I’tikāf (Seclusion) in the Mosque in Ramādan: Its

Virtues, Conditions and Rules ―Shaikh Ibn ‘Uthaimīn

abukhadeejah.com/itikaf-seclusion-mosque-virtues-ramadan-ibn-uthaimeen

Abu Khadeejah Abdul-Wahid 3 June 2018

What is Al-I’tikāf?[1] (‫)اﻹﻋﺘﻜﺎف‬

It is when a person secludes himself in the Masjid in obedience to Allah (the Most
High) away from the company of people. And he busies himself with obedience to Allah,
devoting himself to Him (the Most High). It can be performed in any Masjid, even if it is a
Masjid that does not establish Jumu’ah prayers. However, a Masjid that establishes
Jumu’ah is better so that he is not compelled to leave the Masjid on Friday.

The I’tikāf which is legislated and encouraged is performed in the last ten days of
Ramadān. Allah’s Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) performed I’tikāf in the last ten
hoping for the reward of Laylatul-Qadr (the night of Decree and Power).

Allah mentions I’tikāf in the Qur’ān in His saying:

‫ﺎﺟ ِﺪ‬ َ ‫وﻫ ﱠﻦ َوأَﻧﺘُ ْﻢ َﻋﺎ ِﻛ ُﻔ‬

ِ ‫ﻮن ِﻓﻲ ْاﻟ َﻤ َﺴ‬ ِ َ‫َو َﻻ ﺗُﺒ‬
ُ ‫ﺎﺷ ُﺮ‬

“And do not be sexually intimate with your wives while you are making i’tikāf
in the Mosques.”[2]It is established in Bukhāri and Muslim and elsewhere that the
Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) performed i’tikāf in the Masjid as did his
Companions along with him.[3] So i’tikāf remains as a religious practice and was not
abrogated. Bukhāri and Muslim reported from A’ishah (radiyallāhu ‘anhā) said, “The
Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) used to perform i’tikāf in the last ten days of
Ramadān until he died. Then his wives performed i’tikāf after his passing
away.”[4]Sahīh Muslim reported from Abu Sa’īd Al-Khudri (radiyallāhu ‘anhu) that the
Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) performed i’tikāf in the first ten days of Ramadān,
then he performed it in middle ten days, then the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam)
said, “I observed i’tikāf in the first ten in order to seek that night (Laylatul-
Qadr). I then observed i’tikāf in the middle ten days. Then an angel was sent
to me and I was told that it is among the last ten nights. Whoever among you
loves to observe i’tikāf should do so.” Abu Sa’eed said: “And the people

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observed it along with him.”[5] Imām Ahmad bin Hanbal (rahimahullāh), “There is
not a scholar who disagrees that i’tikāf is from the Sunnah.” It is proven from
the Sunnah by textual proof and by ijmā’ (consensus).

The place to perform i’tikāf is the Mosques wherein the five congregational daily prayers
are established – it can be in any country or town due to the general statement of Allah
(the Most High), “While you are secluded (in i’tikāf) in the Mosques.” And it is
better that i’tikāf is performed in a Mosque where the people prayer Jumu’ah, so he does
not have to leave to pray it in another mosque. But if his i’tikāf is in such a mosque, then
there is no harm if he leaves early to the Jumu’ah (Friday) prayer.

It is imperative that the mu’takif (one performing i’tikāf) busies himself with obedience to
Allah (the Most High) with prayer, reciting the Qur’ān and Dhikr (remembrance of Allah).
And there is no harm if he converses with his companions a little, especially if there is a
benefit in that.

Sexual relations and whatever leads to that is forbidden for the one in i’tikāf.

As for leaving the Masjid, then the scholars have divided it into three categories:

First: Permissible. That is to leave the Masjid for a religiously valid reason or for a
natural reason such as for the Jumu’ah prayer or to eat and drink if the food has not been
brought to him, to leave to perform wudū or ghusl and to visit the bathroom to relieve
himself.

Second: Leaving the masjid for an act of obedience to Allah that is not obligatory upon
him as an individual, such as visiting the sick, attending a janāzah. But if he makes it a
condition at the beginning of his i’tikāf (that he will attend to such things), then it is
allowed for him, otherwise, it is not.

Third: Leaving the masjid for an affair that will negate his i’tikāf such as leaving to attend
to trading, buying and selling, or to have sexual relations with his wife and so on. This is
not permitted, even if introduces it as a condition at the beginning of the i’tikāf.

So the one in i’tikāf leaves the affairs of the world and devotes himself to the obedience of
Allah. A person should not leave the masjid except for a necessity (wudū, toilets, ghusl,
etc). He should not leave for a worldly purpose such as shopping — or even visit to visit
the sick or to attend a funeral. Some people who are in i’tikāf receive visitors during the
days and nights wasting their time with affairs that bring no benefit. This negates the
purpose of i’tikāf and its goal. However, if a family member visits him and converses with
him for a time, there is no harm in that. It is reported that the wife of the Prophet
(salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam), Safiyyah (radiyallāhu ‘anhu) visited him and he talked with
her.[6] The point is that a person enters into i’tikāf to seek nearness to Allah (the Majestic
and Most High), and he seizes the opportunity of this seclusion to perform acts of
obedience.

Parental Permission

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I’tikāf is a Sunnah (i.e. recommended), not an obligation whereas obedience to parents is
an obligation. By acting upon a Sunnah, an obligation cannot be abandoned―an
obligation is not to be opposed by a Sunnah because an obligation (i.e. wājib or fard) has
precedence over a recommended Sunnah. Allah (the Most High) stated in a hadeeth
Qudsi: “My servant does not draw closer to Me with anything more beloved to
Me than what I have obligated upon him.”[7]So, if your father prohibits you from
i’tikāf and he gives his reasons that require you not to make i’tikāf because he needs
you―then in that situation the balance tilts in his favour and not yours. That is because it
is possible the scales with which you judge you are not balanced and not just due to your
strong desire to perform i’tikāf and you may think his reasons not to be justified, whilst
your father considers them to be justified. In this situation, I (Ibn ‘Uthaimīn) advise you
not to make i’tikāf. However, if he does not mention any justifiable reasons to prohibit
you, then you are not bound to obey him in that situation. That is because he cannot
obligate you to obey him in an affair in which holds no benefit for him yet there is only
loss for you.

I’tikāf in other than Ramadān

It is legislated to make i’tikāf only in Ramadān because the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi
wasallam) did not make it in other than Ramadān except once in Shawwāl and that was
because he did not make i’tikāf in Ramadān that year.[8] However, if a person was to
perform i’tikāf outside of Ramadān, then it is allowed because Umar (radiyallāhu ‘anhu)
said to the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam), “I took a vow to make i’tikāf for one
night or a day in the Masjid Al-Harām (in Makkah).” So, Allah’s Messenger
(salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) replied, “Fulfil your vow.”[9] However, a person is not
commanded nor is it requested of him to perform i’tikāf outside of Ramadān.
Furthermore, i’tikāf is correct whether one is fasting or not.

I’tikāf in other than the Three Mosques

It is permitted to make i’tikāf in other than the three well-known mosques, and they
are Masjid Al-Harām (Makkah), the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah and Masjid Al-Aqsa.
The proof for this is in the unrestricted words of Allah (the Most High):

‫ﺎﺟ ِﺪ‬ ْ َ ‫وﻫ ﱠﻦ َوأَﻧﺘُ ْﻢ َﻋﺎ ِﻛ ُﻔ‬

ِ ‫ﻮن ِﻓﻲ اﻟ َﻤ َﺴ‬ ِ َ‫َو َﻻ ﺗُﺒ‬
ُ ‫ﺎﺷ ُﺮ‬

“And do not be sexually intimate with your wives while you are making i’tikāf
in the Mosques.”[10] This verse addresses all the Muslims. If we were to say: This verse
refers to only the three mosques, then most of the Muslims are not being addressed by
this āyah because most of the Muslims live outside Makkah, Madinah and Jerusalem. So,
based on that, we say: I’tikāf is permitted in all mosques. If we accept the authenticity of
the hadeeth, “There no i’tikāf except in the three Mosques”[11] then it carries the
meaning that i’tikāf is better and more virtuous in these Mosques. And there is no doubt
that i’tikāf in these three Mosques is more virtuous than other than them just as prayer in
them is more virtuous. The prayer in Masjid Al-Harām is one hundred thousand times

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more rewardable than elsewhere, and the prayer in Masjid of the Prophet is one thousand
times more rewardable than elsewhere except for the Masjid Al-Harām. And the prayer in
Masjid Al-Aqsā is worth five hundred prayers.

So i’tikāf is permitted in other than the three. And this is the saying of the scholars of the
Muslims, the Imāms of the Madhhabs that are followed such as Imām Ahmad bin Ahmad,
Mālik bin Anas, Shāfi’ī, Abu Hanīfah and others (may Allah have mercy on them). And it
far-fetched to imagine that Allah would address the Ummah with an address that
encompasses only a very small number of them. So, the hadeeth narrated by Hudhayfah
(rahimahullāh) that “There no i’tikāf except in the three Mosques” refers to these
mosques being better and more virtuous. And this is found often wherein a negation is
intended to mean the negation of perfection, and not a negation in reality or a negation of
the correctness of the act. Such as the saying of the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi
wasallam), “There is no prayer when food is served”[12] and other similar hadīth.
There is no doubt that the origin of a textually proven negation of something is an actual
Sharī’ah legislated negation. However, if another text prevents a complete negation, then
it allows such a position (as mentioned here) such as with the hadīth of Hudhayfah
(radiyallāhu ‘anhu)―that is if we hold that this hadeeth is free from defects in its chain of
narration, and is authentic in the first place.

There is no I’tikāf in the Home by Ijmā’ of the Scholars

There is no i’tikāf in the home, i’tikāf is only in the Masjid by the consensus (ijmā’) of the
Muslim scholars as reported by Al-Khattābi in Ma’ālim As-Sunan, Qādi Abdul-Wahhāb in
Al-Ma’ūnah, Ibn Abdul-Barr in Al-Istidhkār, Ibn Hubayrah in Al-Ifsāh, Ibn Qudāmah in
Al-Mughni, Ibn Rushd in Bidāyatul-Mujtahid and others. Furthermore, Allah has
established clearly in the Qur’ān that i’tikāf is in the Masjids in His saying: “And do not
be sexually intimate with your wives while you are making i’tikāf in the
Mosques.” So Allah specified the Mosques. Furthermore, it is not reported from the
Messenger of Allah or his Companions (male and female) that they performed i’tikāf in
their homes. Here is some beneficial speech of Shaikh ‘Arafāt bin Hasan Al-Muhammadi
in refutation of Mustafa al-Adawi who claimed that men and women can make I’tikāf in
their homes.

‫ﺳﺆال ورد ﻓﻲ درس ﻛﺘﺎب اﻟﺘﻮﺣﯿﺪ ﻋﻦ ﻓﺘﻮى ﻣﺼﻄﻔﻰ اﻟﻌﺪوي ﻓﻲ ﺟﻮاز اﻻﻋﺘﻜﺎف ﻓﻲ اﻟﺒﯿﻮت‬.
‫ ﻋﺮﻓﺎت ﺑﻦ ﺣﺴﻦ اﻟﻤﺤﻤﺪي‬.‫ﺟﻮاب اﻟﺸﯿﺦ د‬

Shaikh ‘Arafāt bin Hasan Al-Muhammadi’s refutation of Mustafa al-Adawi

I’tikāf for Women

If a woman wishes to perform i’tikāf, there is no harm in that, and she makes i’tikāf in the
mosque so long as there are no religious violations or a danger of tribulation―in which
case she should not make i’tikāf. Note, there is no i’tikāf in the homes as some women
incorrectly think. I’tikāf for men and women is in the mosques. The wives of the Prophet
(salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) made i’tikāf in the Mosque.

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When does I’tikāf Begin and End?
The majority of the scholars state that i’tikāf begins from the night before the twenty-first
day of fasting, and not from Fajr on the twenty-first day. Some scholars hold that is starts
from Fajr on the twenty-first day of Ramadān due to the hadeeth of Ā’ishah (radiyallāhu
‘anhu) reported by Al-Bukhāri, “When he prayed the morning prayer he entered
into i’tikāf.” However, the scholars explain that the Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi
wasallam) separated himself from the people after the prayer but the intention for i’tikāf
is made from the beginning of the night. That is because of the last ten days begin when
the sun sets on the twentieth day.

One exits the state of i’tikāf when Ramadān finishes―and Ramadān finishes when the sun
sets the night before ‘Eid.

What should the Mu’takif do?

The actions of the one in i’tikāf fall into the following categories: that which is allowed,
that which is encouraged and recommended, and that which is forbidden.

As for what is recommended: then that is to busy oneself with acts of obedience and
worship because that is the essence of i’tikāf and the purpose behind secluding oneself in
the masjid.

As for what is forbidden: than that refers to those affairs that invalidate the i’tikāf such as
leaving the masjid without an excuse, to buy and sell, or to have relations with one’s
spouse, and so on.

As for what is allowed: this includes talking to others and asking how they are. Also, to
leave the masjid for a necessity such as to eat and drink if food is not brought to them in
the masjid, or to visit the bathroom, or to fulfil an obligatory Islamic duty such leaving to
make ghusl from sexual impurity (due to a wet dream).

Leaving the masjid for a religious matter that is not obligatory is allowed if he made it a
condition of his i’tikāf (which is an intention he makes in the heart before his i’tikāf). If he
did not make a condition, then he should not leave the masjid. This category would
include visiting a sick person, attending a janāzah and so on.

If a close relative or friend dies and the mu’takif fears that him staying in the masjid will
lead to the cutting of ties and to evil, then he leaves the masjid even if that invalidates his
i’tikāf because i’tikāf is recommended and one is not required to continue in it and
because it avoids greater harm.

Returning Home During I’tikāf

It is allowed for the one making i’tikāf to return to his home to eat food if no one brings
him food to the masjid — but if food can be brought to him or is brought to him, then he
cannot leave the masjid because the mu’takif cannot leave the masjid except for a
necessity. If his returning to his home is for ghusl from sexual impurity (janābah due to a

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wet dream), then it is obligatory that he must leave the masjid because the ghusl is
necessary. If leaving the masjid is to make ghusl from a bad odour of the body that
bothers him, then he is allowed to leave to take a bath or shower. From this, we see that
leaving the masjid to take ghusl (bath) is of three types: obligatory, permissible and
prohibited.

Should a Person who has Family Duties make I’tikāf?

I’tikāf is a Sunnah, not an obligation. So, if a person has duties that he has to fulfil for the
family, then it is obligatory that he fulfils them―and he would be sinful for making i’tikāf
which is a lesser duty than his obligations. Even if those duties are not obligatory, then it
may that his fulfilling those responsibilities are better for him than i’tikāf. The Prophet
(salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) said to Abdullah Ibn ‘Amr (radiyallāhu ‘anhumā), “O
Abdullah! I have been informed that you fast all day and stand in prayer all
night?” He said, “Yes, O Allah’s Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam)!” He
said, “Do not do that! Observe the fast sometimes and also leave it at other
times; stand for the prayer at night and also sleep at night. Your body has a
right over you, your eyes have a right over you and your wife has a right over
you.”[13]

A person who leaves his duties so as to make i’tikāf is a deficiency in his knowledge and in
his wisdom because fulfilling the needs of his family is more virtuous than his performing
i’tikāf. As for the person who is free from these responsibilities, then for him, i’tikāf is
legislated. So if a person has family responsibilities at the beginning of the last ten days,
but he becomes free of them before the end of Ramadān, and he wants to make i’tikāf,
then there is no problem in that because he enters into the saying of Allah, “Be dutiful
to Allah as much as you are able.”

Leaving I’tikāf Before the end of the Last Ten Days

I’tikāf is not an obligation, so if a person leaves it before the last the day of i’tikāf or even
before that, then there is no sin on him. However, the one who wishes to attain the
Sunnah and to follow it, then he should not leave i’tikāf until the sun has set the night
before ‘Eid signifying the end of the fasting month of Ramadān.

[1] See Fatāwa fi Ahkāmis-Siyām of Al-‘Allāmah Muhammad bin Sālih Al-‘Uthaimīn (pp.
487-517).

[2] Al-Baqarah: 187.

[3] Al-Bukhāri (no. 2036), Muslim (no. 1167).

[4] Al-Bukhāri, 2026. Muslim, 1176.

[5] Muslim (no. 1167).

[6] Al-Bukhāri (no. 2038), Muslim (no. 2175).

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[7] Al-Bukhāri (no. 6502).

[8] Al-Bukāri (no. 2041), Muslim (no. 1173).

[9] Al-Bukhāri (no. 2032), Muslim (no. 1656).

[10] Al-Baqarah: 187.

[11] Abdur-Razzāq in his Musannaf (4/347), Ibn Abī Shaybah in his Musannaf (3/911).

[12] Muslim (no. 560).

[13] Al-Bukhāri (no. 5199).

Mohammed Amin Addo says:

26th May 2019 at 6:23 am
JazakAllaahu Khairan Ustadh, so much clarity!

Alhamdulilah for Salafiyyah.

Reply

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