03/04/2015
I’tikaf means staying in the mosque for a
specific purpose, which is to worship
Allaah. It is prescribed in Islam and is
mustahabb (recommended) according to
the consensus of the scholars. Imam
Ahmad said, as was narrated from him by
Abu Daawood: “I have not heard from
any of the scholars that it is anything
other than Sunnah.”
Az-Zuhri said: “How strange the Muslims
are! They have given up I’tikaf, despite
the fact that the Prophet, sallallaahu
‘alayhi wa sallam, never abandoned this
practice from the time he came to
Madinah until his death.”
The benefits of I’tikaf
There are many hidden benefits in the
acts of worship and much wisdom behind
them. The basis of all deeds is the heart, as
the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi
wa sallam, said: “In the body there is an
organ which if it is sound, the entire body
will be sound, and if it is corrupt, the
entire body will be corrupt. That organ is
the heart.” (Al-Bukhaari and Muslim)
What corrupts the heart most is
distractions and preoccupations – such as
food, drink, s*x, talking too much,
sleeping too much and socializing too
much, and other distractions – which
divert people from turning to Allaah and
cause the heart to be unfocused and
unable to concentrate on worshipping
Allaah. So Allaah has prescribed acts of
worship, such as fasting, to protect the
heart from the negative effects of these
distractions. Fasting deprives a person of
food and drink and s*x during the day,
and this denial of excessive enjoyments is
reflected in the heart, which gains more
strength for seeking Allaah and frees it
from the chains of these distractions
which take a person from thinking of the
Hereafter by occupying him with worldly
concerns.
Just as fasting is a shield which protects
the heart from the influences of physical
excessive indulgence in food, drink and
s*x, so I’tikaf offers an immense hidden
benefit, which is protection from the
effects of excessive socializing. For people
may take socializing to extremes, until it
has a similar effect on a person to the
effects of over-eating.
I’tikaf also offers protection from the evil
consequences of talking too much,
because a person usually does I’tikaf on
his own, turning to Allaah by praying
Qiyaam al-Layl, reading Quran, making
Dhikr, reciting du’aa, and so on.
It also offers protection from sleeping too
much, because when a person makes
I’tikaf in the mosque, he devotes his time
to drawing closer to Allaah by doing
different kinds of acts of worship; he does
not stay in the mosque to sleep.
Undoubtedly a person’s success in freeing
himself from socializing, talking and
sleeping too much will help him to make
his heart turn towards Allaah, and will
protect him from the opposite.
The connection between fasting and
I’tikaf
No doubt when a person has all the
means of purifying his heart by keeping
away from all the things that can distract
him from worship, this will be more
effective in helping him to turn towards
Allaah with devotion and humility. Hence
the Salaf regarded it as mustahabb to
combine fasting and I’tikaf. Imam Ibn al-
Qayyim said: “It was not reported that
the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,
ever did I’tikaf when he was not fasting.
Indeed, ‘Aa’ishah, may Allaah be pleased
with her, said: ‘There is no I’tikaf except
with fasting.’” (Abu Daawood)
Allaah did not mention I’tikaf except in
conjunction with fasting, and the
Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa
sallam, did not do I’tikaf except in
conjunction with fasting.
The view that fasting is a condition of
I’tikaf was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar and
Ibn ‘Abbas. It was also the view of Malik,
al-Awza’i and Abu Haneefah, and different
opinions were narrated from Ahmad and
Al-Shaafi’ee.
With regard to the words of Ibn al-
Qayyim, “It was not reported that the
Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,
ever did I’tikaf when he was not fasting”,
there is some room for debate. It was
reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu
‘alayhi wa sallam, did I’tikaf in Shawwaal
(Al-Bukhaari and Muslim), but it was not
proven that he was fasting on these days
when he did I’tikaf.
The most correct view is that fasting is
mustahabb for the one who does I’tikaf,
but it is not a condition of his I’tikaf being
valid.