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Question: Is it permissible for the individual performing i'tikāf to leave the masjid to perform the Night Prayer at another masjid or place? Firstly, it must be known that the individual performing i'tikāf exiting for something that is not necessary invalidates the i'tikāf: 'Āisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would not enter the house except for a need whilst performing i'tikaf" [Agreed upon]. In a narration reported by Muslim: "except for a human need". Al-Zuhri explained it as urination and defecation. Al-Tirmidhi stated under hadith number (805): "The actualization of this according to the people of knowledge: if a person performs i'tikāf, he should not exit his i'tikāf except for a human need. They unanimously agree upon this, that he can leave to relieve himself (for urination and defecation). However, the people of knowledge differed regarding visiting the sick, attending the Friday prayer and attending funerals for the person performing i'tikāf: some of the people of knowledge among the companions of the Prophet ﷺ and others held that he is permitted to visit the sick, attend funerals, and attend the Friday prayer if he had stipulated this condition beforehand. This is the opinion of Sufyan al-Thawri and Ibn al-Mubārak. And some of them have stated that he is not allowed to do any of this, and held that if a person is in a city where Friday prayers are established, he should only perform i'tikāf in the Masjid al-Jāmi' (the masjid that the Jum'āh prayer is established within), as they disliked for him to leave his i'tikāf for the Friday prayer, and they did not deem it permissible for him to miss the Friday prayer. Thus they said: he should only perform i'tikāf in the Masjid al-Jāmi' so that he is not required to leave his i'tikāf for anything other than relieving oneself, as leaving for anything other than a human need, according to them, terminates the i'tikāf. This is the opinion of Mālik and ash-Shāfi'i. Ahmad said: he should not visit the sick, nor attend funerals based on the hadith of 'Āisha. Ishāq said: If he stipulates that condition, then he is allowed to attend funerals and visit the sick." Ibn Qudamāh (may Allāh have mercy on him) said in al-Mughnī (4/466): "What is meant by 'a human need' is urination and defecation; he used this expression for both as every person needs to perform them. It also bears the meaning of the need for food and drink if he has no one to bring them to him, therefore he is permitted to leave for it if he needs to, and he is permitted to leave for everything else that he requires and cannot be fulfilled in the masjid and his I'tikāf is not invalidated in that state, as long as he does not prolong it." The author of 'Awn al-Ma'būd cited the scholars' disagreement on this matter under the hadith number (2467), stating: "'He would not enter the house except for a human need': Al-Khattābī said: this is a clarification that the person performing i'tikāf should not enter his house except for urination or defecation. Thus, if he enters it for other than these two matters, such as food or drink, his i'tikāf is invalidated. The people have differed regarding this. Abu Thawr said: he should not leave except to perform wudū (ablution) that is essential. Ishāq bin Rāhawayh stated: he should not leave except for urination or defecation, except that he differentiated between the obligatory and voluntary i'tikāf, stating that he should not visit the sick nor attend a funeral in the obligatory i'tikāf, and he should stipulate this condition from the beginning in the voluntary i'tikāf. Al-Awza'i said: there should be no conditions in I'tikāf. Abū Hanīfa and his companions said: it is inappropriate for the person performing I'tikāf to leave the masjid for any need except for the Friday prayer, defecation and urination. As for other matters such as visiting the sick and attending a funeral, he should not leave for those purposes.