Praise belongs to God, who has guided human beings through
reason and revelation. Human beings through their intellectual endowments
and experiences are capable of making right decisions when encountering
difficult situations in their everyday life. And, yet, there are moments when
the consequences of one’s decisions are difficult to gauge. Mere analysis of
pros and cons do not answer tough questions about what lies ahead in store.
Moreover, some decisions have implications for family members, friends, and
others near and far. It is at such crossroads that one needs to meditate and seek
God’s help through God’s revelation to choose that which is appropriate at a
given time.
This process of meditation on the Qur’an and prayer is known as
Istikhara, meaning “seeking a course of action that is beneficial and that avoids
harm and injury to oneself and to others.” Muslim tradition has preserved several
methods of seeking God’s guidance through prayer and meditation on the
verses of the Qur’an. In this Istikhara, When You Need It mobile app we have
endeavored to make the Qur’an the major source of such meditative efforts to
find the right course of action when confused and in doubt. Keep in mind that
faith in God’s guidance is a prerequisite to consult this divine resource. Any
casual contact with this source should be avoided.