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 2 of 4)
5.0 WITH
THE PROPHET (PEACE AND BLESSINGS OF ALLAAH BE UPON HIM) IN HIS I’TIKAAF
The Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) did I’tikaaf during the first ten days of Ramadaan, then
in the middle ten days, seeking Laylat al-Qadr, then it became clear to him
that it was in the last ten days, after which he always spent them (the last
ten days) in I’tikaaf.
Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah
be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) used to do I’tikaaf during the middle ten days of the
month, and when the night of the twentieth had passed and the twenty-first had
begun, he would go back to his home, and those who were doing I’tikaaf with him
also went home. Then one month he made I’tikaaf on that night when he used to
go home. Then he addressed the people, commanding them as Allaah willed, then
he said: ‘I used to spend these ten days in I’tikaaf, but now I want to spend
these last ten days in I’tikaaf, so whoever used to do I’tikaaf with me, let
him stay in his place of I’tikaaf. I was shown that night (Laylat al-Qadr) then
I was made to forget it, so seek it during the last ten nights, in the
odd-numbered nights. And I saw myself prostrating in water and mud.’
Abu Sa’eed said: it rained on the
night of the twenty-first, and the roof of the mosque leaked in the place where
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was
praying. I looked at him when he had finished praying Subh (Fajr), and his face
was wet with water and mud, so what he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) had seen came to pass. And this was one of the signs of his Prophethood.”
The Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) continued to do I’tikaaf during the last ten days of
Ramadaan, as it was reported in al-Saheehayn from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be
pleased with her), who said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) used to spend the last ten days of Ramadaan in I’tikaaf until he
died, then his wives continued to do I’tikaaf after he died. (Narrated by
al-Bukhaari, 1921; Muslim, 1171).
During the year in which he
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died, he spent twenty days in
I’tikaaf (al-Bukhaari, 1939), i.e., the middle ten days and the last ten days.
This was for a number of reasons:
- In that year, Jibreel reviewed the Qur’aan with him twice (al-Bukhaari, 4712). It was appropriate for him to spend twenty days in I’tikaaf, so that he could review the entire Qur’aan twice.
- He peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) wanted to increase his righteous deeds and do more acts of worship, because he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) felt that his time (of death) was near, as we may understand from the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning):
1.
“When
there comes the Help of Allaah (to you, O Muhammad against your enemies) and
the Conquest (of Makkah).
2.
And you
see that the people enter Allaah’s religion (Islam) in crowds.
3.
So
glorify the Praises of your Lord, and ask His forgiveness. Verily, He is the
One Who accepts the repentance and Who forgives.”[Holy Quran Chapter al-Nasr
110:1-3]
So Allaah
commanded His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to increase
his Tasbeeh (“Subhaan Allaah – Glory be to Allaah”) and his Istighfaar
(“Astaghfir-Allaah – I seek the forgiveness of Allaah”) towards the end
of his life, and this is what he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
did. Often when he did Rukoo’ and Sujood, he would say, “Subhaanak
Allaahumma wa bi hamdik, Allaahumma ighfir li (Glory and praise be to You,
O Allaah. O Allaah, forgive me)” – in obedience to the commands of the Qur’aan.
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 487, and Muslim, 484).
- He (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did that in gratitude to Allaah for the blessings that He had bestowed upon him of righteous deeds such as jihaad, teaching, fasting and qiyaam (praying at night), and for the blessings of the revelation of the Qur’aan to him, raising high his fame, and other favours that Allaah had bestowed upon him.
The Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) used to enter his place of I’tikaaf before the sun set.
If he wanted, for example, to spend the middle ten days of the month in
I’tikaaf, he would enter his place of I’tikaaf before the sun set on the
eleventh day. If he wanted to spend the last ten days in I’tikaaf, he would
enter his place of I’tikaaf before the sun set on the twenty-first day.
Concerning the report in al-Saheeh
that he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed Fajr and then
entered his place of I’tikaaf (narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1928; Muslim, 1173;
al-Tirmidhi, 791), what is meant here is that he entered the special place in
the mosque after Fajr prayer. He used to do I’tikaaf in a place reserved
especially for that, as it was reported in Saheeh Muslim, that he used
to do I’tikaaf in a Turkish tent. (Narrated by Muslim, 1167).
The Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) used to put his head into ‘Aa’ishah’s apartment whilst
he was in I’tikaaf in the mosque, and she should wash his hair and comb it, and
she was menstruating, as was reported in al-Saheehayn (al-Bukhaari,
1924, 1926; Muslim, 297).
In Musnad Ahmad it was
reported that he would lean in the doorway of her room, then he would put his
head out, and she would comb his hair. (Ahmad, 6/272).
This indicates that if a person
in I’tikaaf puts part of his body – such as his foot or his head – outside of
the place where he is doing I’tikaaf, there is nothing wrong with that, and if
a woman who is menstruating puts her hand or foot into the mosque, there is
nothing wrong with it, there is nothing wrong with that because this is not
counted as entering the mosque.
Another thing that we learn from
this hadeeth is that there is nothing wrong with the person in I’tikaaf keeping
clean and perfuming himself, and washing and combing his hair. None of these
things affect his I’tikaaf.
Another of the things that
happened to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in his
I’tikaaf was narrated by the two shaykhs (al-Bukhaari and Muslim) from
‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), who said: “When the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) wanted to go into I’rikaaf,
he would pray Fajr, then go into the place where he did I’tikaaf. He commanded
that a tent be put up, and it was done. Some of the other wives of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded that tents be put up, and
this was done. When he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had prayed
Fajr he looked and saw the tents, and said: “Are you seeking to do a righteous
deed?” Then he commanded that his tent should be dismantled, and he did not do
I’tikaaf in that month, delaying it until the first ten days of Shawwaal.
(al-Bukhaari, 1928; Muslim, 1173).
The phrase “Are you seeking to do
a righteous deed?” means, Is your motive for doing this the desire to do good,
or is it jealousy and the desire to be close to the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him)?
It is most likely – and Allaah
knows best – that his I’tkaaf in Shawwaal of that year was after the Eid, i.e.,
the second of Shawwaal.
It may be that it started on the
day of Eid. If this is true, then it is an indication that fasting is not a
condition of I’tikaaf, because there is no fasting on the day of Eid.
Something else that happened to
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in his I’tikaaf and was
narrated by the two shaykhs (al-Bukhaari and Muslim) was that Safiyyah the wife
of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came and visited him
during his I’tikaaf in the mosque during the last ten days of Ramadaan. She
spoke with him for a while, then she stood up to go home. The Prophet(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) stood up with her to take her back, then when
she reached the door of the mosque, by the door of Umm Salamah, two men of the
Ansaar passed by and greeted the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to them,
“Wait, this is Safiyyah bint Huyay.” They said, “Subhaan Allaah, O
Messenger of Allaah!” They felt distressed (that he thought they might think
something bad). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“The Shaytaan is as close to a man as his blood.” According to another report:
“(Shaytaan) flows through the veins of a man like blood.” “I was afraid that
the Shaytaan might cast some evil ideas into your hearts.”
He (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) was keen that the two Ansaaris should remain steadfast in their
faith, and he was afraid that the Shaytaan might plant some evil thoughts in
their hearts, making them doubt the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), which would have led them to kufr, or that they might be
distracted by trying to rid themselves of these insinuations, so he (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) explained the matter to them so as to remove
any possible doubts or insinuating whispers. So he told them that was Safiyyah
bint Huyay (may Allaah be pleased with her), and she was his wife.
5.2 HIS GUIDANCE CONCERNING I’TIKAAF
The guidance of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the most perfect and
straightforward of guidance and teaching. When he wanted to do I’tikaaf, he
would have a bed or mattress put in the mosque for him, behind the Column of
Repentance, as reported in the hadeeth from Naafi’ from Ibn ‘Umar from the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “When he (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) wanted to do I’tikaaf, he would have his
mattress or his bed placed behind the Column of Repentance.” (Narrated by Ibn
Maajah, 1/564).
The Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) used to have a tent put up for him, and he would stay in
it, apart from the times of prayer, so that he could be truly secluded. This
was in the mosque and it is probable that the tent would be placed over his bed
or mattress, as reported in the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased
with her), who said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
used to do I’tikaaf in the last ten days of Ramadaan, and I used to put up a
tent for him. He would pray Fajr, then go into the tent…” (Narrated by
al-Bukhaari, 4/810, Fath al-Baari).
He used to stay in the mosque all
the time and not go out except in the case of “human need”, i.e. to pass urine
or stools. ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “… he would not
enter the house unless he needed to, when he was in I’tikaaf.” (Narrated by
al-Bukhaari, 4/808 Fath al-Baari).
The Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) used to have his food and drink brought to him when he
was in I’tikaaf, as Saalim narrated: “His food and drink were brought to him in
the place where he was doing I’tikaaf.” (p.75).
He(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) used to keep clean, as he used to put his head out into
‘Aa’ishah’s room for her to comb his hair. According to a hadeeth narrated from
‘Urwah from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), she used to comb the
hair of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he was in
I’tikaaf and she was menstruating, and he was in I’tikaaf in the mosque, and
she was in her room; he would lean his head towards her. (Narrated by
al-Bukhaari, 4/807 Fath al-Baari).
Ibn Hajar said: “The hadeeth
indicates that it is permissible to keep clean, apply perfume, wash, shave and
adorn oneself, by analogy with combing. The majority agree that there is
nothing makrooh in I’tikaaf except that which is viewed as being makrooh in the
mosque.” (4/807 Fath al-Baari).
The Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) did not visit the sick or attend funerals when he was in
I’tikaaf, so that he could focus and devote all his attention to worshipping
Allaah. According to a hadeeth narrated from ‘Aa’ishah: “The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) would pass by a sick person when he was in
I’tikaaf, and he would not stop to ask him how he was.” It was also reported
from ‘Urwah that she said: “The Sunnah for the person who is in I’tikaaf is
that he should not visit the sick or attend funerals, or touch his wife or have
intercourse with her, or go out for any but the most pressing of needs. There
is no I’tikaaf except with fasting, and there is no I’tikaaf except in a Jaami’
Masjid.” (Narrated by Abu Dawood, 2/333).
The wives of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to visit him in the place where he
was doing I’tikaaf. It so happened that he came out to take one of them home,
and this was for a reason, as it was night time. This was reported in the
hadeeth of ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn: “Safiyyah (may Allaah be pleased with her) came
to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he was in
I’tikaaf, and when she went back he walked with her. A man from among the
Ansaar saw him, and when he [the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him)] saw him, he called him and said, ‘Come here, this is Safiyyah.’” Sufyaan
[one of the narrators] may have said: “This is Safiyyah; for the Shaytaan runs
through the veins of the son of Adam like blood.’” I [one of the narrators]
said to Sufyaan, ‘Did she come to him at night?’ He said, ‘Could she have come
at any time other than at night?’ (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4/819).
The Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) thought that it was essential for him to go out with her
(may Allaah be pleased with her) because it was night, so he went out with her
from the place where he was doing I’tikaaf, in order to take her home.
In conclusion therefore: the
example of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was
characterized by striving, and he spent most of the time in the mosque,
devoting himself to worshipping Allaah and seeking Laylat al-Qadr.
5.4 THE AIMS OF I’TIKAAF
- Seeking Laylat al-Qadr.
- Being alone with Allaah, May He be glorified, and keeping away from people as much as possible, so that one may be entirely focused on Allaah and on remembering Him.
- Purifying one's heart. He did not let himself become dishevelled at all when he devoted himself to worshipping Allaah.
- Devoting oneself completely to pure worship, praying, making du’aa’, remembering Allaah and reading Qur’aan.
- Protecting one's fast from everything of one's selfish desires that could affect it.
- Reducing one's involvement in permissible worldly matters and ignoring many of them at the time when one is able to deal with them.
To be continued
3
of 4; Part 9 of 11: I’tikaaf Ruling, Virtues And Benefits
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