Ruling on I’tikaaf:
I’tikaaf is prescribed according to the Qur’aan and Sunnah and scholarly consensus.
In the Qur’aan, Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“and We commanded Ibraaheem (Abraham) and Ismaa’eel (Ishmael) that they should purify My House (the Ka‘bah at Makkah) for those who are circumambulating it, or staying (I’tikaaf), or bowing or prostrating themselves (there, in prayer)” [al-Baqarah 2:125]
“And do not have sexual relations with them (your wives) while you are in I‘tikaaf (i.e. confining oneself in a mosque for prayers and invocations leaving the worldly activities) in the mosques” [al-Baqarah 2:187]
With regard to the Sunnah, there are many ahaadeeth, such as the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) who said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to observe i'tikaaf during the last ten days of Ramadaan until Allaah took his soul, then his wives observed i’tikaaf after he was gone. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2026; Muslim, 1172.
With regard to scholarly consensus, more than one of the scholars narrated that there was scholarly consensus that i’tikaaf is prescribed in sharee’ah, such as al-Nawawi, Ibn Qudaamah, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, and others.
See al-Majmoo’, 6/404; al-Mughni, 4/456; Sharh al-‘Umdah, 2/711.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz said in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 15/437:
Undoubtedly i’tikaaf in the mosque is an act of worship, and (observing it) in Ramadaan is better than at other times. It is prescribed in Ramadaan and at other times.
Is I’tikaaf Fard (obligatory) or Sunnah (recommended)?
The basic principle is that i’tikaaf is Sunnah, not obligatory, unless one made a vow to do it, in which case it becomes obligatory, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever vows to obey Allaah, let him obey Him, and whoever vows to disobey Him, let him not disobey Him.” [Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6696]
And ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “O Messenger of Allaah, during the Jaahiliyyah I vowed to observe i’tikaaf for one night in al-Masjid al-Haraam.” He said: “Fulfil your vow.” [(6697)]
Ibn al-Mundhir said in his book al-Ijmaa’ (p. 53):
They were unanimously agreed that i’tikaaf is Sunnah and is not obligatory unless a man obliges himself to do that by making a vow, in which case it becomes obligatory for him.
[See Fiqh al-I’tikaaf by Dr Khaalid al-Mushayqih, p. 31]
Is I’tikaaf only in Ramadaan?
I’tikaaf is Sunnah at any time, in Ramadaan or otherwise, but it is better in Ramadaan, especially in the last ten days of Ramadaan.
This is indicated by the general meaning of the evidence (produced above) which speaks of i'tikaaf being mustahabb, which includes Ramadaan and other times.
Al-Nawawi said in al-Majmoo’ (6/501):
I’tikaaf is Sunnah according to consensus, and it is not obligatory unless one vowed to do it – also according to consensus. It is mustahabb to do it a great deal and it is mustahabb especially in the last ten days of Ramadaan.
He also said (6/514):
The best i’tikaaf is that which is accompanied by fasting, and the best of that is in Ramadaan, and the best of that is the last ten days.
Al-Albaani said in Qiyaam Ramadaan:
I'tikaaf is Sunnah in Ramadaan and at other times of the year. The basis for that is the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“…while you are in I‘tikaaf (i.e. confining oneself in a mosque for prayers and invocations leaving the worldly activities) in the mosques” [al-Baqarah 2:187]
And there are saheeh ahaadeeth which describe the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) observing i’tikaaf as well as numerous reports which describe the salaf as doing so too.
It was proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) observed i’tikaaf during ten days of Shawwaal as well. This is agreed upon.
‘Umar said to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “During the Jaahiliyyah I vowed to observe i’tikaaf for one night in al-Masjid al-Haraam.” He said: “Fulfil your vow.” So he [‘Umar] observed i’tikaaf for one night. Agreed upon.
It is more emphasized in Ramadaan, because of the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to observe i’tikaaf for ten days every Ramadaan, and in the year in which he passed away he observed i’tikaaf for twenty days. [Narrated by al-Bukhaari]
The best i’tikaaf is at the end of Ramadaan, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to observe i’tikaaf for the last ten days of Ramadaan until he passed away. Agreed upon.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz said in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (15/437):
Undoubtedly i’tikaaf in the mosque is an act of worship, and (observing it) in Ramadaan is better than at other times. It is prescribed in Ramadaan and at other times.
[See Fiqh al-I’tikaaf by Dr Khaalid al-Mushayqih, p. 41]
Conditions of I’tikaaf:
It is prescribed to observe i’tikaaf in a mosque in which prayers in congregation are held. If the mu’takif is one of those for whom Jumu’ah is obligatory and the period of his i’tikaaf will include a Friday, it is better for him to stay in a mosque where Jumu’ah prayer is observed.
It is not a condition for him or her to be fasting.
The Sunnah is for the mu’takif NOT to visit any sick person during his i'tikaaf, or to accept any invitation, attend to his family’s needs, attend any funeral or go to work outside the mosque, because it was proven that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “The Sunnah for the mu’takif is not to visit any sick person, or attend any funeral, or touch or be intimate with any woman, or go out for any reason except those which cannot be avoided.” [Narrated by Abu Dawood, 2473]
[Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas, Fataawa al-Lajnah, 10/410]
Where should men and women perform their I’tikaaf?
The scholars are agreed that a man’s i’tikaaf is only valid if observed in the mosque, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And do not have sexual relations with them (your wives) while you are in I‘tikaaf (i.e. confining oneself in a mosque for prayers and invocations leaving the worldly activities) in the mosques” [al-Baqarah 2:187]
So i’tikaaf is something that should be done specifically in the mosque.
With regard to women, the majority of scholars are of the view that as in the case of men, their i’tikaaf is not valid unless it is observed in the mosque, because of the verse quoted above (interpretation of the meaning):
“And do not have sexual relations with them (your wives) while you are in I‘tikaaf (i.e. confining oneself in a mosque for prayers and invocations leaving the worldly activities) in the mosques” [al-Baqarah 2:187]
The wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked him for permission to observe i’tikaaf in the mosque and he gave them permission, and they used to observe i’tikaaf in the mosque after he died.
If it were permissible for a woman to observe i’tikaaf in her house, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would have told them to do that, because it is better for a woman to remain concealed in her house than to go out to the mosque.
Al-Bukhaari (2026) and Muslim (1172) narrated from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to spend the last ten nights of Ramadaan in i'tikaaf until he passed away, then his wives observed i'tikaaf after he died.
It says in ‘Awn al-Ma’bood:
This indicates that women are the same as men when it comes to i'tikaaf.
Ibn Qudaamah said in al-Mughni:
A woman has the right to observe i‘tikaaf in any mosque, and that is not subject to the condition that it be a mosque where prayers are performed in congregation, because that is not obligatory upon her. This was the view of al-Shaafa’i.
She does not have the right to observe i'tikaaf in her house, because Allaah says “while you are in I‘tikaaf (i.e. confining oneself in a mosque for prayers and invocations leaving the worldly activities) in the mosques”, and because the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked him for permission to observe i’tikaaf in the mosque, and he gave them permission.
Some of the scholars were of the view that it is valid for a woman to observe i’tikaaf in the “mosque” of her house, which is the place that she allocates for prayer in her house.
But the majority of scholars said that this is not allowed and said that the place where she prays in her house is not called a masjid (mosque) except by way of metaphor, and it is not really a mosque, so it does not come under the rulings on mosques, hence it is permissible for people who are junub and menstruating women to enter it.
Al-Nawawi said in al-Majmoo’ (6/505):
It is not valid for men or women to observe i’tikaaf anywhere but in the mosque; it is not valid in the mosque of a woman’s house or the mosque of a man’s house, which is a space that is set aside for prayer.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (20/264) about where a woman who wants to observe i’tikaaf should do so?
He replied:
If a woman wants to observe i’tikaaf, she should observe i’tikaaf in the mosque so long as that does not involve anything that is forbidden according to sharee’ah. If that does involve anything that is forbidden then she should not do i’tikaaf.
In al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah (5/212) it says:
The scholars differed as to where women should observe i’tikaaf. The majority are of the view that woman are like men, and their i’tikaaf is not valid unless observed in the mosque. Based on this it is not valid for a woman to observe i'tikaaf in the mosque of her house, because of the report narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) who asked about a woman who vowed to observe i’tikaaf in the mosque of her house. He said: “(This is) an innovation, and the most hateful of actions to Allaah are innovations (bid’ah).” So there can be no i’tikaaf except in a mosque in which prayers are established. And the mosque of a house is not a mosque in the real sense of the word and does not come under the same rulings; it is permissible to change it, and for a person who is junub to sleep in it. Moreover if it were permissible (to observe i’tikaaf at home), the Prophet’s wives (may Allaah be pleased with them) would have done that at least once to show that it is permissible.
Al-Nawawi said in al-Majmoo’ (6/480):
It is not correct for a man or a woman to observe i'tikaaf anywhere except in the mosque.
This is the view favoured by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen in al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 6/513
