I'tikaf in Ramadan

He said, “I have not heard that any of our predecessors used to do that, and the people of knowledge disapprove of it and they are afraid that it might become a bida and that common and ignorant people might join to Ramadan what does not belong to it, if they were to think that the people of knowledge had given permission for that to be done and were seen doing it.

Yahya said that he heard Malik say, ‘I have never heard any of the people of knowledge and fiqh and those whom people take as an example forbidding fasting on the day of jumua. Fasting on it is good, and I have seen one of the people of knowledge fasting it, and it seemed to me that he was keen to do so.’ Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Urwa ibn az- Zubayr from Amra bint Abd ar-Rahman that Aishah, the wife of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,”When the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did itikaf he would bring his head near to me and I would comb it. He would only go into the house to relieve himself.

Malik continued, “Accordingly, it is permissiblefor a man to do itikaf in a mosque where jumua is not held if he does not have to leave it to go to a mosque where jumua is held.”

Malik said, “A person doing itikaf should spend the night only in the mosque where he is doing itikaf, except if his tent is in one of the courtyards of the mosque. I have never heard that someone doing itikaf can put up a shelter anywhere except in the mosque itself or in one of the courtyards of the mosque. Part of what shows that he must spend the night in the mosque is the saying of Aishah, ‘When the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was doing itikaf, he would only go into the house to relieve himself.’

Nor should he do itikaf on the roof of the mosque or in the minaret.” Malik said, “The person who is going to do itikaf should enter the place where he wishes to do itikaf before the sun sets on the night when he wishes to begin his itikaf, so that he is ready to begin the itikaf at the beginning of the night when he is going to start his itikaf.

A person doing itikaf should be occupied with his itikaf, and not turn his attention to other things which might occupy him, such as trading or whatever. There is no harm, however, if some one doing itikaf tells some one to do something for him regarding his estate, or the affairs of his family, or tells someone to sell some property of his, or something else that does not occupy him directly.

There is no harm in him arranging for someone else to do that for him if it is a simple matter.” Malik said, “I have never heard any of the people of knowledge mentioning any modification as far as how to do itikaf is concerned. Itikaf is an act of ibada like the prayer, fasting, the hajj, and such like acts, whether they are obligatory or voluntary.

Anyone who begins doing any of these acts should do them according to what has come down in the sunna. He should not start doing anything in them that the muslims have not done, whether it is a modification that he imposes on others, or one that he begins doing himself. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), may Allah bless him and grant him peace, practised itikaf, and the muslims know what the sunna of itikaf is.”

Malik said, “Itikaf and jiwar are the same, and Itikaf is the same for a village-dweller as it is for a nomad.”

I have not heard that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), may Allah bless him and grant him peace, ever did itikaf other than voluntarily.” Malik said, that if a woman did itikaf and then menstruated during her itikaf, she went back to her house, and, when she was pure again she returned to the mosque, at whatever time it was that she became pure.

She then continued her itikaf from where she left off. This was the same situation as with a woman who had to fast two consecutive months, and who menstruated and then became pure. She then continued the fast from where she had left off and did not delay doing so. Ziyad related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to go to relieve himself in houses. Malik said, “Someone doing itikaf should not leave for his parents funeral or for anything else.”

Marriage is not disapproved of for someone fasting.” “There is, however, a distinction between the marriage of someone in itikaf and that of someone who is muhrim, in that some one who is muhrim can eat, drink, visit the sick and attend funerals, but cannot put on perfume, whilst a man or woman in itikaf can put on oil and perfume and groom their hair, but cannot attend funerals or pray over the dead or visit the sick.

Thus their situations with regard to marriage are different.” “This is the sunna as it has come down to us regarding marriage for those who are muhrim, doing itikaf, or fasting. Yahya related to me from Malik from Yazid ibn Abdullah ibn al- Hadi from Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Harith at-Taymi from Abu Salamah ibn Abd ar-Rahman that Abu Said al-Khudri said, ‘The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to do itikaf in the middle ten days of Ramadan.

One year he was doing itikaf and then, when it came to the night of the twenty-first, which was the night before the morning when he would normally have finished his itikaf, he said, ‘Whoever has done itikaf with me should continue doing itikaf for the last ten days. I saw a certain night and then I was made to forget it. I saw myself prostrating the following morning in water and clay.

Look for it in the last ten days, and look for it on the odd days.’ ‘ Abu Said continued, ‘The sky poured with rain that night and the mosque had a roof (made of palm fronds) and the mosque was soaked. With my own eyes I saw the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), may Allah bless him and grant him peace, leave with traces of water and clay on his forehead and nose, in the morning after the night of the twenty- first.’’’”