4a] The basic goal of i’tikaaf – why have the Muslims forsaken this Sunnah?

4a]
2- The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) strove
to seek that night before he was told when it is. So he started with
the first ten days, then he observed it during the middle ten, then he
continued to observe i'tikaaf during thelast ten days, when he was
told that it is in the last ten days. This is the utmost effort to
seek Laylat al-Qadr.
3- The Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) followed the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
because they started i'tikaaf and continued with him until the end of
the month, because they were so keen to follow hisexample.
4- The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) was compassionate towards his companions and showed mercy to
them, because he knew that i'tikaaf was difficult for them. So he gave
them the choice between staying with him or of leaving, and said: "…so
whoever among you wishes to observe i'tikaaf let him do so."
There are other aims of i'tikaaf as well, including the following:
1- Being alone with Allaah and cutting oneselfoff from people if
possible, so that one may focus completely on Allaah.
2- Renewing oneself spiritual by focusing totally on Allaah.
3- Cutting oneself off completely in order to worship Allaah with
prayer, du'aa', dhikr and reading Qur'aan.
4- Protecting one's fast from everything that mayaffect it of
whims and desires.
5- Reducing permissibleworldly pleasures and refraining from many
of them even though one is able to enjoy them./

4] The basic goal of i’tikaaf – why have the Muslims forsaken this Sunnah?

4]
Why have the Muslims forsaken i'tikaaf, even though it is the Sunnah
ofthe Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)? What is the
purpose of i'tikaaf?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
I'tikaaf is one of the confirmed Sunnahs which the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) did regularly.
See the evidence for its being prescribed in the answer to question no. 48999 .
This Sunnah has disappeared from the lives of the Muslims apart from
those on whom Allaah has mercy. It is like many Sunnahs which the
Muslims have virtually forsaken.
There are several reasons for this, including the following:
1- Weakness of faith in many hearts
2- Increased focus on worldly pleasures and desires, which leads
to an inability to keep away from them even for a short time.
3- Lack on interest in Paradise on the part of many, and their
inclination towards leisure and relaxation, so that they do not want
to put up with the hardship of i'tikaaf even for the sake of earning
Allaah's pleasure.
Whoever understands thesignificance of Paradise and the greatness of
its delights will sacrifice his life and that which is most precious
to him in order to attain it. The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "The reward of Allaah is precious, the
reward of Allaah is Paradise." Narrated by al-Tirmidhi and classed as
saheeh by al-Albaani, 2450.
4- Many people pay lip-service to the love of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), without actingupon it and
implementingvarious aspects of the Sunnah, including i'tikaaf. Allaah
says (interpretationof the meaning):
"Indeed in the Messenger of Allaah (Muhammad) you have a good
exampleto follow for him who hopes for (the Meeting with) Allaah and
the Last Day, and remembers Allaah much"
[al-Ahzaab 33:21]
Ibn Katheer said (3/756):
This verse represents a major principle: that we should follow the
example of the Messengerof Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) in word and deed in all situations.
Some of the salaf (early generations of Islam) found it odd that
people did not observe i'tikaaf even the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) persisted in doing so. Ibn Shihaab al-Zuhri
said: It is strange that the Muslims have given up i'tikaaf when
theProphet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not give it
up from the time he entered Madeenah until Allaah took him (in death).
Secondly:
The i'tikaaf which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) always observed at the end of hislife is i'tikaaf during the last
ten days of Ramadaan. These few days may indeed be regarded as an
intensive course of spiritual education which brings immediate
positive results in a person's life during the days and nights of
Ramadaan and in the coming days, until the next Ramadaan comes.
How great is the Muslims' need to revive this Sunnah and establish it
in the proper manner, as theMessenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) and his companions used to observe it.
How great will be the success of those who adhere to the Sunnah after
the ummah has neglected it and become corrupt.
Thirdly:
The basic goal of the Prophet's i'tikaaf was to seek Laylat al-Qadr.
Muslim (1167) narrated that Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) observed i'tikaaf during the first ten days of
Ramadaan, then he observed i'tikaaf during the middle ten days in a
small tent at the door of which was a reed mat. He took the mat in his
hand and lifted it. Then he put his head out and spoke tothe people,
and they came close to him. He said: "I observed i'tikaaf during the
first ten days seeking this night, then I observed i'tikaaf during the
middle ten days. Thensomeone came and said to me that it is in the
last ten days, so whoever among you wishes to observe i'tikaaf let him
doso." So the people observed i'tikaaf with him.
This hadeeth teaches us a number of things:
1- That the basic goal of the i'tikaaf of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) was to seek Laylat al-Qadr and to
prepare to spend that night in worship. That is because of the great
virtue of that night of which Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning): "The Night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand
months (i.e. worshipping Allaah in that night is better than
worshipping Him a thousand months, i.e. 83 years and 4 months)"
[al-Qadr 97:3].
2- The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) strove
to seek that night before he was told when it is. So he started with
the first ten days, then he observed it during the middle ten, then he
continued to observe i'tikaaf during thelast ten days,
:->

He wants to observe i’tikaaf on the odd-numbered nights only

Is it permissible for me to observe i’tikaaf on the odd-numbered nights in Ramadaan, because I cannot observe i’tikaaf forthe full ten days because Iam newly married and my wife will be staying alone in my house, even though my house is close to where my parents live?.
Praise be to Allaah.
It is better for a Muslim toobserve i’tikaaf during all of the last ten days, following the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Al-Bukhaari and Muslim narrated from‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that theProphet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to spend the last ten days of Ramadaan in ‘i’tikaaf, until he passed away. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (2025) and Muslim (1171).
If he cannot spend all of the last ten days in i’tikaaf, and he limits himself to some of the days or nights, there is nothing wrong with that. Al-Bukhaari narrated that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) vowed to spend one night in i’tikaafin al-Masjid al-Haraam, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told him to fulfil his vow. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (2042) and Muslim (1656). This indicates that it is valid to observe i'tikaaf for one night.
In the answer to question no. 38037 we stated that there is no minimum for i’tikaaf and we quoted a fatwa from Shaykh Ibn Baaz concerning that.
What you should do is strive hard in worship during those nights, and strove to earn as much hasanah as much as you can.
And Allaah knows best./ - - - :-> Transtors: 1.http://free-translation.imtranslator.net/lowres.asp 2.http://translate.google.com/m?twu=1&hl=en&vi=m&sl=auto&tl=en

Is it valid to observe i’tikaaf in any mosque?

Is it valid to observe i’tikaaf in any mosque?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The scholars differed concerning the characteristics of the mosque in which it is permissible to observe i’tikaaf. Some said that it is valid to observe i’tikaaf in any mosque, even if prayers in congregation are not held there, based on the general meaning of the verse in which Allaah says (interpretationof the meaning): “And do not have sexual relations with them (your wives) while you are in I‘tikaaf (i.e. confining oneself in a mosque for prayers and invocations leaving the worldly activities) in the mosques”[al-Baqarah 2:187]
Imam Ahmad was of the view that it is conditional upon it being in a mosquein which prayers are held in congregation. He quoted the following evidence for that:
1 – The words of ‘Aa’ishah: “There should be no i’tikaaf except in a mosque in which prayers in congregation are held (masjid jamaa’ah).” Narrated by al-Bayhaqi, classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in his essay Qiyaam Ramadaan.
2 – Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “There should be no i’tikaaf except in a mosque in which prayer isestablished.” Al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 5/212.
3 – If a person observes i’tikaaf in a mosque in which prayers in congregation are not held, this will lead to one of two things:
(i) Either he will miss prayer in congregation, and it is notpermissible for a man to miss prayer in congregation without a valid excuse.
(ii) Or he will go out a great deal in order to pray in another mosque, which defeats the purpose of i’tikaaf.
See al-Mughni, 4/461.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said in al-Sharh al-Mumti’ (6/312): I’tikaaf is not valid unless it is observed in a mosquein which people gather (to pray)?
Is what is meant a mosque in which Jumu’ahprayers are held, or one inwhich prayers in congregation (jamaa’ah) are held?
The answer is: a mosque in which prayers in congregation are held; it does not have to be one in which Jumu’ah prayers are held, because the mosque in which prayers in congregation are not held is not a mosque in the true sense of the word, such as if the mosque has been abandoned by its people or they have moved away.
It is not essential that the mosque be one in which Jumu’ah prayers are held, because Jumu’ah does nothappen repeatedly and going out to attend Jumu’ah does not affect i’tikaaf, unlike the five daily prayers which happen repeatedly every day and night.
This condition – that the mosque be one in which prayers are held in congregation – applies if the person observing i’tikaaf is a man. If it is a woman, her i’tikaaf is valid in any mosque, evenif it is one in which prayers are not held in congregation, because prayer in congregation is not obligatory for woman.
Ibn Qudaamah said in al-Mughni:
A woman may observe i’tikaaf in any mosque; it does not have to be one in which prayers are held in congregation, because that is not obligatory for women. This is the view of al-Shaafa’i.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said in al-Sharh al-Mumti’ (6/313):
If a woman observes i’tikaaf in a mosque in which prayers are not held in congregation, there is nothing wrong with that because she does not have to pray in congregation./ - - - :-> Transtors: 1.http://free-translation.imtranslator.net/lowres.asp 2.http://translate.google.com/m?twu=1&hl=en&vi=m&sl=auto&tl=en