Ramadhan 1447 (Day 21)

Iʿtikāf — its time and how it should be done Sheikh Ibn Baz rahimahullah said: Iʿtikāf is a recommended Sunnah act. It means staying in the masjid to worship Allah and to focus completely on worship. A person can do it during the day or night, for one hour, one day, one night, or several days and nights. It is Sunnah, as Allah says: “And do not have relations with them while you are in retreat in the masjids.” [2:187] It is authentically reported that the Prophet ﷺ used to perform iʿtikāf during the last ten days of Ramadan. In some years he did not do it because of certain reasons, and then he made it up during the first ten days of Shawwal. So iʿtikāf is a Sunnah, and doing it in Ramadan is better, especially in the last ten days. If someone performs iʿtikāf in other months such as Shawwal, Dhul-Qiʿdah, Dhul-Hijjah, Muharram, or any other time, that is also fine. It is a general Sunnah that can be done at any time of the year, but it must be done in a masjid where congregational prayers are held. If the iʿtikāf lasts more than a week, so that Friday prayer (Jumuʿah) occurs during it, then it is better to stay in a masjid where Friday prayer is held, so the person does not need to leave. But if the masjid does not have Friday prayer, that is still allowed; the person can simply go out for the Friday prayer. The purpose of iʿtikāf is to seek the pleasure of Allah and to dedicate oneself to worship and closeness to Him. Some scholars described iʿtikāf as: “Cutting off all worldly connections in order to devote oneself to serving the Creator.” In short, it means focusing on worship in the masjid—such as prayer, reciting the Qur’an, remembering Allah, asking forgiveness, and making supplication. It is allowed for family members to visit the person, just as they used to visit the Prophet ﷺ during his iʿtikāf. Friends may also visit, but the main goal is to remain devoted to worship. There is no fixed minimum time for iʿtikāf; even one hour is valid. Fasting is not a condition for iʿtikāf according to the stronger opinion. Some scholars said fasting is required, based on a narration from Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) saying, “There is no iʿtikāf except with fasting.” However, Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The person in iʿtikāf is not required to fast unless he makes it obligatory upon himself (by a vow).” Acts of worship must only include conditions that Allah and His Messenger ﷺ clearly required, and there is no clear proof that fasting is required for iʿtikāf. Therefore, the correct opinion is that a person may perform iʿtikāf even without fasting, and it can be done during the night or the day. It is also authentically reported that Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said to the Prophet ﷺ: “I made a vow during the time of ignorance to perform iʿtikāf for one night in the Sacred Masjid.” The Prophet ﷺ said: “Fulfill your vow.” And the night is not a time for fasting, which shows that fasting is not required for iʿtikāf. Source: https://t.me/masjidsahabah/1785 #فوائد_رمضانية #Ramadan@masjidsahabah