𝗞𝗵𝗮𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗵 (25)

The Challenge of Iʿtikāf as a Member of Ahlul Bayt A few years ago, we performed iʿtikāf together as a group of three. Two of the brothers were from the blessed lineage of the Prophet ﷺ. As descendants of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, they are not permitted to consume charity (ṣadaqah). There is a difference of opinion among scholars regarding whether this prohibition applies only to obligatory charity, such as zakāh, or whether it also includes voluntary charity. However, choosing caution and wishing to avoid anything doubtful, the two brothers decided not to take any form of charity at all — neither obligatory nor voluntary. That decision, though admirable, made things difficult. During Ramaḍān, most food distributed for suḥūr and ifṭār comes through charitable donations and organisations. Since they were in iʿtikāf, leaving to purchase food would have been inconvenient and would disrupt their worship, making it hard to return to their spot in the masjid. So the third brother in the group who was not from the Prophet’s ﷺ lineage found a thoughtful solution. He collected the food on their behalf, then after receiving it, gifted the food to them personally. Because they are allowed to accept gifts, this provided a permissible and practical way to manage the situation(1). I share this because some of you may one day face a similar circumstance. With knowledge and a little wisdom, there is often a way to navigate even the most delicate situations. Source: https://t.me/khawaaaaatir/47 --------------- (1) As far as I know, this is the same approach followed in all the Ahlus-Sunnah marakiz in Yemen. When the head of a markaz receives sadaqah or donations, he takes responsibility for it and then distributes it among the students with this same intention: it is given as a gift to students from Ahlul-Bayt, and as sadaqah to those who are not from Ahlul-Bayt. Sheikh Muhammad Ba Jammal ⤵️ https://t.me/khawaaaaatir/49