i know threads have prolly been opened on this topic before
but i really wanted to know if any of u guppies believe in and practise istakhara?
what is the method u follow? what do u think abt istakhara? do u think that one must do what the outcome of istakhara says? can a person ever be misled or confused even after istakhara? plz share anything u would like to say abt istakhara
a request: plz no cut and pastes…only ur personal experiences…thanks…
jazakallah wa shukran kaseeran 
Assalaam Alaykum,
I believe in Salaat ul Istakhara...i also have done it several times...The method i follow is 2 pray 2 rak'aat with the istakhara dua where u ask Allah 2 help with ur desicion....
I think after u have praid the salaat u get the anwers from Allah...but sometimes it doesnt please us an d dont want accept it so u could get confused...
I praid for 2 occasians istakhara...for the first one the awnser was what my heart wanted 2 hear but the other one wasnt...so the last one was bit confusing cuaz i was forcing myself to see what i wanted to see and what was shown...
As far as i know al lot of ppl say u get ur awnser in dream...but i think it could be anything and anywhere
Wa alaykum salaam
Fakhrunnisa
Yes, I use it occassionaly, and I recommend it to anyone who asks my opinion on it. smile
Re: Istakhara
well i am doing IStikhara nowadays…so that confirms that i believe in istikhara…and practice it often…
I do istikhara by praying 2 rikaats istikhara namaz…then recite the dua (alllahumma ini istikhairuka…)
as far as whether oe must follow istikhara or not …well it is not obligatory to folow as dreams dont have hujjat status…but it is recommended…inshallah if u do istikhara proper way as given in sunnah then u will never be misled…dreams dont necessarily come in istikhara rather ur heart fell toward the suitable path…
jazakallah for ur replies guys 
i have some more questions…
do u pray the salat-ul-istakhara at any time of the day?
how long do u wait for ‘signs’ after praying the namaz? a day, two, three days?
have u ever gone against the result of ur istakhara? and if u do then what happens?
thanks so much jazakallah
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i have some more questions...
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do u pray the salat-ul-istakhara at any time of the day?
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yes...at least i do........but prefer it after ishaa
upto seven days ........
no never .......
It’s best to do it just before going to bed.
Usually doesnt take long to get a “sign”, but everyone differs in this I think.
I have tried to ignore a “result”, but in the end it turned out the way it was “shown” to me.
Istekhara means “seeking of Khayr (goodness)”. According to hadith from A’imma (A), we should do “Istikhara” before leaving our homes. This hadith means that one should seek/anticipate goodness from Allah when leaving the house.
However, when one is faced with extreme indecision and cannot decide on a course of action on his own or after seeking advice, one can do “Istekhara” by several means. With a Niyyat of trying to find good for himself in all situations, one can:
2.One can consult the Holy Qur’an. After reciting Sura alHamd, and Salawat 5 times, open the Holy Qur’an and look at the first verse on the right side (or any verse that you see first) and seek clarification from the meaning of the verse.
Istekhara is to be done by the individual himself. One can consult an
'Aalim if one does not know how.
It is not Wajib to act on the result of the Istekhara unless one has made a Niyyat of Wajib.
Wassalaam
For more:
http://www.al-islam.org/organizations/AalimNetwork/
may be using quran for istikhara is not authentic…
sorry for posting the same post 2 times.....
Aslam-o-Alakum Brother bao bihari,
Thanks for your comments, i will check it.
if you find it from somewhere please inform me.
thanks again,
thanks a ton u guys