Ruling on Itikaf

Imam Khamenei

Definition:
I’tikaf, in its linguistic sense, means staying or remaining in a place. In Islamic jurisprudence, it refers to staying in a mosque with the intention of worshiping Allah, subject to specific conditions that will be outlined.

Q: When is I’tikaf highly recommended, or in other words, during which times is it considered preferable?
A: I’tikaf does not have a specific time and can be performed at any time. However, it holds greater virtue during the last ten days of the blessed month of Ramadan.

Q: If a person is ill and fasting is harmful for them, can they perform I’tikaf? And if they are in I’tikaf and fast, will they receive a reward?
A: If there is knowledge or reasonable suspicion that fasting will harm the person, then I’tikaf is not valid for them.

Q: Can women perform I’tikaf?
A: I’tikaf is not exclusive to men. However, if the woman’s I’tikaf would result in the loss of her husband’s rights, it is obligatory, as a precaution, for her to seek his permission.

Q: When should the intention for I’tikaf be made? Can it be made at the beginning of the night?
A: The time for the intention of I’tikaf is at the beginning of Fajr (dawn) on the first day. However, making the intention at the beginning of the night is valid only if the person has already started I’tikaf at that time.

Q: Can I’tikaf be interrupted on the first or second day, either due to a reason or without any reason? If I have doubts about interrupting I’tikaf, does that affect my intention, and does it invalidate the I’tikaf? Is it necessary for the intention to be continuous?
A: In the case of a voluntary I’tikaf, it is permissible for the I’tikaf to be interrupted on the first and second day. However, the intention of I’tikaf must continue until the end of the third day.

Q: Is I’tikaf invalid in a mosque other than the Jama’ah mosque? Is it possible for a neighbourhood or area to have a Jama’ah mosque other than the central mosque of the city or village? Can a city have several Jama’ah mosques?
A: As mentioned earlier, I’tikaf is permissible in any mosque, provided it is done with the intention of seeking Allah’s pleasure, especially if it is outside the four major mosques. It is not limited to the Jama’ah mosque, and it is possible for a city or village to have multiple Jama’ah mosques.

Q: Is I’tikaf valid in the courtyard of a mosque?
A: If the courtyard is not considered part of the mosque itself, then I’tikaf is not valid there.

Q: What are the prohibited actions during I’tikaf?
A: The mutakif (one in I’tikaf) must avoid the following actions:

• Smelling pleasant scents, such as perfumes or fragrant plants, even if they are not for personal enjoyment. However, for someone who does not have a sense of smell, this is not an issue.
• Buying and selling.
• Other forms of trade, such as peace-making, renting, partnership, etc. (according to obligatory precaution).
• Arguing and disputing, whether in religious or worldly matters, with the intention of defeating the other or showing superiority. However, if the dispute is for the sake of truth or to prevent the other from following falsehood, it is allowed.
• Sexual and lustful activities, such as kissing, touching, and intercourse.
• Masturbation is also prohibited during I’tikaf, as it is considered a sexual act that goes against the purpose of spiritual purification and devotion during this time.

Ayatollah Sistani

Spiritual Retreat (Iʿtikāf)

Ruling 1. There is no particular time for performing iʿtikāf; rather, whenever it is correct (ṣaḥiḥ) to keep a fast (ṣawm) during the year, performing iʿtikāf at that time is also correct. The best time for performing iʿtikāf is the blessed month of Ramadan, more so during the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan.

Ruling 2. The minimum length of time for iʿtikāf is two nights and three days; less than that is not correct. There is no maximum limit. There is no problem in including the first or the fourth night in the intention of iʿtikāf.

If a person is a muʿtakif [the term given to someone who is performing iʿtikāf] for five full days, he must also be a muʿtakif on the sixth day.

Ruling 3. The starting time for iʿtikāf is the time of morning (ṣubḥ) prayers on the first day, and, based on obligatory precaution (al iḥtiyāṭ al wājib), the finishing time for iʿtikāf is the time of maghrib prayers on the third day. For a valid iʿtikāf to take place, a period equivalent to three days will not suffice; i.e. one cannot be a muʿtakif after the time of ṣubḥ prayers on the first day [and stay in the mosque until the same time on the fourth day] even if he compensates the time lost from the first day on the fourth day; for example, he stays in the mosque from the time of afternoon prayers (ẓuhr) of the first day until the time of afternoon prayers on the fourth day.

Ruling 4. The following are the conditions for a valid iʿtikāf.

i. The muʿtakif must be a Muslim.
ii. The muʿtakif must be sane (ʿāqil).
iii. Iʿtikāf must be performed with the intention of attaining proximity to Allah.
iv. The duration of the iʿtikāf must be a minimum of three days.
v. A muʿtakif must fast during the days of iʿtikāf.
vi. Iʿtikāf must be performed in one of ‘the four mosques’ or a jāmiʿ mosque.
vii. Iʿtikāf must take place in one mosque.
viii. Iʿtikāf must be performed with the permission of one whose permission is legally (sharʿan) required.
ix. A muʿtakif must refrain from doing the unlawful acts of iʿtikāf.
x. A muʿtakif must remain in the place of iʿtikāf and he must not leave it except in cases where leaving is legally permitted.

Ruling 5. A muʿtakif must fast during the days of iʿtikāf. Therefore, iʿtikāf performed by someone who cannot [legally] fast [during those days] – such as a traveller who does not intend to stay somewhere for ten days, a sick person, a woman in menstruation (i.e. a ḥāʾiḍ), and a woman who is experiencing lochia (nifās) – is not correct. Furthermore, on the days of iʿtikāf, it is not necessary to fast especially for performing iʿtikāf; rather, it is acceptable for one to keep any fast-during iʿtikāf, even a fast that one has been hired to keep (istījārī), or a recommended fast, or a lapsed (qaḍāʾ) fast.

Ruling 6. Someone who is performing iʿtikāf must refrain from doing the unlawful acts of iʿtikāf, which are as follows:

1. smelling a pleasant fragrance.
2. having sexual intercourse with one’s spouse.
3. masturbating, having sexual contact with one’s spouse by means of touching, and lustfully kissing (based on obligatory precaution).
4. disputing (mumārāh) and arguing (mujādalah) with others.
5. buying and selling.

Ruling 7. If a muʿtakif intentionally commits an unlawful act of iʿtikāf despite knowing the religious law (al ḥukm al sharʿī), his iʿtikāf becomes invalid.

Ruling 8. If a muʿtakif inadvertently (sahwan) or forgetfully commits an unlawful act of iʿtikāf, it does not invalidate his iʿtikāf in any circumstance.

Ruling 9. Leaving the place of iʿtikāf for necessary and unavoidable matters – such as going to the toilet – is permitted. Leaving the mosque to perform ritual bathing (ghusl) for ritual impurity (janābah) is also permitted; indeed, it is obligatory. Similarly, women are permitted to leave to perform the ghusl for irregular blood discharge (istiḥāḍah). If a woman who is experiencing istiḥāḍah and who must perform ghusl does not do so, the validity of her iʿtikāf is not affected.

Ruling 10. Leaving the place of iʿtikāf to perform ablution (wuḍūʾ) for an obligatory prayer within its prescribed time (adāʾ) is permitted, even if the time for the prayer has not yet set in. Leaving to perform wuḍūʾ for an obligatory qaḍāʾ prayer – in case there is ample time for performing it – is problematic [i.e. based on obligatory precaution, one must not leave in this case].

Ruling 11. In the event that there are facilities for performing wuḍūʾ inside the mosque, a muʿtakif cannot leave the mosque to perform wuḍūʾ.

Ruling 12. If a muʿtakif leaves the mosque to attend to some urgent matter but stays outside for a long time such that the form of his iʿtikāf is lost, his iʿtikāf is invalid even if he was compelled or forced to leave, or if he left because of necessity or due to forgetfulness.

Ruling 13. If a muʿtakif leaves the place of iʿtikāf – intentionally, of his own choice, and while knowing the religious law – for a matter that is neither necessary nor one for which a muʿtakif is permitted to leave, his iʿtikāf becomes invalid.