Istikhārah is not about waiting for a “sign.” It's about asking Allāh to facilitate what is good and divert what is harmful.

The duʿā’ itself says: “If You know it to be good for me…then decree it for me and make it easy for me. And if You know it to be bad for me…then turn it away from me and turn me away from it.” So the outcome is seen in the way the matter unfolds, not necessarily in dreams or emotional changes. ✅ Not every hardship means “leave it.” ❌ Not every ease means “this is from Allāh.” For example, a person may perform istikharah, get married, and everything seems to go well, but a year later the marriage doesn't work out and they end up divorcing. This doesn’t mean the initial istikharah had no effect; rather, it shows that life naturally includes tests and challenges. So the criterion is not “difficulty,” but: Does the affair continue naturally, or does it remain persistently blocked? ----- How to differentiate between Shayṭān and a sign from Allah? Shayṭān’s influence usually appears as: * Excessive anxiety * Whispers of fear without evidence * Sudden dislike without reason * Obsessive overthinking Whereas a turning away from Allah looks like: * Practical, external barriers * Repeated inability to proceed without manipulation * Doors that remain closed even with halal effort * Lack of natural facilitation ----- Regarding pre-existing problems that continue after Istikhārah If a problem existed before Istikhārah and continues unchanged after it, you look at: • Is this obstacle constant and unresolved? • Does it make the halal path realistically unachievable? • Would proceeding require pressure, manipulation, or breaking Islamic principles? If yes — then this is often a sign that Allah is turning the affair away, not Shayṭān blocking khayr. Your example: > If there are guardianship difficulties before the proposal > And after Istikhārah, the same barriers remain > Making the marriage practically hard to achieve This would not be considered Shayṭān disrupting.