✿ Issues Related to Iʿtikāf ✿
✍ Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
There is no fixed minimum duration prescribed for iʿtikāf.
[Al-Lubāb fī ʿUlūm al-Kitāb – Tafsīr al-Qurʾān: 3/320]
Imām Shawkānī رحمه الله also preferred this view.
[Al-Sayl al-Jarrār: 2/136]
It is permissible to place a cot or bedding in the place of iʿtikāf, as this practice is reported from the Prophet ﷺ in Sunan Ibn Mājah.
[Ḍaʿīf: Ḍaʿīf Ibn Mājah: 392, Kitāb al-Ṣiyām: Bāb fī al-Muʿtakif Yalzam Makānan min al-Masjid; Ibn Mājah: 1774; Ibn Khuzaymah: 2336]
Ḥāfiẓ Būṣayrī رحمه الله graded the narration ṣaḥīḥ.
[Al-Zawāʾid: 2/243]
It is permissible for the wife to visit her husband in the mosque, comb his hair, and even wash his head, as evidenced by the following narrations:
➊ Ṣafiyyah رضي الله عنها visited the Prophet ﷺ in the mosque while he was in iʿtikāf.
[Bukhārī: 2038, Kitāb al-Iʿtikāf: Bāb Ziyārat al-Marʾah Zawjahā fī Iʿtikāfih]
➋ The Prophet ﷺ would be in iʿtikāf and ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها would comb his hair.
[Bukhārī: 2029, Kitāb al-Iʿtikāf: Bāb Yadkhul al-Bayt illā li-Ḥājah; Muslim: 297]
➌ ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها, during her menstrual period, would wash the Prophet ﷺ’s head while he was in iʿtikāf.
[Bukhārī: 2031, Kitāb al-Iʿtikāf: Bāb Ghusl al-Muʿtakif]
The person observing iʿtikāf may touch his wife without lust, as clearly indicated in the previously mentioned authentic narrations.
Women are also allowed to perform iʿtikāf.
[Al-Mughnī: 4/464]
This matter has already been discussed in detail in earlier sections.
Note: There is no evidence in the Sharīʿah for women to perform iʿtikāf inside their homes.
Yes, a woman suffering from istihāḍah (non-menstrual bleeding) may validly perform iʿtikāf. This is based on the narration of ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها, who reported:
A woman from the Prophet ﷺ’s wives (Umm Salamah رضي الله عنها) who was experiencing istihāḍah, performed iʿtikāf with the Prophet ﷺ. She would see redness and yellowish discharge, and a vessel would be placed beneath her, while she continued to pray.
[Bukhārī: 2037, Kitāb al-Iʿtikāf: Bāb Iʿtikāf al-Mustaḥāḍah]
✍ Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
❖ Minimum Duration of Iʿtikāf
There is no fixed minimum duration prescribed for iʿtikāf.
[Al-Lubāb fī ʿUlūm al-Kitāb – Tafsīr al-Qurʾān: 3/320]Imām Shawkānī رحمه الله also preferred this view.
[Al-Sayl al-Jarrār: 2/136]❖ Use of Bedding or Cot Inside the Place of Iʿtikāf
It is permissible to place a cot or bedding in the place of iʿtikāf, as this practice is reported from the Prophet ﷺ in Sunan Ibn Mājah.
[Ḍaʿīf: Ḍaʿīf Ibn Mājah: 392, Kitāb al-Ṣiyām: Bāb fī al-Muʿtakif Yalzam Makānan min al-Masjid; Ibn Mājah: 1774; Ibn Khuzaymah: 2336]Ḥāfiẓ Būṣayrī رحمه الله graded the narration ṣaḥīḥ.
[Al-Zawāʾid: 2/243]❖ Wife Visiting the Husband in the Mosque and Grooming Him
It is permissible for the wife to visit her husband in the mosque, comb his hair, and even wash his head, as evidenced by the following narrations:
➊ Ṣafiyyah رضي الله عنها visited the Prophet ﷺ in the mosque while he was in iʿtikāf.
[Bukhārī: 2038, Kitāb al-Iʿtikāf: Bāb Ziyārat al-Marʾah Zawjahā fī Iʿtikāfih]➋ The Prophet ﷺ would be in iʿtikāf and ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها would comb his hair.
[Bukhārī: 2029, Kitāb al-Iʿtikāf: Bāb Yadkhul al-Bayt illā li-Ḥājah; Muslim: 297]➌ ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها, during her menstrual period, would wash the Prophet ﷺ’s head while he was in iʿtikāf.
[Bukhārī: 2031, Kitāb al-Iʿtikāf: Bāb Ghusl al-Muʿtakif]❖ Touching One’s Wife Without Desire
The person observing iʿtikāf may touch his wife without lust, as clearly indicated in the previously mentioned authentic narrations.
❖ Women May Also Perform Iʿtikāf
Women are also allowed to perform iʿtikāf.
[Al-Mughnī: 4/464]This matter has already been discussed in detail in earlier sections.
Note: There is no evidence in the Sharīʿah for women to perform iʿtikāf inside their homes.❖ Can Women with Istihāḍah Perform Iʿtikāf?
Yes, a woman suffering from istihāḍah (non-menstrual bleeding) may validly perform iʿtikāf. This is based on the narration of ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها, who reported:
A woman from the Prophet ﷺ’s wives (Umm Salamah رضي الله عنها) who was experiencing istihāḍah, performed iʿtikāf with the Prophet ﷺ. She would see redness and yellowish discharge, and a vessel would be placed beneath her, while she continued to pray.
[Bukhārī: 2037, Kitāb al-Iʿtikāf: Bāb Iʿtikāf al-Mustaḥāḍah]
