Q.1. If one performs the istikharah and repeats it the following day but sees nothing in his dream to indicate a choice, then a couple of days later something happens either in a dream or in reality clearly indicating a choice, should this be treated as a response to the istikharah?

Q. 2. If a person has to fast 60 days or feed 60 poor people, does the feeding mean one meal? Could it be a feeding of one poor person for 60 days, one meal or more a day? Could it be a different number of people, as long as the number of meals is correct? What if the person is too young to earn, but has some savings, can he ask his father to pay for the feeding?

(Name and address withheld)

A.1. It is not necessary that one sees anything in a dream to indicate a choice after performing the istikharah prayer. Nor is it recommended to repeat the istikharah.

When you perform this prayer, appealing to God for guidance, you should be certain that God will choose the best option for you. You entrust your problem to Him and He will help you.

The help comes in making a certain choice easier for you. You should not push things into a certain direction; rather, you should let them happen, and whatever comes easy is God’s choice for you, which you should happily accept. I will give you an example of a case I know. A relative of mine wanted to buy a house in his home country. After agreeing the price with the vendor, he did the istikharah.

The following day, he gave instructions to his bank to transfer the money, but the transfer did not go through because of a mistake he did. He repeated the instructions, but this time a mistake by someone else meant that the bank could not transfer the funds. That was enough indication for him to realize that God chose for him not to buy that house, causing an impediment to the sale going smoothly. The man withdrew from the deal.

A.2. Fasting for 60 days is required as punishment or compensation for certain types of misdemeanor, such as invalidating obligatory fasting in Ramadan by a deliberate sexual intercourse with one’s wife, or a man pronouncing his wife unlawful to him as though she was his mother, and manslaughter.

In each of these situations, fasting for two consecutive months is preferred. Feeding 60 poor people is only an alternative where the person concerned is physically unable to fast. A young person who is not yet able to earn a living can hardly be imagined to commit either of the first two offences.

If he is underage and commits manslaughter, a judge may decide what punishment to give him. Fasting may be easy enough for a young person.