Anas said, "I was with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace, when a man made supplication, saying, 'O Originator of the heavens!
O Living, Self-Subsistent! I ask of You.' He said, 'Do you know by what
he has made supplication? By the One in whose hand my soul is, he has asked
Allah by the Name that He answers when He is asked by it."
Jabir ibn 'Abdullah said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, made supplication in this mosque, the Mosque of
Victory, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and it was answered for him
between the two prayers on Wednesday," Jabir said, "Whenever anything severe
and serious happened to me and I singled out that time and made supplication
to Allah concerning it between the two prayers on Wednesday, I found the
answer.'"
'Abdullah ibn 'Amr was heard to say, "Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased
with him, said to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
'Teach me a supplication which I can use in my prayer.' He said, 'Say,
"O Allah, I have wronged myself greatly. Only You forgive wrong actions.
Forgive me with forgiveness directly from you. You are the Ever-Forgiving,
Most Merciful."'"
Jabir said, "The Prophet. may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
used to teach us the istikhara in matters just as if it was a sura
of the Qur'an. He said, 'When someone is concerned about something, he
should pray two rak'ats and then say, 'O Allah, I ask You for the good
by Your knowledge and I ask You for strength by Your power and I ask You
for some of Your immense abundant favour, You have the power and I do not.
You know and I do not know. You are the Knower of the Unseen Worlds. O
Allah, if You know that this affair is good for me in my deen, my livelihood
and the end of my affair (or he said 'in the beginning of my affair') and
its conclusion, then avert it from me and avert me from it. Decree for
me the good wherever it is and then make me content." Then he should state
what he needs.'"
