Content > Volume 15 > Book on Fasting > Itikaf > Time and place of Itikaf and the ruling on interrupting it

Time and place of Itikaf and the ruling on interrupting it

Q: What is the ruling on Itikaf (seclusion for worship in a mosque) for men and women? Should the one who observes Itikaf fast? What should be done during Itikaf? When should one begin and end Itikaf? (Part No. 15; Page No. 442)A: Itikaf is an act of Sunnah (action following the teachings of the Prophet) for both men and women. It was authentically reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to observe Itikaf on the last ten days of Ramadan. Some of his wives used to observe Itikaf with him, and they observed Itikaf after he (peace be upon him) passed away. Itikaf should take place in the Masjids (mosques) where congregational Salah is performed. If the days of Itikaf include a Friday, it is best to observe it in Al-Masjid Al-Jami (the large Masjid where Jumuah [Friday] Prayers are held), if possible.According to the soundest views of scholars, there is no specific time for Itikaf and it is not conditional to fast during it, though it is better to fast. According to the Sunnah, Itikaf begins with one having the intention to observe it and it ends when the period intended ends. It is permissible for a person to interrupt Itikaf when necessary, since it is an act of Sunnah, and it is not obligatory unless one vows to observe it. Besides, it is desirable to observe Itikaf on the last ten days of Ramadan, following the example of the Prophet (peace be upon him).Then, it is also desirable to begin Itikaf after the Fajr (Dawn) Prayer of the twenty-first day, following the example of the Prophet (peace be upon him).(Part No. 15; Page No. 443)Moreover, the period of Itikaf ends when the ten days of Ramadan are over. A person who observes Itikaf is not to be blamed if they end it before the intended time, unless it is vowed. It is also preferable for a person to choose a special place in the Masjid for rest. It is recommended to frequently maintain Dhikr (Remembrance of Allah), recital of the Qur'an, seeking forgiveness from Allah, making Dua' (supplications), and offering Salah at times when it is not forbidden. There is no harm if the one observing Itikaf has their friends visit and talk to them. Some of the Mothers of the Believers used to visit the Prophet (peace be upon him) and talk to him while he was observing Itikaf. Once, he was visited by Safiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) while he was observing Itikaf during Ramadan, and he (peace be upon him) then walked her to the door after her visit. This shows that there is no harm in visiting those who observe I`tikaf. The act of the Prophet (peace be upon him) shows his perfect modesty and his good manner with his wives.May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, Companions, and those who uprightly follow him.

http://www.alifta.net/Fatawa/FatawaChapters.aspx?languagename=en&View=Page&PageID=3009&PageNo=1&BookID=14

#Learn #Fundamentals

When does the last third of the night begin and end? - Shaykh Ibn Baaz https://abdurrahman.org/2014/06/03/when-does-the-last-third-of-the-night-begin-and-end-shaykh-ibn-baaz/ via @AbdurRahmanOrg

A Must read !

https://abdurrahman.org/2010/08/19/must-read-why-we-should-seek-laylatul-qadr-on-all-of-the-last-ten-nights-of-ramadan/

Beneficial 8 min clip related to Tawheed and Shirk

https://abdurrahman.org/2016/06/23/requesting-forgiveness-from-the-prophet/

Better than acquiring two she camels

🔹Concerning I`tikaaf 1️⃣

1. ‘Itikaaf (secluding oneself in the masjid) is a recommended act in Ramadaan as well as any other day in the year. The source for that is found in Allaah’s saying: “…while you are making ‘Itikaaf in the masaajid.” And there are also many authentic ahaadeeth concerning the Prophet’s (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) ‘Itikaaf and narrations from the Salaf concerning that also. They are mentioned in the Musnnaf’s of Ibn Abee Shaibah and ‘Abdur-Razzaaq.

It is authentically established that the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) made ‘Itikaaf in the last ten days of Shawaal,[1] and that ‘Umar RAA said to the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam): “I made an oath (to Allaah) in the Days of Ignorance that I would make ‘Itikaaf for one night in the Masjid Al-Haraam?” So the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) said: “Fulfill your oath.” So he made ‘Itikaaf one night. [2]

2. Observing it in Ramadaan is established in the hadeeth of Abu Hurairah RAA: “Allaah’s Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) would make ‘Itikaaf for ten days in every Ramadaan. But when it was the year in which he died, he made ‘Itikaaf for twenty days.” [3]

3. The best time to do it is in the last part of Ramadaan because the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) would make ‘Itikaaf during the last ten days of Ramadaan until Allaah took his soul (in death). [4]

It’s Conditions:

1. It’s observance is not legislated except in the masaajid, based on Allaah’s saying: “And do not have intercourse with them (your wives) while you are making ‘Itikaaf in the masaajid.” [5] And ‘Aa’ishah said: “The Sunnah for the one doing ‘Itikaaf is that he should not go out (of the masjid) except for some need that he must fulfill. He should not witness a funeral, nor should he touch his wife, or have intercourse with her. And there is no ‘Itikaaf except in a masjid that establishes the Jamaa’ah (congregational prayer). And the Sunnah for the one doing ‘Itikaaf is that he should be fasting (on the day he makes ‘Itikaaf).” [6]

2. The masjid should also hold the Jumu’ah prayers so that he is not forced to leave the masjid to pray the Jumu’ah prayer. This is because going out for it is an obligation, based on ‘Aa’ishah’s saying in one report from her of the previous hadeeth: “…and there is no ‘Itikaaf except in a masjid that holds the Jumu’ah prayer.” [7]

Furthermore, I came upon an authentic hadeeth that clearly specifies the “masaajid” mentioned in the previous ayah to mean the three masaajid: Masjid Al-Haraam, Masjid An-Nabawee and Masjid Al-Aqsaa. The hadeeth is: “There is no ‘Itikaaf except in the three masaajid.” [8]

According to what I came across, those among the Salaf who held this opinion were Hudhaifah Ibn Al-Yamaan, Sa’eed Ibn Al-Musayyib and ‘Ataa. However, he (‘Ataa) did not mention Masjid Al-Aqsaa. Others held the opinion that it was any congregating masjid (in which the Jumu’ah prayer is held), without restriction. And yet others disagreed saying it can even be done in the masjid of ones home. And there is no doubt that adhering to what complies with the hadeeth about it is what deserves to be followed. And Allaah, Glorified and Exalted, knows best.

3. It is from the Sunnah for the one making ‘Itikaaf to observe fasting, as has been stated by ‘Aa’ishah RAA. [9]

http://bit.ly/2srvR3g

Ilm4all:
You know you've lost it when you seek knowledge for one of the three:

It was narrated from Ibn Umar and Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنهم that the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ said:

❝Whoever seeks knowledge in order to argue with the foolish, or to show off before the scholars, or to attract people's attention, Allaah will admit him to Hell.❞

📚 [Sunan Ibn Maajah (253, 260) and graded as “Hasan” by Shaikh al-Albaanee. Also reported from Jaabir Ibn Abdullaah and Hudhaifah (254, 259)]

From Abdullaah bin Wahhab who said:

❝I heard Sufyaan at-Thawri say in Makkah: ‘Pleasing the people is a goal which cannot be achieved and seeking the Dunyaa is a goal which cannot be achieved.’❞

[al-Hileeyah, (6/386) | Abbas Abu Yahya (hafidhahullah)]

Iʿtikāf with the Smart Phone! Advice from Shaykh Abdur Razzaq Al Badr

http://mtws.posthaven.com/itikaf-with-the-smart-phone-advice-from-shaykh-abdur-razzaq-al-badr

If the Dunya consists of temporary gold and the Hereafter of eternal sand, then a smart person should choose the eternal sand and ignore the temporary gold, I say: Well then how difficult can our choice be, when we know that the Dunya consists of temporary sand and the Hereafter consists of eternal gold.

- Malik ibn Dinar رحمه الله تعالى

@purificationofonesoul
(Telegram Channel)

Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, in his beneficial work, Lataa’if al-Ma’aarif, wrote the following beautiful words:

[الدنيا كلّها شهرُ صيامِ المتقين ، وعيدُ فِطرِهم يوم لقاءِ ربِّهم ، ومعظمُ نهار الصيام قد ذَهَبَ ، وعيدُ اللِّقاء قد اقترَبَ]

The entire dunya is a month of fasting for the muttaqeen, and their ‘Eid al-fitr is the day of meeting their Lord. And most of the days of fasting have already passed, and the ‘Eid of meeting is swiftly approaching.

[Lataa’if al-Ma’aarif pg 85]

Read more here: https://tulayhah.wordpress.com/2014/06/27/the-entire-dunya-is-a-month-of-fasting-for-the-muttaqeen/

🌸https://news.1rj.ru/str/AlAkhawaatTheSisters

"The difference between you and the pious is that they overpower their desires."

Ibn al-Qayyim, Al-Fawa’id, p.76.

🔹Doubt/Misconception 06:

▪️Performing Both Tarāwīḥ and Tahajjud on the Same Night Is Permissible

Over zealousness, the misinterpretation of some texts—such as the statement of ‘Āisha’ (رضي الله عنها): “When the last ten nights [of Ramaḍān] begin, Allāh’s Messenger (ﷺ) would stay awake at night, wake his family, and tighten his waist wrapper”—the differentiation between tarāwīḥ and tahajjud, and the existence of some reports stating that some of the Salaf allowed this led many people to perform both prayers on the same night. However, as was stated previously, there is no difference between these two prayers. Therefore, whoever performs tarāwīḥ with the congregation has already performed qiyām al-layl and tahajjud; hence, there is absolutely no need for him to pray anything else.

Seeking guidance and clarity on this matter, a concerned individual said to Shaykh Muḥammad Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Albānī (رحمه الله): “O Shaykh, people have divided the night prayer in the last ten nights of Ramaḍān [into two]:

[The night prayer that is performed in the first part of the night [i.e. the tarāwīḥ prayer]
The night prayer that is performed in the last part of the night [i.e. the qiyām al-layl or tahajjud prayer]
This has now become a common practice!”58

The Shaykh (رحمه الله) said: “This is a bidʿah [i.e. an innovation]!”

The individual then asked: “What should we do if we wanted to establish the Sunnah and make things easy for the people?”

The Shaykh (رحمه الله) responded: Perform it early, as ʿUmar [ibn al-Khaṭṭab] (رضي الله عنه) said: “Those who delay the prayer are better.” ‘Umar (رضي الله عنه) ordered Ubayy ibn Kaʿb (رضي الله عنه) to establish the night prayer [i.e tarāwīḥ] with the people after the ʿIshāʾ prayer, so he did, and when ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه) went out to look for something, he (رضي الله عنه) said: “What a good innovation this is, but those who are sleeping are better [than those performing it].”

The individual then said: “Should the affair of the night prayer then remain the same as it was before the last ten nights [meaning, should we continue to pray the tarāwīḥ prayer alone in the first part of the night in the last ten nights of Ramaḍān, as we did in the first twenty nights]?”

The Shaykh (رحمه الله) responded: “Yes!”

A youth asked Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Ṣāliḥ al-ʿUthaymīn (رحمه الله): “Am I allowed to pray occasionally in the last third of the night [i.e. pray tahajjud] if I had already prayed tarāwīḥ in the masjid with the congregation?”

The Shaykh (رحمه الله) stated:

Whoever prays with the Imām until he finishes shouldn't pray in the last third of the night because the Companions (رضي الله عنهم) themselves asked the Prophet (ﷺ) to perform supererogatory prayers with them for the remainder of the night, but he (ﷺ) said instead: “Whoever prays with the Imām until he finishes, it will be recorded as if he spent the entire night in prayer.”60 This is what is apparent to me.

This [i.e. his (ﷺ) response] is an indication that an individual shouldn't overburden himself, and that praying with the Imām is sufficient, since the Prophet (ﷺ) didn’t say: “Pray as much as you desire, for the opportunity is there [for you to do so.]” He didn’t say this; instead, he (ﷺ) said: “Whoever prays with the Imām until he finishes, it will be recorded as if he spent the entire night in prayer.”

http://bit.ly/2sge77Z