2a] About the hadeeth, “There is no i‘tikaaf except in the three mosques”

2a]
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Differences in reports from Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him). It was narrated fromhim via other chains of narrators that he said: There is no i‘tikaaf except in a mosque in which prayers are offered in congregation. And he did not limit it to the three mosques at all.
Ibn Hazm (may Allah havemercy on him) said in al-Muhalla (5/195), after mentioning this differenceof opinion:
We say: It is uncertain whether this is from Hudhayfah or someone else, and something uncertain cannot be definitely attributed to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). If he (peace be upon him) had said, “There is no i‘tikaaf except in the three mosques”, Allah would have preserved it and there would have been nouncertainty concerning it. So we are certain that he (peace be upon him) never said it. End quote.
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The senior Sahaabah did something other than that. ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allah be pleased with him), ‘Aa’ishah and Ibn ‘Abbaas all issued fatwas stating that i‘tikaafmay be observed in any mosque in which prayers in congregation are held, and there is no proof that any of the Sahaabah differed from them concerning that. Rather this action (i.e., observing i‘tikaaf in the mosque) was well-known among them in all regions, with no objection to it, apart from what was narrated from Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him). And Allah knows best. This was stated by Shaykh Sulaymaan al-‘Alwaan.
To sum up, it is not correct to attribute this hadeeth to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). It is the individual opinion of Hudhayfah in which he differed from the rest of the Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased with them), as he also differed from the apparent meaning of the Holy Qur’aan which states that i‘tikaaf may be observed in any mosque, as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “while you are in I'tikâf (i.e. confining oneself in a mosque for prayers and invocations leaving the worldly activities) in the mosques”[al-Baqarah 2:187]. It is not appropriate to go against the apparent meaning of the Qur’aan and the actions of the majority of the Sahaabah on the basis of one mawqoof report concerning which there is some uncertainty, as it was not narrated by the authors of Saheehs or Sunans, and none of the earlier fuqaha’ issued any fatwa on that basis. Although some of the later scholars were of this view, their ijtihaad concerning this matter was incorrect.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy onhim) said in al-Sharh al-Mumti‘ (6/504):
It is Sunnah to observe i‘tikaaf in any mosque in the world, not only in the three mosques, as it was narrated from Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamaan (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “There is no i‘tikaaf except in the three mosques.” This is a da‘eef (weak) hadeeth.
The fact that it is da‘eef is indicated by the fact that Ibn Mas‘ood (may Allah bepleased with him) doubted it and said: Perhaps they got it right and you got it wrong, or they remembered and you forgot. Thus he regarded this ruling and this report as unsound.
As for the ruling, it is to befound in the words: They got it right and you got it wrong. As for his doubting the report, it is reflected in his words: They remembered and you forgot. Human beingsare prone to forgetfulness.
If this hadeeth is saheeh, then what it means is thatthere is no perfect i‘tikaaf,i.e., in other mosques apart from the three, just as prayers offered elsewhere are lower in status than prayers offered in the three mosques.
The fact that it is general in meaning and includes all mosques is indicated by the words of Allah (interpretation of the meaning): “while you are in I'tikâf (i.e. confining oneself in a mosque for prayers and invocations leaving the worldly activities) in the mosques”[al-Baqarah 2:187].
Moreover, how can this ruling in the Book of Allahbe for the ummah that stretches from east to west, then we say that it is not valid except in the three mosques? It is far-fetched to suggest that the ruling is mentioned in general terms to the Muslim ummah then to say that this act of worship is not valid except in three mosques. End quote.
And Allah knows best./