَحَدُكُمْ بِالْأَمْرِ فَلْيَرْكَعْ رَكْعَتَيْنِ مِنْ غَيْرِ الْفَرِيضَةِ ثُمَّ لِيَقُلْ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ وَأَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْعَظِيمِ فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلَا أَقْدِرُ وَتَعْلَمُ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوبِ اللَّهُمَّ فَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ يُسَمِّيهِ بِاسْمِهِ خَيْرًا لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي قَالَ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ وَمَعِيشَتِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ اللَّهُمَّ وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُهُ شَرًّا لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ وَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاقْدُرْ لِي الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ رَضِّنِي بِهِ وَقَالَ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْ لِي وَبَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ اللَّهُمَّ وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُهُ شَرًّا لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ وَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاقْدُرْ لِي الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ رَضِّنِي بِهِ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْد الرَّحْمَنِ حَدَّثَنَاه مَنْصُورُ بْنُ أَبِي مُزَاحِمٍ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ أَبِي الْمَوَالِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْمُنْكَدِرِ عَنْ جَابِرٍ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ نَحْوَهُ.
English Translation
Ishaq ibn 'Isa and Abu Sa'id - the freedman of the Banu Hashim - told us, with the same meaning, and this wording is Ishaq's, they said: 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi al-Mawal al-Madani told us, Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir told us, from Jabir ibn 'Abdullah, who said: the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, used to teach us to seek guidance (istikharah) in a matter just as he taught us a surah of the Qur'an. He would say: "When one of you resolves upon a matter, let him pray two rak'ahs other than the obligatory prayer, then say: 'O Allah, I seek Your guidance by Your knowledge, and I seek ability by Your power, and I ask You from Your immense favor, for You have power and I have not, and You know and I know not, and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah, if You know that this matter' - naming it - 'is good for me in my religion, my livelihood,' - Abu Sa'id said 'and my sustenance' - 'and the outcome of my affair, then ordain it for me, and make it easy for me, then bless it for me. And O Allah, if You know that it is bad for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the outcome of my affair, then turn it away from me and turn me away from it, and ordain for me the good wherever it may be, then make me content with it.'" Abu Sa'id said: "and my sustenance and the outcome of my affair, then ordain it for me, and make it easy for me, and bless it for me. O Allah, and if You know it to be bad for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the outcome of my affair, then turn it away from me and turn me away from it, and ordain for me the good wherever it may be, then make me content with it." Abu 'Abd al-Rahman said: Mansur ibn Abi Muzahim also related it to us: 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi al-Mawal told us, from Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir, from Jabir, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, similarly.