Bukhari

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had postponed his intention even before entering the place of seclusion (i'tikaf).
This by no means implies that he entered the place of seclusion and then abandoned the intention of i'tikaf.
The meaning is that merely intending something does not make it obligatory.
Since it was the noble habit of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) that whatever action he began, he would persist in it, therefore, he made up for it by performing i'tikaf for ten days in the month of Shawwal. Otherwise, simply making the intention did not make that i'tikaf obligatory upon him, such that its later fulfillment (qada) would be necessary.
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) ordered his wives to dismantle their tents; we have already explained the details of this earlier.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
It is mentioned in Sahih Muslim that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) performed i‘tikaf in the first ten days of Shawwal, whereas the aforementioned hadith mentions performing i‘tikaf in the last ten days of Shawwal. Hafiz Ibn Hajar (rahimahullah) has written:
There is no contradiction between them; performing i‘tikaf in the last ten days means that he (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) completed the i‘tikaf in the last ten days of Shawwal.
(Fath al-Bari: 4/351)
However, a problem arises: if the i‘tikaf was in the first ten days, how could it be completed in the third ten days? The answer to this could be that in the narration of Yahya ibn Sa‘id, it is mentioned that he (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) performed i‘tikaf for twenty days.
(Sunan Abi Dawud, al-Sawm, Hadith: 2464) (2)
The person intending i‘tikaf should arrive at the mosque on the evening of the 20th of Ramadan and spend the night in the mosque. After completing the Fajr prayer the next day, he should enter the place of i‘tikaf, because it is mentioned in the hadith that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) used to perform i‘tikaf in the last ten days.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, al-I‘tikaf, Hadith: 2025)
And the last ten days begin after Maghrib on the 20th of Ramadan. Furthermore, it is narrated from A’ishah (radi Allahu anha) that when the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) intended to perform i‘tikaf, he would enter the place of i‘tikaf after performing the Fajr prayer.
(Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi, al-Sawm, Hadith: 791)
This hadith is also in Bukhari:
“When he (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would perform the morning prayer, he would go to the place where he intended to perform i‘tikaf.”

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
It is understood from the narrations that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) saw four tents there: one was for himself, and three were for the noble wives—Aisha, Hafsa, and Zaynab (radi Allahu anhunna). Since the arrangement of the tents was the responsibility of Aisha (radi Allahu anha), Hafsa (radi Allahu anha) formally sought her permission, but Zaynab (radi Allahu anha) did not feel the need to ask for permission and set up her tent on her own. Most likely, this was also the reason for the Messenger of Allah’s (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) disapproval. He ordered that all the tents be taken down. In any case, from this hadith, the permissibility of erecting tents in the mosque for i'tikaf (spiritual retreat) is established. This is precisely the objective of Imam Bukhari (rahimahullah). (Fath al-Bari: 4/350)

(2)
It is also understood from this that merely making the intention for i'tikaf does not make i'tikaf obligatory. However, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) made up for it in the month of Shawwal as a recommended act, because whatever deed he began, he would persist in it. But regarding the noble wives, there is no indication that they also performed i'tikaf in the month of Shawwal. (Fath al-Bari: 4/352)

Hadith Commentary: Al-Isma‘ili said: In this is evidence for the permissibility of i‘tikaf (spiritual retreat) without fasting, because the first of Shawwal is the day of Eid al-Fitr, and fasting on it is forbidden.
That is, in this hadith there is proof that i‘tikaf is valid even without fasting, since the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) performed i‘tikaf in the first ten days of Shawwal,
which includes the day of Eid al-Fitr,
on which fasting is prohibited.

Hafiz (rahimahullah) says:
Indeed, a woman should not perform i‘tikaf except with her husband's permission, and if she performs i‘tikaf without his permission, he has the right to remove her. In this is also the permissibility of pitching tents in the mosque for i‘tikaf, and that it is better for women not to perform i‘tikaf in the mosque. Also, in this is that the beginning of the time in which the person performing i‘tikaf enters his place is after the Fajr prayer, and this is the view of al-Awza‘i. The four Imams and a group of scholars said that he should enter his place before sunset, and they interpreted the mentioned hadith to mean that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) entered from the beginning of the night, but he secluded himself in the place he had designated for i‘tikaf after the Fajr prayer, etc.

That is, a woman should not perform i‘tikaf without her husband's permission, and if she does so without permission, the husband has the right to terminate her i‘tikaf.
And it is permissible to set up tents in the mosques for i‘tikaf, and it is better for women not to perform i‘tikaf in the mosques. The time for the person performing i‘tikaf to enter his place is after the Fajr prayer;
this is the view of al-Awza‘i. However, the four Imams and a group of scholars hold that he should enter his place before sunset, and they explained the mentioned hadith to mean that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) entered at the beginning of the night, but entered the place he had specified for i‘tikaf after Fajr.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has established from this hadith the legitimacy (mashru‘iyyah) of i‘tikaf (spiritual retreat) for women. He has also proven that the arrangement for women’s i‘tikaf should also be in the mosque, because if i‘tikaf at home were permissible, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would have instructed them to perform i‘tikaf in their own homes. But he did not do so; rather, he cancelled the program of i‘tikaf for that Ramadan altogether, and only made up for it in Shawwal by performing i‘tikaf for ten days.

(2)
The following are the conditions for women to perform i‘tikaf in the mosque:
٭ There must be a separate arrangement for women, such that there remains absolutely no possibility of mixing with men, because Allah and His Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam have not approved of the intermingling of men and women.
٭ Permission must be obtained from the husband or guardian to sit for i‘tikaf; otherwise, the i‘tikaf will not be valid. In fact, without permission, instead of reward, there is a risk of sin.
٭ There should be no likelihood of the specific days (i.e., menstruation) occurring during the i‘tikaf. Every woman knows her own cycle and must pay special attention to this matter.
٭ There should be no risk of any kind of fitnah (temptation or discord) or corruption. Otherwise, she should arrange to worship at home, but worship at home is not considered a legal (shar‘i) i‘tikaf.
٭ There should be proper arrangements for food, drink, and other necessities of life so that there is no need to go outside. Men are permitted to leave the mosque when necessary, but such permission for women can be a cause of fitnah.
٭ Women who perform i‘tikaf must avoid means of entertainment, and likewise, keeping a mobile phone with them to remain in constant contact with family members is contrary to the spirit of i‘tikaf.

(3)
Some people derive from this hadith the issue that sunnah i‘tikaf is not legislated for women, arguing that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam forbade them from i‘tikaf. However, the reasons for this prohibition were as follows:
٭ The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam feared that they were doing so out of mutual jealousy as co-wives. In this way, there was a risk that the purpose of i‘tikaf would be lost due to ostentation (riya’).
٭ Solitude is intended in i‘tikaf, but when the noble wives (azwaj mutahharat) pitched their tents there, it became like a household situation, so he forbade them. There was a concern that, seeing this, the rest of the noble wives would also set up their own tents in the mosque, which would make the space cramped and cause inconvenience to the worshippers. Therefore, he forbade them.
(Fath al-Bari: 4/351)

Benefits and Issues:
➊ Building a chamber for i‘tikaf (spiritual retreat) is recommended so that the person observing i‘tikaf (mu‘takif) may remain secluded from others in that place and remain engaged in supererogatory prayers (nawafil), recitation of the Noble Qur’an, and remembrance (adhkar), etc. He should neither mix with people without necessity, nor should others distract him.

➋ Women should also perform i‘tikaf in mosques. Performing i‘tikaf at home is not established from the best generations (khayr al-quroon). The place of worship in the home cannot technically be called a mosque (masjid), nor do the rulings applicable to a well-known mosque apply to it.

➌ In acts of goodness, the fundamental objective should be sincerity (ikhlas) and seeking the pleasure of Allah alone. In the aforementioned action of the noble wives (azwaj mutahharat), the aspect of emulation (rivalry) was predominant, which, although praiseworthy for the general members of the ummah, the status of the wives of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is higher than that. Therefore, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam did not approve of it, and this is the meaning of the well-known saying: “The good deeds of the righteous are considered shortcomings for those brought near (to Allah)” (hasanat al-abrar sayyi’at al-muqarrabin), i.e., sometimes the ordinary righteous deeds of the general righteous are counted as doubts and deficiencies for those who are close (to Allah).

➍ If the husband is not pleased, the woman should terminate her i‘tikaf.

➎ Making up (qada) for a missed or broken i‘tikaf is recommended (mustahabb), not obligatory (wajib). As is evident from the fact that there is no statement regarding the noble wives being made to make up that i‘tikaf.

➏ Fasting (sawm) is not a condition during i‘tikaf outside of Ramadan.

➐ When should i‘tikaf begin? There is no explicit clarification of this in the hadiths. In this hadith, it is only mentioned that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would enter the chamber of i‘tikaf after performing the Fajr prayer. In other narrations, it is mentioned that he would observe i‘tikaf during the last ten days of Ramadan. Based on this, most scholars say that the person observing i‘tikaf should enter the mosque before Maghrib on the 20th of Ramadan, spend the night in the mosque, and after performing the Fajr prayer, enter the chamber of i‘tikaf. By doing so, his last ten days of Ramadan will be spent in i‘tikaf, and both aforementioned narrations will be acted upon. On the other hand, some people say that i‘tikaf should begin after the Fajr prayer on the 20th of Ramadan, because the hadith explicitly mentions the Prophet entering the chamber of i‘tikaf after the Fajr prayer. However, in this way, if Ramadan is 30 days, the i‘tikaf becomes 11 days, which cannot be called “ten” (ashrah), whereas the practice of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is reported as i‘tikaf of the last ten days. Therefore, the first opinion is more correct and sound. And Allah knows best.

710. Commentary:

➊ I'tikaf (spiritual retreat) is an act of worship and is not possible without seclusion; therefore, it is necessary to set up a tent.

➋ The wives of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam were more than one, and, as is natural among co-wives, there was sometimes rivalry between them. As a result of this rivalry, Zaynab radi Allahu anha had a tent set up, thinking, "Why should I be left behind in attaining this virtue?" Allah! Allah! Even the competition among righteous people is for the increase of good deeds, but you (the Prophet) did not tolerate this rivalry, and thus you yourself suspended your intention of i'tikaf.

➌ If someone makes the intention and resolve for i'tikaf but some obstacle arises, it is appropriate to make it up (qada), even if it is after Ramadan.

➍ The real reason for the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam having the tents removed was the rivalry and competition among the Mothers of the Believers, as is indicated by the hadith. Some scholars are of the opinion that this ruling was due to women performing i'tikaf in the mosque, especially when there is a risk of intermingling with men, even if their husbands are also in i'tikaf. However, it is worth considering that if the issue was one of impermissibility, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would have stopped them at the very beginning, and not said at the end, "...are they intending righteousness...?"

➎ Among the Hanafis, it is customary for women to perform i'tikaf in their homes, but this is without evidence. According to the Qur'an and Hadith, i'tikaf can only be performed in the mosque. The practice of the noble wives radi Allahu anhunna also supports this, so a woman should perform i'tikaf only in the mosque, not at home. However, it is necessary that there be no fear of any kind of temptation (fitnah). Nowadays, in some large central mosques, such secure arrangements have been made for women that there is no intermingling with men and there is no danger to their honor and chastity, so in such places, there is allowance for this. And Allah knows best.

Benefits and Issues:
➊ It is Sunnah to set up a screened-off place in the mosque for i'tikaf (spiritual retreat) and to perform i'tikaf in it.

➋ I'tikaf takes place in the mosque.

➌ Women can also perform i'tikaf, but for them as well, the place of i'tikaf is the mosque. However, the mosque should be such that there is a reasonable arrangement for women to be completely separate from men in all matters, so that at no stage do they intermingle with men.

➍ Among women, there is a habit of competing with one another, especially co-wives who are often jealous of each other. If any issue arises from this, it should be resolved with wisdom.

➎ If one has firmly intended to perform i'tikaf and has set up a place in the mosque, but then a valid excuse arises, it is permissible to leave the i'tikaf.

➏ The missed i'tikaf of Ramadan can be made up in another month as well.

571 Lexical Explanation:
«صَلَّي الْفَجَرْ» refers to performing the morning prayer, meaning the Fajr prayer of the twenty-first of Ramadan.
«ثُمَّ دَخَلَ مُعْتَكَفَهُ» is a noun of place, meaning the place of one’s seclusion (i‘tikaf). After the Fajr prayer, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would completely cut himself off from everyone and seclude himself in this place. This does not mean that this is the time when i‘tikaf begins; rather, for i‘tikaf, he would already perform the Maghrib prayer of the twenty-first in the mosque and spend the night there with the intention of i‘tikaf. When he performed the morning prayer, he would then proceed to the specific place of seclusion for i‘tikaf, as Imam Nawawi rahimahullah has explicitly stated. This interpretation of the hadith is necessary so that this narration and the subsequent narrations can be reconciled, in which it is clarified that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam used to perform i‘tikaf during the last ten days of Ramadan. *

Benefit:
It is established from this hadith that a wife will seek permission from her husband before sitting for i'tikaf (spiritual retreat). If she receives permission, she may observe i'tikaf; otherwise, she will not. Performing i'tikaf for the sake of showing off is not permissible, because ostentation becomes a sin. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam did not possess knowledge of the unseen; that is why he sallallahu alayhi wa sallam asked: "Whose tents are these?" Women, too, will perform i'tikaf only in the mosque. If, for some reason, i'tikaf cannot be observed during Ramadan, it is permissible to observe i'tikaf during any ten days of the year. Another important issue established from this hadith is that i'tikaf does not become obligatory merely by making an intention. Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah says: "Wa fihi anna al-i'tikaf la yajibu bil-niyyah" ("And in this hadith, it is also [established] that i'tikaf does not become obligatory merely by intention"). (Fath al-Bari: 4/349) Intention is related to the heart, not to the tongue.