Itikaf in Ramadan

Itikaf in Ramadan- Rules, Types and Virtues of Itikaf

Ramadan is the holy month of blessings in which Muslims all around the globe fast for the sake of Allah Almighty.  Ramadan is the best opportunity for Muslims to seek forgiveness and getting closer to Allah (SWT). Muslims passionately spend this time for seeking forgiveness of their sins and getting close to Allah Almighty. This devotion rises to its highest especially in the last ten days of Ramadan. One of the standout rituals of the last ten days of Ramadan is the Sunnah of Itikaf. Itikaf is a form of worship that Muslims perform during last ten days of Ramadan.

In Itikaf Muslims spend the last ten days of Ramadan in seclusion in a Mosque for a certain time; all they do is pray to Allah Almighty seeking forgiveness and blessings. In Itikaf one should stay with the intention to worship Allah (SWT) by praying formal or informal prayers although prayer is not a condition therein. Hazrat Aisha (RA) reported about our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) that: “He (SAW) used to perform Itikaf in the last ten days of Ramadan until Allah the Mighty & Majestic, took him.” (Bukhari)

Rules for Itikaf

While performing Itikaf there is certain that we all should know about. Below we will discuss them:

A person should stay in a mosque for the duration of the Itikaf except for certain things as described in the prophetic sayings: Aisha (RA) reported that: When the Prophet (SAW) observed I’tikaf, He (SAW) did not enter the house except to relieve himself. (Muslim)
Fasting is the basic condition of Itikaf.

For men, Itikaf should be in a mosque but for women, the place where she normally prays Nimaz is acceptable to perform Itikaf.

It is better to perform Itikaf in Mosque where Juma prayer is offered. Besides, same rules irrespective of gender are applied to perform Itikaf.

Women should get permission for Itikaf from her husband.
If one needs to buy something for food and there is no one to do the buying for him, it is not a wrong for him to do it.

The alms for invalidating an Itikaf is to set free a slave or if this is not possible, fast for two consecutive months or if this also is not possible, feed sixty poor people.
Duration for Itikaf is three continuous days at least. It could be more but not less than three days.

Complete it in the Mosque where it was started. Hence, going out of the Mosque without an acceptable reason will invalidate the Itikaf.

Types of Itikaf

There are three types of Itikaf which are mentioned below:

Wajib Itikaf: 

This Itikaf becomes compulsory when someone makes it obligatory upon himself/herself. It is like when a person makes a vow to Allah Almighty that if Allah fulfills a certain wish of his/her, he/she will undertake to perform so many days Itikaf.

In this case, the moment his wish is fulfilled, Itikaf becomes compulsory. This becomes a Wajib duty on him/her from that moment onward until performing Itikaf.

Sunnah Itikaf:

This was the general practice of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and it means to seclude oneself inside the Masjid for the last ten days of Ramadan. It should be for at least 3 days or maximum 10 days during last ten days of Ramadan.

Nafil Itikaf: 

There is no specific time or number of days for Nafil Itikaf. A person may form the Niyyah for any number of days at any time of the year.

Virtues of Itikaf

There are many benefits or virtues of Itikaf some of them are mentioned below:

To Perform Itikaf during last ten days of Ramadan is equivalent to the reward of two Hajj and Umrah.

Itikaf is one such act that guarantees protection from the fire of Hell. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in His hadith: “Whosoever for Allah’s sake did even one-day Itikaf, Allah would keep him away from Jahannam by trenches.”(Tabarani)

Ibn Abbas (RA) reported that our beloved Prophet (SAW) said about one who engages in Itikaf, “That he is safe from sin & he also gets that reward which everyone (outside Itikaf) gets for pious deeds.”(Ibn Majah)

Observing Itikaf is an excellent way of doing away with sins and receiving a reward from multiple sources.

Itikaf provides protection from the evil consequences of excessive talking and also allows the person to concentrate towards Allah Almighty by offering Taraweeh, reading Quran, making Dhikr, reciting dua, and so on.

When a Muslim restricts him in the mosque for Itikaf, he is prevented from performing certain acts which are permissible in common routine and in certain cases there is a high reward for such acts.

The month of Ramadan itself is one of the greatest blessings that a Muslim receives. Within this holy month of blessings, the virtues of Itikaf are also a great advantage and a source of mercy and blessings from Allah Almighty that can help a Muslim seek forgiveness and attain reward for the present moment and the months to come till the next Ramadan. May Allah give us the strength to utilize this Ramadan in a better way! Ameen

Definition of I’tikaf

The literal definition of the word I’tikaf is to stay in a particular place, however in the definition of the faith of Islam , this word means to stay in the Masjid for a particular time period in the worship of Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) while maintaining certain conditions, which shall be covered later on in this article.

In the state of I’tikaf, a person can stand, sit, sleep, etc… and there is not one particular ‘form’ that this retreat must be carried out in (unlike the Salat which has a specific form to it). What is important in this period is to obey the commandments of Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him), to refrain from the things which He has prohibited (both in life in general and in this three day sojourn) and to be in the service of Him.

Conditions of I’tikaf

There are a few conditions for the person who wishes to partake in the Divine blessing of I’tikaf:

Intelligence (‘Aql)

Thus, the person must not be mentally unstable;

True Faith (Iman)

Thus, although a Non-Muslim can perform the I’tikaf and it may be correct from the point of view of the outer actions, however to earn the Divine Reward, he or she must be a true believer;

Intention (Niyyat)

I’tikaf must be performed for the purpose of seeking closeness to Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) and not to show off or due to societal or family or peer pressure;

Fasting (Sawm) During I’tikaf

The person who is not able to fast, for whatever reason, is deprived from the Divine grace of being able to perform I’tikaf. He or she may still gain a reward from Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) for having the intention to perform this act of worship, however cannot directly participate in this act as will be mentioned.

Therefore, if a person is a traveler or one who is not able to fast due to some danger to his life, he cannot partake in I’tikaf. However, if the traveler who wants to perform the I’tikaf makes an oath that he will fast for three days on a trip, then he can perform the I’tikaf even though his Salat may be prayed as that of a traveler. In addition, if one needs to perform any sort of fasting whether it be obligatory, recommended, a penitence for a missed fast, on behalf of someone else, etc… then one’s I’tikaf will be correct with the performance of this type of fast.

Permission

One must have the permission of the person whom he needs to gain permission from to carry out this act (guardian, husband, etc…) to ensure the correctness of the I’tikaf.
Place: One must stay inside the Masjid for the entire period for his I’tikaf.

Time Period (Length) of the I’tikaf

The person performing I’tikaf must stay in this state for a minimum of three complete days from sunrise of the first day until the sunset of the third day (for example if he starts I’tikaf on Monday at Fajr time, he must complete it until Thursday at Maghrib time).

 The first two days of I’tikaf are recommended and if a person wishes, he may leave after this period and end his I’tikaf, however if he completes two full days of I’tikaf in the Masjid (until the Maghrib of the second day), then it becomes obligatory upon him to continue his fast on the third day and to stay in the Masjid for the remaining period of his I’tikaf – meaning till the time of Maghrib of the third day.

Thus, I’tikaf is for 3 full days and 2 nights which are in between these days and this period must be maintained. In this ruling, just as that of the daily Salat, the meaning of three complete days means three periods of Fajr to Maghrib.

Time of I’tikaf

Anytime in which fasting is permissible is an opportune time for I’tikaf and the state of I’tikaf does not have a specific time related to it. Of course the “White Days” which are the 13th, 14th and 15th of the lunar month and the last ten days of the Month of Ramadhan are the best times for this spiritual exercise. Therefore, one cannot make I’tikaf on the day of ‘Eid since it is forbidden to fast on that day and similarly, he cannot start I’tikaf two days before ‘Eid.

It has been mentioned that the Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) used to perform I’tikaf in the Month of Ramadhan in the first 10 days (three days), the second 10 days (three days) and then in the last ten days (three days) as well.

Permission of the Guardian

As mentioned previously in passing, I’tikaf performed without the permission of his guardian or any person whose rights would be taken away if the person was to go in a state of I’tikaf is not correct. Thus, it is for this reason that the wife must also take her husband’s permission if her I’tikaf would infringe on martial rights with his wife. Similarly, if one’s parents are not happy or are concerned for their son or daughter and do not permit him to make I’tikaf, then the child is not permitted to go forth for this (recommended) act of worship.

The Intention (Niyyah) for I’tikaf

The intention for I’tikaf is of three main types. The most common form is the recommended I’tikaf, however it can also become obligatory (wajib) if a person makes an oath or promise to Allah is for the fulfillment of something (and in that oath he had promised Allah is that he would perform I’tikaf if his prayer is fulfilled). The third intention which can be made for I’tikaf is that it is being done on behalf of someone else – similar to how people perform Hajj for their deceased relatives or make up missed prayers of parents who have passed away or others. Therefore, it is necessary for the correctness of I’tikaf to specify the intention and the type that one wants to perform.

Time and Place of the Intention of the I’tikaf and the Place of I’tikaf

The intention must be made from the beginning of the time of Fajr on the first day and it is not permissible to delay it until the end of the time of Fajr (just before sunrise), however if just before the rising of the sun of Fajr, one makes his intention, this will still be sufficient. At the time of making intention for I’tikaf, the person must be inside the Masjid in which he/she wishes to perform I’tikaf, however if at the beginning time of Fajr he leaves to redo his Wudhu or for another important task, then he is still able to do his intention (upon returning).

The place of I’tikaf must be the Masjid and therefore, performing I’tikaf in any place other than a Masjid such as a room or hall used for Salat, a Musalla (specific building which is made only for Jam’at Salat and other places like this (which are not proper Masajid) is not correct.

The preferential order of where I’tikaf should be performed is: Masjidul Haram, Masjid an-Nabi (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family), Masjid Kufa and then the Masjid of Basrah – after these, then any other “Central” and “Congregational” Masjid is permissible to perform the I’tikaf in.

By stating this, it clearly means that in places like the traditonal Hussainiyah or Imambargah and other places such as this, it is not correct to perform the I’tikaf– this act is limited to the four mentioned Masajid and then the Central Masjid of a city.

Based on this ruling, although the scholars permit I’tikafin these other buildings (which are not proper Masjid), however the specific rulings of I’tikaf would not hold in other such venues. If one was to perform I’tikaf in any place other than the “Central Masjid” then he would need to do so with the intention that this act would bring him closer to Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) and that he is hoping for a reward in this act (of being done outside of a proper Masjid as per the Islamic legislations).

Therefore, if there are three or four Masjid in one city, since they are not of the four Masjid which I’tikaf can be performed in (with that special intention), the people may use all of them for the program of I’tikaf.

The meaning of the Central or Congregational Masjid is that which a majority of the people frequent (other than this Masjid would be those referred to with names such as the Masjid of the Bazar, the Masjid of a School, the Masjid inside a factory, etc…) and it is not permissible to perform the I’tikaf in these places.

The courtyards and entrances of the Masjid are not considered as a part of the Masjid except in the case that they are recognized and known (by others) to be an actual part of the Masjid. If a person doubts if the place in which he is, is actually a Masjid or not, then according to the rules, he is not permitted to perform I’tikaf there until he ascertains and has certainty that the place where he is truly is a part of the Masjid.

Prohibited Acts During I’tikaf

The prohibited acts during the state of I’tikaf include:
Applying perfume and smelling perfume with the intention of deriving pleasure. This act makes I’tikaf null and void and is also a sin.

Discussions and arguments both in relation to the world and the faith. This means that a person argues with another to prove that he is better or smarter or that he knows more, etc… However, if a person must argue or debate to uphold the truth and destroy falsehood, it is permissible - rather this is the best form of worship and servitude to Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) during this noble state.

Buying and selling anything.
Deriving pleasure from the opposite sex in any way – holding hands, hugging, kissing, etc… is completely forbidden in the state of I’tikaf.

If any of these things are performed, one’s I’tikaf becomes void and in certain cases a Kaffarah or penitence must be paid out (which will be discussed below).