Some Issues Related to I’tikaaf
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Identifier: http://muslimmatters.org/2007/10/03/some-issues-related-to-itikaaf/
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Subject: ramadan
Title: Some Issues Related to I’tikaaf
Created on: Fri Sep 05 13:49:21 -0400 2008
Updated on: Fri Sep 05 13:49:21 -0400 2008
Version: 1
Abstract: ... ه عليه وسلم) used to perform I’tikaf the last ten days of Ramadan until he died, then his wives performed I’tikaf after him.[10] And similar is related from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar: كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَعْتَكِفُ الْعَشْرَ الأَوَاخِرَ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ “Allah’s Messenger used to perform I’tikaf the last ten days of Ramadan.” [11] And the hadith of A’ishah shows that it is legislated for women to perform I’tikaf as well. ‘A’ishah also relates: كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَعْتَكِفُ فِي الْعَشْرِ الأَوَاخِرِ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ فَكُنْتُ أَضْرِبُ لَهُ خِبَاءً فَيُصَلِّي الصُّبْحَ ثُمَّ يَدْخُلُهُ فَاسْتَأْذَنَتْ حَفْصَةُ عَائِشَةَ أَنْ تَضْرِبَ خِبَاءً فَأَذِنَتْ لَهَا فَضَرَبَتْ خِبَاءً فَلَمَّا رَأَتْهُ زَيْنَبُ ابْنَةُ جَحْشٍ ضَرَبَتْ خِبَاءً آخَرَ فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَأَى الْأَخْبِيَةَ فَقَالَ مَا هَذَا فَأُخْبِرَ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَلْبِرَّ تُرَوْنَ بِهِنَّ فَتَرَكَ الاِعْتِكَافَ ذَلِكَ الشَّهْرَ ثُمَّ اعْتَكَفَ عَشْرًا مِنْ شَوَّالٍ “Allah’s Messenger (صل الله عليه وسلم) used to perform I’tikaf in the last ten days of Ramadan, so I would pitch a tent for him, so he would pray as-Subh (fajr) and then enter it. So Hafsah sought permission from ‘A’ishah to pitch a tent for her and she allowed her and she pitched her tent. When Zaynab bin Jahsh saw it, she pitched another tent. In the morning the Prophet noticed the tents. He said, ‘What is this?’ So he was informed of the whole situation. Then the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, ‘Do you think that they intended to do righteousness by doing this?’ He therefore abandoned the Itikaf in that month and practiced Itikaf for ten days in the month of Shawwal.” This hadith shows that it is sunnah for a person who was prevented from performing I’tikaf for some reason in Ramadan, to perform it instead in Shawwal, which is the month that follows Ramadan. And it is also reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim that: ‘A’ishah used to comb and oil the hair of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) while menstruating. He would be in I’tikaf in the masjid and she would be in her chamber, and he would stretch out his head towards her.[12] This hadith is an evidence that it is permissible to comb and oil the hair or have it done and what is similar to that while in a state of I’tikaf. Also it shows there is no harm in being partially outside of the masjid for that. And ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn relates that Safiyyah informed him: أَنَّهَا جَاءَتْ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَزُورُهُ فِي اعْتِكَافِهِ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فِي الْعَشْرِ الْأَوَاخِرِ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ فَتَحَدَّثَتْ عِنْدَهُ سَاعَةً ثُمَّ قَامَتْ تَنْقَلِبُ فَقَامَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَعَهَا يَقْلِبُهَا حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَتْ بَابَ الْمَسْجِدِ عِنْدَ بَابِ أُمِّ سَلَمَة مَرَّ رَجُلَانِ مِنْ الْأَنْصَارِ فَسَلَّمَا عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ لَهُمَا النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَلَى رِسْلِكُمَا إِنَّمَا هِيَ صَفِيَّةُ بِنْتُ حُيَيٍّ فَقَالَا سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَكَبُرَ عَلَيْهِمَا فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَبْلُغُ مِنْ الإِنْسَانِ مَبْلَغَ الدَّمِ وَإِنِّي خَشِيتُ أَنْ يَقْذِفَ فِي قُلُوبِكُمَا شَيْئًا . That she went to Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) to visit him in the masjid while he was in I’tikaf in the last ten days of Ramadan. She had a talk with him for a while, then she got up in order to return home. The Prophet accompanied her. When they reached the gate of the mosque, opposite the door of Umm Salamah, two Ansari men were passing by and they greeted Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم). He told them, “Do not run away!” And said, “She is (my wife) Safiyyah bint Huyai’.” Both of them said, “SubhanAllah, O Messenger of Allah!” And they felt bothered by that. So the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “Shaytan reaches in wherever blood reaches. I was afraid that Shaytan might cast something in your hearts.”[13] This hadith shows the permissibility of a wife visiting her husband and speaking with him while he is in I’tikaf. The purpose of I’tikaf is to devote oneself to worship and not merely to socialize as is done by many of those who perform “I’tikaf” these days. However, a little bit of discussion does not harm your I’tikaf or render it invalid. Nonetheless, one must take care that it does not become excessive. As for spending most of one’s time in I’tikaf in socializing and telling jokes, this defeats the purpose of I’tikaf which is to strive in the worship of Allah. Masruq narrates from ‘A’ishah that she said: كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا دَخَلَ الْعَشْرُ شَدَّ مِئْزَرَهُ وَأَحْيَا لَيْلَهُ وَأَيْقَظَ أَهْلَهُ “When Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) would enter the (last) ten days, he would tighten his waist belt, and stay the night awake, and wake his family.”[14] It is said the meaning of “he would tighten his waist belt” is that he would strive in worship. And it is said that it means that he would avoid his wives. And his staying up at night was for the purpose of prayer. So this is an evidence for striving in worship to the utmost in the last ten days. As has preceded, Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) used to spend those last ten days in I’tikaf, so there is a clear connection between the two. Al-Aswad ibn Yazid narrates from ‘A’ishah that she said: كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَجْتَهِدُ فِي الْعَشْرِ الْأَوَاخِرِ مَا لَا يَجْتَهِدُ فِي غَيْرِهِ “Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) used to strive in the last ten days to an extent that he did not strive at any other time.”[15] Reason For Timing of I’tikaf Abu Sa’id al-Khudri narrates, saying: إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اعْتَكَفَ الْعَشْرَ الْأَوَّلَ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ ثُمَّ اعْتَكَفَ الْعَشْرَ الْأَوْسَطَ فِي قُبَّةٍ تُرْكِيَّةٍ عَلَى سُدَّتِهَا حَصِيرٌ قَالَ فَأَخَذَ الْحَصِيرَ بِيَدِهِ فَنَحَّاهَا فِي نَاحِيَةِ الْقُبَّةِ ثُمَّ أَطْلَعَ رَأْسَهُ فَكَلَّمَ النَّاسَ فَدَنَوْا مِنْهُ فَقَالَ إِنِّي اعْتَكَفْتُ الْعَشْرَ الْأَوَّلَ أَلْتَمِسُ هَذِهِ اللَّيْلَةَ ثُمَّ اعْتَكَفْتُ الْعَشْرَ الْأَوْسَطَ ثُمَّ أُتِيتُ فَقِيلَ لِي إِنَّهَا فِي الْعَشْرِ الْأَوَاخِرِ فَمَنْ أَحَبَّ مِنْكُمْ أَنْ يَعْتَكِفَ فَلْيَعْتَكِفْ فَاعْتَكَفَ النَّاسُ مَعَهُ قَالَ وَإِنِّي أُرْبِئْتُهَا لَيْلَةَ وِتْرٍ وَإِنِّي أَسْجُدُ صَبِيحَتَهَا فِي طِينٍ وَمَاءٍ فَأَصْبَحَ مِنْ لَيْلَةِ إِحْدَى وَعِشْرِينَ وَقَدْ قَامَ إِلَى الصُّبْحِ فَمَطَرَتْ السَّمَاءُ فَوَكَفَ الْمَسْجِدُ فَأَبْصَرْتُ الطِّينَ وَالْمَاءَ فَخَرَجَ حِينَ فَرَغَ مِنْ صَلَاةِ الصُّبْحِ وَجَبِينُهُ وَرَوْثَةُ أَنْفِهِ فِيهِمَا الطِّينُ وَالْمَاءُ وَإِذَا هِيَ لَيْلَةُ إِحْدَى وَعِشْرِينَ مِنْ الْعَشْرِ الْأَوَاخِرِ . The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) observed I’tikaf in the first ten days of Ramadan. He then observed I’tikaf in the middle ten days in a Turkish tent with a mat hanging at its door. He took hold of that mat and placed it in the nook of the tent. He then put his head out and spoke to the people and they came near him. He said, “I observed I’tikaf in the first ten days in order to seek that night. I then observed I’tikaf in the middle ten days. Then (an angle) came to me and it was said to me, ‘It is in the last ten.’ So whoever amongst you would love to observe I’tikaf then let him do so.” So the people observed I’tikaf along with him, and he said, “And I was shown that it was an odd night and that I was prostrating in the morning in mud and water.” So in the morning of the twenty-first night when he got up for as-Subh, there was a rainfall and the mosque dripped, and I saw mud and water. When he came out after completing the morning prayer, there was mud and water on his forehead and the tip of his nose, and that was the twenty-first night from among the last ten.[16] So one of the purposes of I’tikaf was to focus on worship in order to catch Laylah al-Qadar. And in his statement, “So whoever amongst you would love to observe I’tikaf then let him do so,” there is a proof that performing I’tikaf is a sunnah as he instructed the people that whoever likes should do so. In addition, he himself continually observed it and would make it up when he missed it as has preceded. This is an indication that it is a sunnah mu’akkadah (emphasized sunnah). In fact, Imam Abu Dawud as-Sijistani reports from Imam Ahmad that he said, “I do not know of any disagreement from any of the scholars that it is masnun.”[17] The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) Performed I’tikaf Twenty Days the Year He Died ِAbu Salih narrates from Abu Hurayrah that he said: “The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) used to perform I’tikaf for ten days every Ramadan, and in the year he died, he performed I’tikaf for twenty days.”[18] A number of reasons have been given for this. Perhaps the strongest of them is that he desired to increase in his worship and striving for he knew he was at the end of his life, and he wished to set the example for his nation that they should strive to meet Allah while in the best sta... [Full Article...]
