How authentic is the Hadith that speaks of repeating Istikhaarah seven times?
Quran
Hadith
Islamic Text
Classification: Da’if Jidan (Very Weak)
أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الْعَبَّاسِ بْنُ قُتَيْبَةَ الْعَسْقَلَانِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْحِمْيَرِيِّ، ثنا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ الْعَلَاءِ بْنِ النَّضْرِ بْنِ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، ثنا أَبِي عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَدِّهِ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «يَا أَنَسُ، إِذَا هَمَمْتَ بِأَمْرٍ فَاسْتَخِرْ رَبَّكَ فِيهِ سَبْعَ مَرَّاتٍ، ثُمَّ انْظُرْ إِلَى الَّذِي يَسْبِقُ إِلَى قَلْبِكَ، فَإِنَّ الْخَيْرَ فِيهِ» (عمل اليوم والليلة)
It is narrated from Anas ibn Malik that the Prophet said, ‘O Anas if you incline towards something then seek Istikhaarah from your lord seven times, then look at what your heart inclines towards, because the good is in that. (Ibn al-Sunni, Amal al-Yowm wa al-Laylah, 598).
Imam al-Nawawi mentioned this Hadith in al-Adhkaar and said it is Ghareeb, and it has narrators he does not know.
إسنادهُ غريبٌ، فيه مَنْ لا أعرفهم
The chain (of narrators) is strange, and it has people in the chain that I do not recognise. (al-Adhkaar).
Imam al-Ayni went further and clarified that some of the narrators are very weak.
قَالَ شَيخنَا زين الدّين: كلهم معروفون، وَلَكِن بَعضهم مَعْرُوف بالضعف الشَّديد وَهُوَ إِبْرَاهِيم بن الْبَراء، والبراء هُوَ ابْن النَّضر ابْن أنس بن مَالك
Our Shaykh Zayn al-Deen said, all of them (the narrators) are known. However, one of them is known to be very weak, he is Ibrahim ibn al-Baraa, and al-Baraa is the son of al-Nadir ibn Anas ibn Malik. (Umdatu al-Qari).
And Allah (Most High) knows best.
– Answered by Shaykh Noorud-deen (05.02.2021)
See also:
