I’tikaaf is one of the religious and devotional rituals that characterize the month of Ramadan in particular, and some Muslims are keen to revive it, following the example of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, who perpetuated it, especially in the last ten days of the holy month, as confirmed by the noble hadiths of the Prophet. I’tikaaf, as the scholars know it, is the necessity of staying in a mosque with the intention of drawing closer to God, day or night, to imprison the soul from its desires, and the body to educate and worship God alone. By the Creator, exalted be He, and turns to Him with interruptions and emptiness. Sunnah books are full of many hadiths about his i’tikaf, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, including the hadith in al-Saheehayn from the hadith of Aisha, may God be pleased with her, that the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, used to observe i’tikaaf during the last ten days of Ramadan until God Almighty took him, then his wives observed i’tikaf after him, and in the year he died. In it, may God bless him and grant him peace "I’tikaaf twenty days " As in Al-Bukhari, that is, he observed i’tikaaf in the middle and last ten days together. His Eminence Sheikh Dr. Abdullah bin Ibrahim Al-Sada, a member of the Supreme Authority of the Association of Muslim Scholars, told Qatar News Agency (QNA) that the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, was keen to perform i’tikaf during Ramadan and did not leave it until he died. Shawwal. He adds " I’tikaaf, especially in the last ten days of Ramadan, is one of the colors of diligence in obedience and worship, following the guidance of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who used to strive in the last ten days as he did not strive in others. In the noble hadiths, the mosque must be devoted to worship and obedience". And he continues " In the light of this prophetic guidance, i’tikaf became a Sunnah for the nation of Muhammad, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, in which they escape from the hustle and bustle of life, the concerns of the world and its desires, and to stop preoccupying themselves with creation in order to preoccupy themselves with the Creator with prayer, the Qur’an, remembrance and supplication …, and this is the spiritual provision that every Muslim needs in this life short". And he points out that i’tikaaf in the last ten days has great merit, because it is ten blessings, and in it the believers and those who are in i’tikaf seek the Night of Decree, which God has made better than a thousand months.. adding. " This is a night with a lifespan equal to 83 years or more in the scale of good deeds for those who spent it in acts of worship and acts of worship.". His Eminence Sheikh Al-Sada also shows that many theories in the field of psychological education and human development emphasize the importance of solitude for some time to spend time for meditation, reflection, self-reflection, and escaping from the crowds of life.. pointing out that Islam preceded these theories, legislated acts of worship, singled out seasons for acts of worship, and granted man the right to To cut off from worldly matters and concerns for a period of time and remain in contact with the Creator, and this is the essence of i’tikaaf. In turn, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Buainain, a preacher and preacher at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, points out that i’tikaaf is a divine blessing that everyone should be exposed to, and motivated for this general good and great merit, especially in these ten blessings in this holy month. and say " The ages of the ummah of Muhammad, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, are between sixty and seventy, and few of them allow that, as in the hadith, and this is the opposite of what was in the previous nations whose ages were more than a thousand, and for this reason the compensation for the ummah of Muhammad, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, was for these blessed nights, including the Night of Decree, which the Qur’an described as better than A thousand months, and i’tikaaf is a great opportunity to revive these nights with acts of worship". He warns that i’tikaf is not just staying in the mosque, eating, drinking, sleeping and talking about worldly matters, but it is a complete cessation from the concerns of life, and complete devotion to worship.. adding "From this point of view, the one who is in i’tikaf must strive to achieve the great goals of this ritual, take into account its purpose and wisdom, and use his time in prayer, reading the Qur’an, and remembrance, following the Sunnah of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace.". Sheikh Al-Buainain drew attention to the period of the Corona pandemic, during which mosques were closed as part of preventive measures. People yearned for the homes of God, and some of them resorted to i’tikaaf in their homes during the month of Ramadan.. indicating that a person can, if he is unable to do i’tikaaf in the mosque, to take a place for him in his house that is vacant. In it with God to achieve part of the meanings of i’tikaaf.
For his part, Dr. Hassan Al-Khattaf, a professor at the College of Sharia and Islamic Studies at Qatar University, said in a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) that the legality of i’tikaf came before the advent of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and we discern that from the Quranic texts. Purify my house for those who are circumambulating, those who are secluded, and those who bow and prostrate), as the i’tikaaf was mentioned in conjunction with the verses that speak of fasting, and he, peace and blessings be upon him, was keen on i’tikaaf while he was fasting, meaning in Ramadan, especially in the last ten days of it. Adds Dr. Al-Khattaf " The Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, teaches us that i’tikaaf requires a high determination, as he, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, in the last ten days, tightens his apron, revives the night and awakens his family, and it is a metaphor for the high determination and seriousness in worship and being keen on it away from the concerns of the world and its desires". He draws attention to the philosophy of i’tikaaf, and considers it a faith station that allows a person to reconsider the path and path of his life.. He said " This period of time, especially the last ten days of Ramadan, comes annually to give a person an opportunity to reflect on the past, to hold oneself accountable and to review oneself after a full year in which he lived attached to the world and its concerns.". And he explains " From this point of view, the purpose of i’tikaaf is to empty this heart except from God Almighty, so that it returns light and pure, striving to fill his heart with what is related to God’s love and pleasure, and this emptying, in fact, is part of it, employing these senses and emptying them for worship and obedience only.". Dr. Al-Khattaf links the ritual of i’tikaaf with the issue of achieving balance in human life in a way that is consistent with human instinct.. pointing out that the Islamic law came in agreement with this instinct, and achieved a balance between the requirements of the spirit and the body, without one side overpowering the other, so he gave the soul worship, and i’tikaf is one of Devotional rituals that nourish the believer’s soul, as he cared about the body, eating and drinking, and so on, rejecting monasticism that contradicts human instinct. And Dr. Hassan Al-Khattaf warns at the end of his statement to /QNA/ that the place of i’tikaaf is not a place of preoccupation with the world, nor a space to communicate with people and perform some worldly work, but rather it is a complete devotion to worship and contemplation of matters of the Hereafter. The period of i’tikaaf so that their i’tikaf is correct, sound and very fulfilling, within the framework of liberation from everything that distracts from God Almighty. In the context of his statements to QNA, he noted the efforts of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs in urging i’tikaaf and taking advantage of the last ten days in obedience and acts of worship. He pointed out that these last ten days are an opportunity that must be exploited in everything that pleases the Creator, Glory be to Him. He also noted the efforts made by the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs in preparing the houses of God for the worshipers and devotees, and providing all the necessary facilities and services that specifically meet the need of the person in retreat to achieve the purpose of this ritual and to devote himself to worship and remembrance in this holy month. And the honorable scholars advised all those who are in retreat to observe the legal controls, and to abide by the rules announced by the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs for those who are in retreat in the specified mosques. The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs had announced a few days ago that 111 mosques would be allocated in various regions of the country, to commemorate the year of i’tikaf during the last ten days of the blessed month of Ramadan for the year 1444 AH. The Ministry called on those wishing to perform i’tikaf to be keen on learning the jurisprudence of legal and beneficial i’tikaaf corresponding to the noble prophet’s guidance, and to adhere to i’tikaaf in the specified mosques, which took into account the geographical location and the fact that the mosque is a mosque, as well as the readiness of its facilities to serve the i’tikaaf. The Ministry of Endowments also stipulated that the age of the person in retreat should not be less than 18 years, or that the guardian be accompanied if the age of the person in retreat is less than that, provided that it is not less than 8 years, stressing the importance of personal hygiene and the cleanliness of the place of retreat, and preserving the property of the mosque as it is endowed to all Muslims. While taking care not to disturb the worshipers with side conversations, and to harm the people of the mosque in general.
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