Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that when he (peace and blessings be upon him) intended to observe i'tikaf, he would pray Fajr and then enter his place of i'tikaf. Once he (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered a tent to be pitched, and it was pitched, as he (peace and blessings be upon him) intended to observe i'tikaf in the last ten (days) of Ramadan. Then Sayyidah Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her) ordered her tent to be pitched, and it was pitched, and the other wives also had tents pitched. When he had prayed Fajr, he (peace and blessings be upon him) saw the tents and said: "Is it piety that they seek?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) had his tent taken down, then he (peace and blessings be upon him) gave up i'tikaf in Ramadan, until he (peace and blessings be upon him) observed i'tikaf in the first ten (days) of Shawwal.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصيام / 8568