Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) reports this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Whoever walks to see to a need of his brother, it is better for him than performing i'tikaf for ten years. And whoever performs i'tikaf for one day seeking the pleasure of Allah Almighty, Allah Almighty places three trenches between him and the Fire, each trench wider than the distance between the east and the west."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and its chain is jayyid (good).