Source:
Fatāwā Muḥammadiyyah, Vol. 1, Page 580
Question:
Is it permissible for a woman to perform iʿtikāf (spiritual retreat) at home? Please explain the ruling in the light of the Qur’an and Sunnah.
Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
Sharʿī Ruling
A woman cannot perform iʿtikāf at home under any circumstance.
For an iʿtikāf to be valid, staying in the masjid (mosque) is an essential condition.
Therefore, any iʿtikāf observed outside the mosque — whether in the home or elsewhere — is invalid according to the Qur’an, authentic Hadith, and the consensus (ijmāʿ) of scholars.
Qur’anic Evidence
Allah Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an:
وَلَا تُبَاشِرُوهُنَّ وَأَنتُمْ عَاكِفُونَ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ ۗ تِلْكَ حُدُودُ اللَّهِ فَلَا تَقْرَبُوهَا...
“Do not approach your wives while you are in iʿtikāf in the mosques. These are the limits set by Allah, so do not transgress them.”
(Sūrat al-Baqarah, 2:187)
Explanation by Imām al-Bukhārī رحمه الله
Imām al-Bukhārī, in his Ṣaḥīḥ, established a chapter entitled:
بَابُ الِاعْتِكَافِ فِي الْعَشْرِ الأَوَاخِرِ، وَالِاعْتِكَافِ فِي المَسَاجِدِ كُلِّهَا
“Chapter: Iʿtikāf in the Last Ten Days (of Ramaḍān), and that Iʿtikāf is to be done in the mosques.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Vol. 1, p. 671, Kitāb al-Ṣawm)
This heading itself proves that iʿtikāf is only valid in a mosque, as the verse explicitly mentions “in the mosques”.
Thus, the consensus of scholars holds that iʿtikāf outside a mosque is invalid.
The Case of a Woman with Istihāḍah (Non-Menstrual Bleeding)
Even for a woman suffering from istihāḍah (continuous, non-menstrual bleeding), iʿtikāf is only valid if performed in the mosque — not at home.
Imām al-Bukhārī also established a chapter:
بَابُ اعْتِكَافِ الْمُسْتَحَاضَةِ
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Vol. 1, p. 673)
Hadith Evidence
Narration of ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها:
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ:
«اعْتَكَفَتْ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ امْرَأَةٌ مِنْ أَزْوَاجِهِ مُسْتَحَاضَةٌ، فَكَانَتْ تَرَى الحُمْرَةَ وَالصُّفْرَةَ، فَرُبَّمَا وَضَعْنَا الطَّسْتَ تَحْتَهَا وَهِيَ تُصَلِّي»
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Vol. 1, p. 673)
Translation:
ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها said:
“One of the wives of the Prophet ﷺ (Umm Salamah رضي الله عنها) performed iʿtikāf with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ while she was suffering from non-menstrual bleeding (istihāḍah).
She would see traces of blood, and we would sometimes place a bowl under her while she prayed.”
This authentic ḥadīth clearly demonstrates that even a woman in istihāḍah performed iʿtikāf in the mosque, not at home.
Summary of the Ruling
◈ The condition for a valid iʿtikāf — for both men and women — is staying in the mosque.
◈ Iʿtikāf performed at home is invalid in Sharīʿah.
◈ The Ḥanafī opinion, which permits women to perform iʿtikāf at home, has no authentic evidence — neither from the Prophet ﷺ nor from any reliable narration.
◈ Not even a weak ḥadīth supports that view.
Therefore:A woman may only perform iʿtikāf in a mosque, provided the mosque has a designated, private area for women.
Any iʿtikāf performed at home is not valid according to the Qur’an, Sunnah, and the consensus of the early scholars.
هٰذَا مَا عِندِي وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
This is what I hold to be correct, and Allah knows best what is right.
