Itikaaf is being arranged in our Masjid for the last 10 days of Ramadan, any Brothers over the age of 18 wishing to join please ring Vice Chairperson Syed Ejaz Shah on: 07810 208856 Itikaaf is an Islamic practice consisting of a period of retreat in a mosque for a certain number of days in accordance with the believers own wish. It is most common during the month of Ramadan, especially the last ten days. Definition of Itikaaf The literal definition of the Arabic word Itikaaf is to stay in a particular place. However, in Islam it means to stay in a masjid for a particular time period in the worship of Allah while maintaining certain conditions. In the state of Itikaaf, a person can stand, sit, sleep, and so forth and there is not one particular form in which this retreat must be carried out. What is important in this period is to obey the commandments of Allah, to refrain from the things which He has prohibited and to be in the service of Him. Conditions of Itikaaf There are a few conditions for the person who wishes to partake in the Divine blessing of Itikaaf: Intelligence (Aql): Thus, the person must not be mentally unstable True Faith (Iman): Thus, although a Non-Muslim can perform the Itikaaf and it may be correct from the point of view of the outer actions, however to earn the Divine Reward, he or she must be a true believer Intention (Niyyat): Itikaaf must be performed for the purpose of seeking closeness to Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) and not to show off or due to societal or family or peer pressure Fasting (Sawm) During Itikaaf: The person who is not able to fast, for whatever reason, is deprived from the Divine grace of being able to perform Itikaaf. He or she may still gain a reward from Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) for having the intention to perform this act of worship, however cannot directly participate in this act as will be mentioned. Therefore, if a person is a traveler or one who is not able to fast due to some danger to his life, he cannot partake in Itikaaf. However, if the traveler who wants to perform the Itikaaf makes an oath that he will fast for three days on a trip, then he can perform the Itikaaf even though his salat may be prayed as that of a traveler. In addition, if one needs to perform any sort of fasting whether it be obligatory, recommended, a penitence for a missed fast, on behalf of someone else, etc… then one’s Itikaaf will be correct with the performance of this type of fast. Permission: One must have the permission of the person whom he needs to gain permission from to carry out this act (guardian, husband, etc…) to ensure the correctness of the Itikaaf. Place: One must stay inside the Masjid for the entire period for his Itikaaf to be correct Hadith It is related that Abdullah ibn Umar said, The Messenger of Allah , may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to do Itikaaf during the last ten nights of Ramadan.
Posted on: Mon, 14 Jul 2014 12:45:22 +0000
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