The month of Ramadan is a great opportunity to leave our temporary worldly desires and preoccupations behind and return to our essence, that is, to Allah. What is Itikaf, one of the sunnahs of our Prophet (PBUH)? How to enter Itikaf? What are the things that break Itikaf? Theologian Writer Adnan Şensoy answered these frequently asked questions for you.
One of the sunnahs performed by our beloved Prophet (PBUH) during the month of Ramadan, Itikaf, is an act of worship that Muslims who want to bid farewell to Ramadan properly want to do and have done research on how it is performed. When we look at the literal meaning of the word “Itikaf”, it means that a sane and mature Muslim who has reached the age of puberty prays in a mosque where the five daily prayers are performed, and stays for a while in order to gain closeness to Allah. Some hadith sources state that our Prophet (PBUH) would spend the last ten days of Ramadan in Itikaf every year after migrating to Medina, and that even his wives would also spend the rest of the night during that time. (Bukhari) According to what our mother Hz. Aisha (ra) stated, when the Prophet entered Itikaf, he would stay up all night; wake up his family and stay away from women.
In a hadith where the virtues of the act of retreat are mentioned, our Prophet (PBUH) said: “Whoever strives to meet a need of his brother in religion and does that work, it is better for him than remaining in retreat for ten years. However, if someone enters retreat for one day for the sake of Allah, Allah Almighty will create three trenches between him and Hell, each trench being as far apart as the distance between the east and the west.” (Bayhaqi, Suab, III, 424-425. Also see Heysami, VIII, 192)
WHAT IS ITIKAF? WHAT BREAKS IT?
Itikaf can be defined as a period in which a person withdraws into himself. The legitimacy of Itikaf is established by the Quran and the Sunnah. Allah commands in the 187th verse of the Surah Al-Baqarah, “Do not approach women when you are in Itikaf in the mosques .” Yasemin.com reporter Müge Çakmak asked about the subject for you and Theologian Writer Adnan Şensoy answered as follows:
“Sometimes a person needs to isolate himself from everyone and everything and make an individual inner journey; an inner journey as our Yunus said, there is a self inside me, inside me. The greatest Sufi masters have described the most magnificent form of making that inner journey as rabita. Its copy is actually the itikaf of the Messenger of Allah.”
WHAT IS ITIKAF? HOW IS ITIKAF DONE?
Itikaf, which is considered the most virtuous of deeds when performed with sincerity and piety, means that a Muslim servant leaves worldly affairs behind and worships only for a while for the sake of Allah (swt) in order to gain His consent and get closer to Him. It is proven by the hadiths that our Prophet (pbuh) performed this worship in the last ten days of Ramadan, as it is possible to enter the worship of Itikaf by getting away from worldly affairs and returning to our reality, that is, our essence.
ADVICE FOR THOSE WHO WILL ENTRY INTO RELIGIOUS ADMISSION:
When you enter Itikaf, you can wear your cleanest clothes and spray some nice scents on yourself. If you have kohl, which is a Sunnah of the Prophet, at home, you can put it on your eyes.
HOW TO MAKE ITIKAF:
This is achieved when Muslims who want to enter into itikaf start to worship in a mosque or a place that is considered a mosque with the intention of itikaf. A person who will spend his time with deeds such as prayer, reading the Quran, praying, remembering and contemplating, and with conversation or reading that will increase his religious knowledge should not be involved in other matters other than his essential needs. In order for people who will perform itikaf today to separate themselves from worldly matters, they should also not be busy with their phones. They should stop using television, computers, tablets or other worldly activities and completely disconnect from the world. Under normal circumstances, men can perform itikaf in a mosque and women in a corner of their homes, but in exceptional cases, it can also be performed at home. After the essential needs are taken care of, one should immediately return to the place of itikaf.
WHAT ARE THE SITUATIONS THAT BREAK UP THE ITIQAF? WHAT CAN’T BE DONE DURING ITIQAF?
A Muslim who wants to enter into retreat must meet certain conditions in order to perform this act of worship. So what are these conditions? Here are the points you need to know when entering into retreat:
- Intention: A person makes the intention of itikaf by saying , “I intend to perform itikaf for this period of time in this mosque (place) for the sake of Allah (swt) . Although thinking it through the heart is also considered as an intention, it may be a more correct behavior to confess it with both the heart and the tongue.
- A man should perform itikaf in the mosque where he prays.
- Fasting: Fasting is a must for obligatory itikaf, which is among the types of itikaf.
- Women should not have menstrual periods or postnatal bleeding (The state of being in a state of impurity does not prevent fasting. If a person who is in retreat has a wet dream in the mosque, their retreat is not broken.)
Our Prophet says in a hadith:
”He cannot go out for the funeral prayer. He can leave the mosque or masjid he is in to go to another mosque if he fears that he or his property will be harmed or if he is forced out. If he leaves the mosque outside of these obligatory situations, his itikaf is broken.” (Marghinani, al-Hidayah, II, 291-293).
WHAT ARE THE SITUATIONS THAT BREAK THE ITIQAF?
- Having sexual intercourse. Allah (swt) says , “Do not approach your wives while you are in retreat in the mosques” (al-Baqarah, 2/187).
- If the act of dhikr occurs due to situations such as kissing or hugging, i’tikaf is broken.
- Leaving the mosque when it is not necessary
- To faint,
- According to the Shafi’i school of thought, going out to visit the sick or to perform funeral prayers.
HOW MANY TYPES ARE THERE? TYPES OF ITIKAF
- Obligatory Itikaf: Itikaf, which is a vow, is obligatory. It is at least one day and the day is spent fasting.
- Sunnah Itikaf: It is performed during the last ten days of Ramadan. According to the narration of Hz. Aisha, our Prophet (PBUH) performed Itikaf during the last ten days of the month of Ramadan from the time fasting was made obligatory until the end of his life (Ahmad b. Hanbel, Musnad, II, 67, 129). When one of the Muslims in the settlement performs this act of worship, this duty is relieved from the others.
- Recommended Itikab: Itikabs other than obligatory and sunnah Itikabs. There is no specific time. It can be done even from the moment a person enters the mosque until he leaves. (With the condition of intention) Fasting is not a requirement.
