Is Iʿtikaf Limited to the Three Mosques? – Verification of the “Lā Iʿtikāf” Narration
📚 Source: Fatawa ʿIlmiyyah (Tawdih al-Ahkam), Vol. 2, p. 153
Question
It is said that the narration “Lā Iʿtikāf” is weak. What is your research on this matter?
Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
Scholarly Analysis
Imam Abu Hatim al-Razi’s Research
❖ Imam Abu Hatim al-Razi graded a hadith containing the phrase “Lā Iʿtikāf” as weak.
❖ Reason: In this narration, the narrator Sufyan ibn ʿUyaynah did not explicitly state that he heard it directly (samaʿ) from his teacher.
❖ References:
- ʿIlal al-Hadith, Vol. 1, p. 32, Hadith 60
- Manuscript 18
- Fawaʾid fi Kitab al-ʿIlal by al-Muʿallimi, p. 29
Shaykh Nasir bin Hamad al-Fahd’s Research
❖ Shaykh al-Fahd writes:
“This indicates that Ibn ʿUyaynah would sometimes practice tadlis from weak narrators.”
❖ Reference: Manhaj al-Mutaqaddimin fi al-Tadlis, p. 36
Shaykh ʿAbdullah bin ʿAbdul-Rahman al-Saʿd’s Comment
❖ The well-known Saudi scholar Shaykh al-Saʿd endorsed the above work, supporting the conclusion that this narration contains weakness.
Conclusion
Based on these scholarly references, the narration:
“لَا اعْتِكَافَ إِلَّا فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ الثَّلَاثَةِ“
“There is no Iʿtikaf except in the three mosques.”
— is weak.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
