The Time for Practicing I‘tikaaf
The majority of scholars are of the opinion that it is an act of Sunnah (recommended) to practice I‘tikaaf (seclusion in the mosque) in Ramadan or any other time. However, some of the Maaliki scholars say it is an act of Sunnah only in Ramadan and simply permissible at any other time. The preponderant opinion is that it is indeed permissible in Ramadan and other months and the best and most confirmed time to practise I‘tikaaf is in the last ten days of Ramadan.
The Shortest Time for I‘tikaaf
Scholars hold differing opinions regarding the shortest time of I‘tikaaf. Some say that the shortest I‘tikaaf is ten days, others say it is a day and night, another group say it is a day or night, while a last group say that it is a moment. The predominant opinion, which is supported by evidence, is that the shortest time of I‘tikaaf is a day or night. This is supported by the Hadeeth of ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, where he told the Messenger of Allah, , that he had made a vow to make I‘tikaaf for a night, and in another narration, for a day, and the Prophet, , ordered him to fulfill his vow. Both narrations are authentic. Hence, we say that the shortest time of I‘tikaaf is a day or night because it is an act of worship and this is the shortest time reported in texts of the Sharee‘ah.
As for what some scholars say, that it could be only a moment, then this cannot be called I‘tikaaf and it is not built on evidence. If one stays in the mosque waiting for a prayer, then this is something permissible anyway and one will further be rewarded for doing so because of the Hadeeth where the Prophet, , said: “Waiting for a prayer after a prayer is indeed Jihaad, it is indeed Jihaad.” However, we cannot call this I‘tikaaf. There is a difference between waiting for the prayer in the mosque, which is an act of Sunnah (recommendation) for which one is rewarded, and the I‘tikaaf which we are talking about here and which has rulings, conditions and etiquettes. To sum up, the soundest, clearest and strongest opinion in this regard that is supported by evidence is that the shortest time of I‘tikaaf is a day or night as indicated by the Hadeeth of ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him. As for the maximum time limit of I‘tikaaf, then there is none. This is supported by the fact that the wife of ‘Imraan vowed to Allah what was in her womb to be dedicated to His service. She presented Maryam, may Allah exalt her mention, as a gift to the mosque to stay therein and Allah accepted her gift as mentioned in the verses of the Soorah of Aal ‘Imraan (which mean):
· {[Mention, O Muhammad], when the wife of ‘Imraan said, "My Lord, indeed I have pledged to You what is in my womb, consecrated [for Your service], so accept this from me. Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing."} [Quran 3:35]
· {So her Lord accepted her with good acceptance and caused her to grow in a good manner and put her in the care of Zakariyya (Zechariah). Every time Zakariyya entered upon her in the prayer chamber, he found with her provision.} [Quran 3:37]
It is clear from the verses that she was in I‘tikaaf in the mosque because, as mentioned at the beginning of the verse, her mother vowed her to Allah, in other words, she put her in the mosque to be dedicated to the service of the mosque and Bayt Al-Maqdis (The Holy Mosque in Jerusalem) . Allah accepted Maryam from her and she remained in the mosque. Hence, it is permissible for one to vow to Allah to stay in Al-Bayt Al-Haraam or in any other mosque on condition that he would not thereby neglect an obligation or commit a prohibition as stated by scholars.
When Should One Enter His Place of I‘tikaaf?
There are two strong opinions on this issue. The majority of scholars are of the opinion that one should enter the place of I‘tikaaf before the sunset of the twentieth day of Ramadan so as to be actually making I‘tikaaf the last ten nights of Ramadan because the Prophet, , urged Muslims to make I‘tikaaf on the last ten nights of Ramadan, and whoever enters the mosque after sunset is not considered to have made I‘tikaaf the whole ten nights. The other opinion states that one should enter his place of I‘tikaaf after the Fajr (Dawn) Prayer of the twenty-first day. Those who hold this opinion base their stance on the Hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, where she mentioned that when intending to make I‘tikaaf for the last ten nights of Ramadan, the Prophet, , would offer the Fajr Prayer and then enter his place of I‘tikaaf. If this is true and the Prophet, , would enter his place of I‘tikaaf after the Morning Prayer, then he would have missed the night of the twenty-first day and whoever misses a whole night could not be considered as having made I‘tikaaf for ten nights, especially that the Prophet, , said “nights” not “days”. Added to this, there are many Hadeeths indicating that the twenty-first night of Ramadan could be the Night of Al-Qadr (Divine decree). How can we understand the Hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, and that of Abu Sa‘eed, may Allah be pleased with him, and other Hadeeths referring to the fact that the Prophet, , would make I‘tikaaf on the last ten nights of Ramadan in a consistent manner? It actually is easy to understand them together. The second opinion, that one should enter the place of I‘tikaaf only after the Fajr Prayer, was adopted by prominent scholars, and the first opinion was adopted by the majority of scholars, whose evidence is clearer.
Whenever it is possible to reconcile all proofs together, it will be better than adopting a set of proofs and neglecting other proofs. Scholars have said that the Prophet, , would enter the mosque before the sunset of the twentieth day, offer the night prayers therein and then enter his place of I‘tikaaf - the tent that he had erected inside the mosque for that purpose - after leading people in the Fajr Prayer. This is similar to the Hadeeth where the Prophet, , said: “Hajj is ‘Arafah.”However, we know that Hajj does not only consist of standing in ‘Arafah because whoever only goes to ‘Arafah and does not make Tawaaf (circumambulation) around the Ka‘bah, Sa‘y (walking between As-Safa’ and Al-Marwah) or cast the Jamaraat (stone pillars) or go to Muzdalifah, then his Hajj will not be valid. The Prophet, , said what he did to stress that ‘Arafah is the greatest pillar of Hajj.
The same applies to the tent that is set up in the mosque for the sake of I‘tikaaf, which is inside the mosque, and I‘tikaaf is generally practiced in the mosque. So, the Prophet, , would enter the mosque before the sunset of the twenty-first night and would enter the place of his I‘tikaaf, which was inside the mosque as well, after the Morning Prayer on the twenty-first day. This is how we can combine the evidence of both groups and there will be no more confusion, and all perfect praise be to Allah, and this is the preponderant opinion.
When Could One Come Out Of His Place of I‘tikaaf?
The majority of scholars believe it is favorable for one not to go out of the mosque except when it is time to offer the ‘Eed Prayer. However, if one goes out after sunset of the last day of Ramadan, his I‘tikaaf would be complete, according to scholarly consensus. The majority of scholars are of the view that it is preferable to stay in the mosque until the time when one would go out for the sake of offering the ‘Eed Prayer so that he would be combining one act of worship with another as the majority of the righteous predecessors would do. Nonetheless, if one comes out after the sunset of the last day of Ramadan, there will be no blame on him.