Question # 541: Aslmkm brother. Please explain for a woman living alone wanting to do Itikaf at home in last 10 days of Ramadaan, requirements and process. Etc Jazzaku Allah khairan

bismi-llahi r-raḥmani r-raḥīm,

Assalamu ‘laikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

All praise and thanks are due to Allah (سبحانه و تعالى), and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger (صلى الله عليه و سلم).

Dear questioner,

First of all, we implore Allah (سبحانه و تعالى) to help us serve His cause and render our work for His sake.

Shorter Answer: The majority of the scholars are of the view that women are like men, and their i’tikaf (i.e., confining oneself with the intention of worship) is not valid unless observed in the mosque, so long as that does not involve anything that is forbidden according to shari’ah. If that does involve anything that is forbidden, then she should not do i’tikaf. Hence, if it were permissible to observe i’tikaf at home for women, the Prophet’s wives (رضي الله عنهن) would have performed that at least once to show that it is permissible. Rather, the wives of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) asked him for permission to observe i’tikaf in the mosque, and he gave them permission, and they used to observe i’tikaf in the mosque after his death. The scholars opine that the woman’s prayer room at her home is not a mosque, neither in reality nor by decree.

Long Answer: The scholars are agreed that a man’s i’tikaf is only valid if observed in the mosque because Allah (سبحانه و تعالى) says in the Qur’an: “And do not have sexual relations with them (your wives) while you are in I’tikaf (i.e., confining oneself in a mosque for prayers and invocations leaving the worldly activities) in the mosques.” (Soorah al-Baqarah, 2:187) So i’tikaf is something that should be done specifically in the mosque. (Al-Mughni)

“With regard to women, the majority of scholars are of the view that as in the case of men, their i’tikaf is not valid unless it is observed in the mosque because of the verse quoted above. The wives of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) asked him for permission to observe i’tikaf in the mosque, and he gave them permission, and they used to observe i’tikaf in the mosque after he died. If it were permissible for a woman to observe i’tikaf in her house, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) would have told them to do that because it is better for a woman to remain concealed in her house than go out to the mosque. Al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated from ‘Aishah (رضي الله عنها), the wife of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم), that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) used to spend the last ten nights of Ramadan in i’tikaf until he passed away, then his wives observed i’tikaf after he died.

Some of the scholars were of the view that it is valid for a woman to observe i’tikaf in the “mosque” of her house, which is the place that she allocates for prayer in her house. But the majority of scholars said that this is not allowed and said that the place where she prays in her house is not called a masjid (mosque) except by way of metaphor, and it is not really a mosque, so it does not come under the rulings on mosques; hence it is permissible for people who are junub and menstruating women to enter it. (Al-Mughni)

Al-Nawawi said in al-Majmu’: “It is not valid for men or women to observe i’tikaf anywhere but in the mosque; it is not valid in the mosque of a woman’s house or the mosque of a man’s house, which is a space that is set aside for prayer.” This is the view favored by Shaykh Ibn’ Uthaymin in al-Sharh al-Mumti’.

Shaykh Ibn’ Uthaymin was asked in Majmu’ al-Fatawa about where a woman who wants to observe i’tikaf should do so? He replied: “If a woman wants to observe i’tikaf, she should observe i’tikaf in the mosque so long as that does not involve anything that is forbidden according to shari’ah. However, if that involves anything forbidden, then she should not do i’tikaf.”

In al-Mawsu’ah al-Fiqhiyyah, it says: “The scholars differed as to where women should observe i’tikaf. The majority are of the view that women are like men, and their i’tikaf is not valid unless observed in the mosque. Based on this, it is not valid for a woman to observe i’tikaf in the mosque of her house because of the report narrated from Ibn’ Abbas (رضي الله عنه), who asked about a woman who vowed to observe i’tikaf in the mosque of her house. He said: “(This is) an innovation and the most hateful of actions to Allah are innovations (bid’ah).” So, there can be no i’tikaf except in a mosque where prayers are established. And the mosque of a house is not a mosque in the real sense of the word and does not come under the same rulings; it is permissible to change it, and for a person who is junub to sleep in it. Moreover, if it were permissible (to observe i’tikaf at home), the Prophet’s wives (رضي الله عنهن) would have done that at least once to show that it is permissible.”

Shaykh’ Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Baz (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “I’tikaf is Sunnah for both men and women because it was proven that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) used to observe i’tikaf during Ramadan, and finally he settled on i’tikaf during the last ten days, and some of his wives used to observe i’tikaf with him, then they observed i’tikaf after he died. The place for i’tikaf is the mosque where prayers in congregation are performed.”

[However,] Ibn Qudamah said in al-Mughni: “A woman has the right to observe i’tikaf in any mosque, and that is not subject to the condition that it be a mosque where prayers are performed in the congregation because that is not obligatory upon her. This was the view of al-Shafi’i.

Al-Mardaawi from the Hanbali School of jurisprudence said: “…She (a woman) may observe I’tikaf in any mosque apart from her prayer room at her home; this is the preponderant view of our School of jurisprudence, and the view of the majority of the scholars of our School because the woman’s prayer room at her home is not a mosque neither in reality nor by decree.”

(The above reply is based on various answers on similar topics provided by:

  • Islamqa.info; and
  • Islamweb.net, a website belonging to the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs in the State of Qatar)

Allahu A’lam (Allah (سبحانه و تعالى) knows best) and all Perfections belong to Allah, and all mistakes belong to me alone. May Allah (سبحانه و تعالى) forgive me, Ameen.

Wassalaam