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Iʿtikāf is a recommended worship in Islam that consists of at least three days of fasting in a masjid. Although there is no specific time to perform i'tikaf during a year, the last ten days of the month of Ramadan, as the Prophet (s) did so, is the most recommended days to do it.
I'tikaf is derived from " 'a-k-f " which mostly means adhering to, devoting to or dedicating to something as a sign of honoring. Derivatives form this word has been used in the Qur'an in this meaning. In spite of that, "'Akif" (Qur'an 22:25; meaning resident) and "Ma'kuf" (Qur'an 48:25; meaning forbidden) are two derivatives from the same root used in the Qur'an.
In jurisprudence, i'tikaf is defined as staying and residing in a mosque for at least three days and also observing required conditions with the intention of getting close to God. In Sufism, i'tikaf means emptying your heart from worldly concerns and submitting yourself to your Lord. Hence i'tikaf means staying and residing; it also means staying and not getting away from God's threshold so that he forgives you.
Although Muslims learned how to perform i'tikaf from The their Prophet, there was a ritual similar to i'tikaf prevalent amongst Arabs before Islam. For instance, it has been narrated that 'Umar b. al-Khattab asked the Prophet (s) that he had vowed during the Age of Ignorance to stay in al-Masjid al-Haram for a night, and the Prophet (s) told him to fulfill it.
There is no information whether the Prophet (s) performed i'tikaf in al-Masjid al-Haram before Hijra (emigration to Medina). However, in his first year in Medina, he performed i'tikaf in the first ten days of the month of Ramadan, the next year in the second ten days, and afterward in the last ten days of the month of Ramadan. A tent was set up for him in the mosque during these days. .....
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Today Friday, 17 January, 2025 / 16 Rajab, 1446
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