Arabic (Original)
أَخْبَرَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ سُفْيَانَ حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ آدَمَ غُنْدَرٌ حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْحَمِيدِ الْمَعْنِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ الْمُغِيرَةِ عَنْ ثَابِتٍ الْبُنَانِيِّ عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ قَالَ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فِي مَسِيرٍ فَنَزَلَ فَمَشَى رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ إِلَى جَانِبِهِ فَالْتَفَتَ إِلَيْهِ فَقَالَ «أَلَا أُخْبِرُكَ بِأَفْضَلِ الْقُرْآنِ»؟ قَالَ فَتَلَا عَلَيْهِ «{الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ} »
English Translation
Ahmad bin Ali bin al-Muthanna narrated to us, Rawh bin Ubadah narrated to us, Zakariyya bin Ishaq narrated to us, Amr bin Dinar narrated to us from Jabir bin Abdullah who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to teach us the Istikhara prayer in all matters, just as he used to teach us a surah from the Qur'an. He would say: 'When one of you is concerned about a matter, let him pray two rak'ahs apart from 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 of Your great bounty. For You are able while I am not, and You know while I do not, and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah, if You know that this matter is good for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the end of my affair - or he said: in the immediate and distant future of my affair - then decree it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me. And if You know that this matter is bad for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the end of my affair - or he said: in the immediate and distant future of my affair - then turn it away from me and turn me away from it, and decree for me what is good wherever it may be, and make me content with it.' And he should mention his need.