CAN WOMEN PERFORM ITIKAAF IN THEIR HOMES ?

A common Practice in todays time is that during the last Ten days of Ramadhan , women seclude themselves in a portion of their homes and claim that they are performing the Sunnah practice of Itikaaf 

As Muslims , we know that our religion is taken from the Qur’an and the Sunnah with the understanding of the salaf 

Was this practice of making Itikaaf in the homes for women practiced in the early generations of islaam ? 

The Answer is NO 

Allah the exalted said in the Qur’an : 

وَلَا تُبَـٰشِرُوهُنَّ وَأَنتُمۡ عَـٰكِفُونَ فِی ٱلۡمَسَـٰجِدِۗ

And do not have sexual relations with them (your wives) while you are in I‘tikaaf in the masajid

[ Surah Baqarah : 187]

This Ayah proves that Itikaaf can only be done in the Masaajid where daily salaah takes place 

The Majority of Scholars have stated that just as it is not valid for a man to perform Itikaaf at home , the same applies for women 

‎The wives of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم asked him for permission to observe i’tikaaf in the masjid and he gave them permission and they used to observe i’tikaaf in the Masjid after he صلى الله عليه وسلم passed away 

‎If it were permissible for a woman to observe i’tikaaf in her house, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم would have told them to do that

because it is better for a woman to remain concealed in her house than to go out to the masjid 

Imam An-Nawawi said : 

It is not valid for men or women to observe i’tikaaf anywhere but in the masjid

it is not valid in the masjid ( place of prayer) of a woman’s house or the masjid ( place of prayer) of a man’s house, which is a space that is set aside for prayer 

Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen said :

If a woman wants to observe i’tikaaf, she should observe i’tikaaf in the masjid so long as that does not involve anything that is forbidden according to sharee’ah. If that does involve anything that is forbidden then she should NOT do i’tikaaf

‎[Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (20/264)]

‎Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه was asked regarding a women performing Itikaaf in her home 

‎He رضي الله عنه said : This is a Bid'ah ( innovation) and the most hateful of actions to Allaah are innovations (bid’ah) So there can be no i’tikaaf except in a masjid in which prayers are established

Itikaaf is only in the Masjid by the consensus (ijmā’) of the Muslim scholars as reported by Al-Khattābi in Ma’ālim As-Sunan, Qādi Abdul-Wahhāb in Al-Ma’ūnah, Ibn Abdul-Barr in Al-Istidhkār, Ibn Hubayrah in Al-Ifsāh, Ibn Qudāmah in Al-Mughni, Ibn Rushd in Bidāyatul-Mujtahid and others

#Ramadan #Itikaf #QA

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