Why Istikhāra through randomness is Haram (Seeking the best from Allah)

Many may or may not know, that several Shia sects have an additional definition for ‘Istikhāra’ or ‘khiari”. Whereas muslims are encouraged to ask Allah (swt) for khair (the best), when making very difficult life decision, for some this takes on many meanings. Us muslims are encouraged to pray and make dua for Allah to help guide us in our life decisions, whether we ultimately make the correct decision or not. Many muslims, mainly Shia’s that I am aware of, will often flip to a random page in the Quran, and take a random line they find, and determine based upon the character of that verse, whether they are meant to do or not do a particular action – thereby randomizing their difficult life decisions. Most people actually employ the help of ‘religious’ individuals (in other words – soothsayers) that will do this process for you, and advise you of the verse they randomly found, and why they think it means the decision is very bad or very good for you.

The reality is that this is simply fortune-telling or cold-calling. This form of soothsaying is as old as humanity itself, and is banned by the Quran. Anytime someone utilizes a tool of randomness, and then makes future ‘readings’ based upon these tools, that is called fortune telling, soothsaying, or cold calling. This tool of randomization could be the lines on a tea leaf, tarot cards, coffee stains in a cup, the stars, straws, stones, or even the verses of the Quran. Simply using the Quran in a haram act, does not make that act halal.

O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone alters [to other than Allāh], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid¹ it that you may be successful.

5:90 – يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّمَا الْخَمْرُ وَالْمَيْسِرُ وَالْأَنصَابُ وَالْأَزْلَامُ رِجْسٌ مِّنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

Here the Holy Quran plainly bans ‘divining arrows’, in other words fortune telling by the way of drawing arrows. Surely what is haram is not the arrows, but rather using any randomization to guide your fate. We are meant to use our minds and hearts and make decisions. If that is not enough, Allah swt makes it clear in many instances in the Quran, no one knows what is hidden (gayb), other than Allah:

Say: None in the heavens or on earth, except Allah, knows what is hidden: nor can they perceive when they shall be raised up (for Judgment).

27:65 – قُل لَّا يَعْلَمُ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ الْغَيْبَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ أَيَّانَ يُبْعَثُونَ

There are several verses in the Quran that make it clear that no one knows what is hidden other than Allah. Of course there are hadiths that ban fortune telling, however why go to the hadith when the Quran plainly bans it.