Q. I have joined a course but as it progressed I felt uneasy about it and wanted to quit. However, I performed the istikharah in order to be sure. That night my sleep was very restless and even troubled by nightmares. I thought that was the indication and I continued with the course, but again felt troubled with it. I performed the istikharah a week later, and again I had restless sleep. Could you please explain the reason for this and what it means.
S. Ayub
A. People tend to think that the istikharah should be performed before going to bed and that the answer is shown to them in their sleep. There is no indication in Hadith that this is so. The istikharah has nothing to do with sleep. It can be performed at any time, and the answer does not come to you in your sleep, through a dream.
The istikharah is a prayer, seeking God’s help in deciding one’s course of action concerning any matter one is facing. It is done by praying two rak’ahs of voluntary prayer and following that with a supplication in which one says the following:
My Lord, I seek Your guidance according to Your knowledge and seek the help of Your power, for You are powerful and I am not, and You know while I do not. You are certainly the One who knows what lies beyond the reach of human perception. My Lord, if You know that this matter (here we mention the matter in question) is good for me in my faith and life, in the short and long terms, then facilitate it for me and make it easy for me to have it and bless it for me. But if You know that this matter (here we name the matter again) is bad for me in my faith and life, in the short and long terms, then turn it away from me and turn me away from it. Facilitate for me what is good, whatever it may be, and make me content with it.
When we have done this, we should be certain that God will choose what is best for us. We leave matters to resolve themselves easily and smoothly. Whatever comes handy and easy we should take. It is not necessary that we see a clear indication, either during sleep or when we are awake. We may have a good piece of advice from someone we consult, or we may find things moving in a particular direction.
In the case the reader is asking about, it may happen that he goes to the organizers of the course and request to quit, and they accept that easily, refunding the fees he paid and settling the matter directly. He should know that this is what God has chosen for him. On the other hand, if the organizers show him that it is very difficult for him to quit and that it would require some hard choices, he may consider that staying in the course is the better alternative God has chosen for him. There may be other ways in which his line of action may be indicated for him.
May I tell my reader that I do not know the reason for his sleepless nights after performing the istikharah. May be he was too anxious to find out the result. It might have been impressed on him that he would find out during his sleep and he was full of expectations, like a student who expects to receive the results of his final exams the following morning.
