FASTING SECTION · 77 – CHAPTER ON RETREAT (Itikaf)
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) related:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) would observe *itikaf* during the last ten days of Ramadan. He continued doing so until his death. After him, his wives observed *itikaf*. [340]
EXPLANATION
*Itikaf*: In language, it signifies confinement and perseverance. In Islamic terminology, it is entering a mosque or a place of reverence with the intention of *itikaf* and remaining there for a period.
*Itikaf* during the last ten days of Ramadan is a Sunnah. The one observing *itikaf* eats and drinks at the place where he observes it. Nezred (vowed) *itikafs* are obligatory, while those performed at other times are desirable.
Ubayy ibn Kab reports: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, would observe the i'tikaf during the last ten days of Ramadan. One year he was unable to do so [due to being on an expedition]. Then, when the following year arrived, he observed i’tikaf for twenty nights.
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated:
When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) intended to observe *'itikaf*, he would perform the Fajr prayer, then proceed to the place where he would observe *'itikaf*. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) once intended to observe *'itikaf* in the last ten days of Ramadan. He ordered a structure to be built for him, and it was built. When I saw this, I ordered a structure to be built for me as well, and it was built. The other wives of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) also ordered structures to be built for them, and they were built. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), after performing the Fajr prayer, looked at the constructed areas and said, “What are these? Are you intending to do good with this?” Then he ordered his own structure to be demolished, and it was demolished. His wives also ordered their structures to be demolished, and they were demolished. Afterwards, he postponed the *'itikaf* to the first ten days of Shawwal. [341]
Abu Dawud said: (The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) spent twenty days of Shawwal in *'itikaf’.)
EXPLANATION
*'Itikaf* is begun at the beginning of the day, and one enters the place of *'itikaf* after the Fajr prayer. This is the statement of Awza'i and Sufyan. According to Hanafi, Shafi'i, Maliki, and Ahmad ibn Hanbal, a person who intends to observe *'itikaf* for a specific month enters the place where he will perform it before sunset. According to this hadith, a woman may not observe *'itikaf* without the permission of her husband. It is permissible for a woman to observe *'itikaf* in her own home. This is a narration from Imam al-Awwal.