Have I Sinned for Missing a Day of My Daily Schedule of Makeup Prayers?

Can I Trust the Prayer of Consultation of Someone Else?


Answered by Shaykh Abdurragmaan Khan

Question: Assalam alaykum,

I have asked to an Imam to perform the prayer of consultation on why we cannot have a baby. After praying it this Imam told to my husband that if he would marry someone else he would have a baby. As for having a baby with me it won’t happen.

Can we trust this Imam?

Answer: Wa alaykum al-Salam

Thank you for your question.

There are a few points of consideration regarding your question:

1. A vision that one may see at the time of praying istikharah should not be taken as fact. Neither is a vision a requirement when performing istikharah.

2. Istikharah is not a means via which one reads the future. The Dua of istikharah explains clearly that istikharah is for the one that faces two options. He then, after studying both options and inclining towards one over the other, prays istikharah, asking Allah that if he is inclined towards the correct option that Allah makes it possible and easy for him. However, if it’s the incorrect option that Allah turns it away from him and him away from it.

3. While some of the Maliki scholars allowed a second person to pray istikharah (in your case a third person) on behalf of himself, the origin and preferred method is for each person to pray istikharah for themselves.

Consequently, my advice is to ignore the vision of this third person and pray to Allah that He grants you a child. Many sisters tend to only conceive a few years after marriage and three years is not a long time. Also, you may explore what medical options are available to assist you in falling pregnant. It is also advisable that both you and your husband visits a doctor to determine exactly what is the problem, if there is one.

Lastly, and in no way leastly, you may recite the following often, placing your trust in Allah:

رَبِّ هَبْ لِي مِن لَّدُنكَ ذُرِّيَّةً طَيِّبَةً إِنَّكَ سَمِيعُ الدُّعَاء

Rabbi hab li milladunka dhurriyatan tayyibah innaka sami`u-du`a

“O my Lord, grant me a progeny that is pure, for You hear (our) prayers!” (3:38)

رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَاجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّاتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنٍ وَاجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا

Rabbana hab lana min azwajina wa dhurriyyatina qurrata `ayun wa’ja’lna lilmuttaqin imama

“Our Lord, grant us wives and offspring who will be the comfort of our eyes, and give us (the grace) to lead the righteous.” (25:74)

May Allah bless you in your marriage, protect you from all harm and grant you pious offspring, Amin.

Wassalam
[Shaykh] Abdurragmaan Khan

Shaykh Abdurragmaan
received ijazah ’ammah from various luminaries, including but not restricted to: Habib Umar ibn Hafiz—a personality who affected him greatly and who has changed his relationship with Allah, Maulana Yusuf Karaan—the former Mufti of Cape Town; Habib ‘Ali al-Mashhur—the current Mufti of Tarim; Habib ‘Umar al-Jaylani—the Shafi‘i Mufti of Makkah; Sayyid Ahmad bin Abi Bakr al-Hibshi; Habib Kadhim as-Saqqaf; Shaykh Mahmud Sa’id Mamduh; Maulana Abdul Hafiz al-Makki; Shaykh Ala ad-Din al-Afghani; Maulana Fazlur Rahman al-Azami and Shaykh Yahya al-Gawthani amongst others.