موطا امام مالك رواية يحييٰ
Muwatta Imam Malik (Riwayat Yahya)
كتاب الاعتكافBook: On the Explanation of I'tikaf (Spiritual Retreat)
بَابُ ذِكْرِ الِاعْتِكَافِChapter on mention of i‘tikaf (spiritual retreat)
Hadith 646B7
وَالْمُعْتَكِفُ مُشْتَغِلٌ بِاعْتِكَافِهِ لَا يَعْرِضُ لِغَيْرِهِ مِمَّا يَشْتَغِلُ بِهِ مِنَ التِّجَارَاتِ أَوْ غَيْرِهَا ، وَلَا بَأْسَ بِأَنْ يَأْمُرَ الْمُعْتَكِفُ بِبَعْضِ حَاجَتِهِ بِضَيْعَتِهِ وَمَصْلَحَةِ أَهْلِهِ ، وَأَنْ يَأْمُرَ بِبَيْعِ مَالِهِ أَوْ بِشَيْءٍ لَا يَشْغَلُهُ فِي نَفْسِهِ ، فَلَا بَأْسَ بِذَلِكَ إِذَا كَانَ خَفِيفًا أَنْ يَأْمُرَ بِذَلِكَ مَنْ يَكْفِيهِ إِيَّاهُ
Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said: I have not heard from any person of knowledge who attaches any condition to i'tikaf. Rather, i'tikaf is also an act among the acts of goodness, like prayer, fasting, and Hajj. Whether obligatory or voluntary, whoever performs any act of goodness should adopt the way of the Sunnah, and it is not correct that anyone should invent a new way which was not among the earlier Muslims, nor should he create any condition. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, performed i'tikaf, and the Muslims recognized its method by observing his i'tikaf.
