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Does the phrase "If You know," which appears in the Istikhara supplication, cast doubt on Allah Almighty's knowledge?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Using the conditional phrase "If You know" (إن كنت) in the Istikhara supplication is not an expression of doubt in Allah's knowledge. Rather, it is a request for good and guidance, as the supplicant says: "O Allah, I seek Your guidance by Your knowledge... for You are able and I am not, and You know and I do not, and You are the Knower of the unseen." The intended meaning is that Allah knows whether the matter is good or evil. The "doubt" here pertains to whether good or evil lies in the requested matter, not in the essence of Allah's knowledge. This linguistic style is well-known in the Arabic language and in Hadith, and it expresses delegation and contentment with Allah's knowledge.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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