Aslam

Praise be to Allah.The daleel (evidence) for Salaat al-Istikhaarah and the duaa

to be recited is the report narrated by al-Bukhaari (1109) and others from Jaabir

ibn Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with them both). For the commentary

on this hadeeth and more details, please see question #2217

and 410.

With regard to what some people say, then he should go

ahead with whatever he feels happy with, a hadeeth to this effect was

narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings

of Allaah be upon him) narrated by Ibn al-Sunni according to which

he said, If you are concerned about a matter, then make istikhaarah seven

times, praying to your Lord, then see what you feel most drawn towards, and

the good will be in that.

Al-Nawawi said: its isnaad is ghareeb, and it

includes narrators whom I do not know. (al-Adhkaar, p. 132).

Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said: if this were proven,

it could be taken as evidence, but its isnaad is very weak (waahin jiddan).

(al-Fath, 11/223)

Al-Haafiz al-Iraaqi said: it contains a narrator who

is known to be daeef jiddan (very weak), namely Ibraaheem ibn al-Baraa..

Therefore the hadeeth is daeef jiddan. (al-Futoohaat al-Rabbaaniyyah,

3/357)

The correct view is that when Allaah makes something easy for

you after having decreed it and accepted your duaa

this is a sign that it is good to go ahead and do it. The existence of obstacles

and difficulties is an indication that Allaah is pushing His slave away from

doing it. This meaning will be very clear when one ponders the meaning of the

hadeeth of Jaabir concerning al-istikhaarah, where the Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

O Allaah, if You know this affair [and

here he should mention it] is good for me in relation to my religion,

my life, and end, then decree and facilitate it for me, and bless me with it,

and if You know this affair to be ill for me towards my religion, my life, and

end, then remove it from me and remove me from it, and decree for me what is

good wherever it be and make me satisfied with such.

Ibn Allaan after transmitting the scholarly view

that the hadeeth of Anas is daeef (weak) said: Therefore it was

said: that after (doing istikhaarah) he should do what he wants (i.e., even

if he does not feel that sense of being happy), because whatever happens after

doing istikhaarah is good

Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said: Al-Haafiz Zayn al-Deen

al-Iraaqi said (concerning doing something after praying istikhaarah):

Whatever he does, there will be good in it. This is supported by what is said

at the end of the hadeeth of Ibn Masood according to some of its isnaads:

Then let him make his decision. I (Ibn Hajar) say: I have already

discussed above and explained that its narrators (i.e., the narrators who added

the phrase Then let him make his decision) are daeef (weak). But

this is still stronger than the narrator of that hadeeth (i.e., the hadeeth

which says, then see what you feel most drawn towards). (al-Futoohaat

al-Rabaaniyyah, 3/355-357)

Another of the myths that are widespread among people is that

after praying istikhaarah you should sleep, and whatever good you see in your

dream that makes you happy means that what you want to do is good and will be

made easy for you, otherwise it is not good. (This is what the questioner meant

by saying gets the message). There is no saheeh daleel (evidence)

for this as far as we know.

The above does not mean that if you feel happy it is not a

sign, but this should not be regarded as the only sign about whether or not

the matter is good. People often make istikhaarah about something they like

or want to do, so they feel happy about it from the outset.

Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyah] (may Allaah have

mercy on him) said concerning the matter of feeling happy about something: if

he makes istakhaarah, then whatever Allaah makes him feel happy about and makes

easy for him, this is what Allaah has chosen for him. (Majmoo

al-Fataawaa, 10/539).

There is a difference between making feeling happy the only

sign and making it one of several signs. There is no set time period for salaat

al-istikhaarah; it is permissible to repeat it more than once, but there is

no limit to how many times. The person may offer the duaa before

or after saying the salaam. And Allaah knows best.