I’TIKAAF RULING, VIRTUES AND BENEFITS
ASSEMBLED BY MALLAM ABBA ABANA, KUBWA, ABUJA, NIGERIA
http://variousislamicdawadocuments.blogspot.com
https://web.facebook.com/abba.abana
emails:gonidamgamiri@yahoo.com; abba.abana@gmail.com
SATURDAY 9th RAJAB 1440 AH- 16th MARCH
2019 CE
(PART 9 OF 11: I’tikaaf Ruling, virtues and benefits)
(I’tikaaf Part 1 of 4)
Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu
Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah. As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu.
Praise be to Allaah; we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with
Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah
guides will never be led astray, and whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one
can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah, and I bear witness
that Muhammad (Sallalhu alaihi Wasalam) is His slave and Messenger.
PREAMBLE
What are the conditions of i'tikaaf? Is
fasting one of them? Is it permissible for the mu’takif (person in i’tikaaf) to
visit one who is sick, or to accept an invitation, or to attend to his family’s
needs, or to attend a funeral, or to go to work.
I’TIKAAF
RULING, VIRTUES AND BENEFITS
CONTENTS
1. I'TIKAAF
2.
The benefits of I'tikaaf
3.
The connection between fasting and Itikaaf
4.
With the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) in his I’tikaaf
5.
Different types of I’tikaaf
6.
The ruling on I’tikaaf
7.
The conditions of I’tikaaf
8.
The pillars of I’tikaaf
9. Intention (niyyah).
10. Staying in the mosque
11. The place, time and
starting point of I’tikaaf
12. The adab (etiquette) of
I’tikaaf
13. Things which are
forbidden in I’tikaaf
14.
Educational aspects of I’tikaaf Giving up many harmful habits
1.0 INTRODUCTION
This is an Article on I’tikaaf; Ruling,
virtues and benefits In
Islam. May Allaah make it of benefit to myself and my Muslim
brothers? Praise be to Allaah, Lord of the Worlds.
2.0 I'TIKAAF
I’tikaaf means staying in the
mosque for a specific purpose, which is to worship Allaah (may He be
glorified). It is prescribed in Islam and is mustahabb according to the
consensus of the scholars. Imaam Ahmad said, as was narrated from him by Abu
Dawood: “I have not heard from any of the scholars that it is anything other than
Sunnah.”
Al-Zuhri (may Allaah have mercy
on him) said: “How strange the Muslims are! They have given up I’tikaaf,
despite the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
never abandoned this practice from the time he came to Madeenah until his
death.”
2.1 CONDITIONS OF I’TIKAAF
It is prescribed to observe i’tikaaf in a mosque in which prayers in congregation are held. If the mu’takif is one of those for whom Jumu’ah is obligatory and the period of his i’tikaaf will include a Friday, it is better for him to stay in a mosque where Jumu’ah prayer is observed.
It is not a condition
for him or her to be fasting - The most
correct view is that fasting is mustahabb for the one who does I’tikaaf, but it
is not a condition of his I’tikaaf being valid; there is some room for debate.
The Sunnah
is for the mu’takif not to visit any sick person during his i'tikaaf, or to
accept any invitation, attend to his family’s needs, attend any funeral or go
to work outside the mosque, because it was proven that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be
pleased with her) said: “The Sunnah for the mu’takif is not to visit any sick
person, or attend any funeral, or touch or be intimate with any woman, or go
out for any reason except those which cannot be avoided.” Narrated by Abu
Dawood, 2473. Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas, Fataawa
al-Lajnah, 10/410[1]2.2 RULING ON I’TIKAAF AND THE EVIDENCE FOR IT BEING PRESCRIBED IN ISLAM
What is the ruling on i’tikaaf?
I’tikaaf is
prescribed according to the Qur’aan and Sunnah and scholarly consensus. In the Qur’aan, Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “and We commanded Ibraaheem (Abraham) and Ismaa’eel (Ishmael) that they should purify My House (the Ka‘bah at Makkah) for those who are circumambulating it, or staying (I’tikaaf), or bowing or prostrating themselves (there, in prayer)”[Holy Quran Chapter al-Baqarah 2:125]
“And do not have sexual relations with them (your wives) while you are in I‘tikaaf (i.e. confining oneself in a mosque for prayers and invocations leaving the worldly activities) in the mosques” [Holy Quran Chapter al-Baqarah 2:187]
With regard to the Sunnah, there are many ahaadeeth, such as the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) who said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to observe i'tikaaf during the last ten days of Ramadaan until Allaah took his soul, then his wives observed i’tikaaf after he was gone. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2026; Muslim, 1172.
With regard to scholarly consensus, more than one of the scholars narrated that there was scholarly consensus that i’tikaaf is prescribed in sharee’ah, such as al-Nawawi, Ibn Qudaamah, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, and others. See al-Majmoo’, 6/404; al-Mughni, 4/456; Sharh al-‘Umdah, 2/711.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz said in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 15/437: Undoubtedly i’tikaaf in the mosque is an act of worship, and (observing it) in Ramadaan is better than at other times. It is prescribed in Ramadaan and at other times.
2.3 THE RULING ON I’TIKAAF.
The basic principle is that i’tikaaf is Sunnah, not obligatory, unless one made a vow to do it, in which case it becomes obligatory, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever vows to obey Allaah, let him obey Him, and whoever vows to disobey Him, let him not disobey Him.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6696.
And ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “O Messenger of Allaah, during the Jaahiliyyah I vowed to observe i’tikaaf for one night in al-Masjid al-Haraam.” He said: “Fulfil your vow.” (6697).
Ibn al-Mundhir said in his book al-Ijmaa’ (p. 53): They were unanimously agreed that i’tikaaf is Sunnah and is not obligatory unless a man obliges himself to do that by making a vow, in which case it becomes obligatory for him. See Fiqh al-I’tikaaf by Dr Khaalid al-Mushayqih, p. 31[2].
3.0 THE
BENEFITS OF I'TIKAAF
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 (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
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.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 52; Muslim, 1599)
What corrupts the heart most is
distractions and preoccupations – such as food, drink, sex, 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 sex 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 distract 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 distractions such as
excessive indulgence in food, drink and sex, so I’tikaaf 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, as the poet said: “Your enemy was once
your friend, so do not have too many companions, For, as you see, most diseases
come from food and drink.”
I’tikaaf also offers protection
from the evil consequences of talking too much, because a person usually does
I’tikaaf on his own, turning to Allaah by praying Qiyaam al-Layl, reading
Qur’aan, making Dhikr, reciting du’aa’, and so on.
It also offers protection from
sleeping too much, because when a person makes I’tikaaf 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.
4.0 THE
CONNECTION BETWEEN FASTING AND ITIKAAF
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’tikaaf. Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said: “It was not reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) ever did I’tikaaf when he was not fasting. Indeed,
‘Aa’ishah said: ‘There is no I’tikaaf except with fasting.’” (Narrated by Abu
Dawood, 2473)
Allaah did not mention I’tikaaf
except in conjunction with fasting, and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not do I’tikaaf except in conjunction with
fasting.
The most correct opinion
concerning the evidence which the majority of the Salaf agreed upon is: “that
fasting is a condition of I’tikaaf. This is the view that was regarded as most
correct by Shaykh al-Islam Abu’l-‘Abbaas Ibn Taymiyah.” (Zaad al-Ma’aad, 2/87,
88)
The view that fasting is a
condition of I’tikaaf was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar and Ibn ‘Abbaas. It was also
the view of Maalik, al-Oozaa’i and Abu Haneefah, and different opinions were
narrated from Ahmad and al-Shaafa’i.
With regard to the words of Ibn
al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him), “It was not reported that the Prophet
[an error occurred while processing this directive](peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) ever did I’tikaaf when he was not fasting”, there is some
room for debate. It was reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) did I’tikaaf in Shawwaal (narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1928,
and Muslim, 1173), but it was not proven whether he was fasting or not on these
days when he did I’tikaaf.
The most correct view is that
fasting is mustahabb for the one who does I’tikaaf, but it is not a condition
of his I’tikaaf being valid.
To be continued
2
of 4; Part 9 of 11: I’tikaaf Ruling, Virtues And Benefits
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