Chapter 03-I'tikaf and Night prayer (Tahajjud) in Ramadan

717. Abu Hurairah    narrated that the Messenger of Allah   said, "Whoever prays during the night in Ramadan out of sincere faith and seeking its reward from Allah, will have all of his previous sins forgiven." Agreed upon.









718. 'A'ishah    narrated, 'With the start of the last ten days of Ramadan, the Messenger of Allah    used to tighten his waist belt (i.e. keep away from his wives) and used to stay up praying all night, and he would also wake his wives (to pray and recite Qur'an etc..)."Agreed upon.





719. 'Aishah   narrated, 'The Messenger of Allah    used to perform I'tikaf (208) during the last ten days of Ramadan until he died. Then his wives used to perform I'tikaf after his death.' Agreed upon.


208. I'tikaf in this context means remaining in a mosque (preferably a congregational mosque) for a certain period of time with the intention of remaining in seclusion from worldly matters. and keeping oneself busy with acts of worship such as praying, fasting. reciting Qur'an. dhikr etc. In other words one devotes himself purely to the worship of Allah for that period of time. with the intention of getting closer to Allah, the Almighty. It could be performed in Ramadan (which is recommended during the last ten days of the month) or at other times.





720. 'A'ishah    narrated. "Whenever the Messenger of Allah    intended to make I'tikaf, he would pray the morning prayer and then he would enter the place of his I'tikaf (i.e. the place. which he had prepared for his I'tikaf inside the mosque)." Agreed upon.






721. Aishah   narrated, 'The Messenger of Allah    used to put his head into (the window of my house) while he was in the Masjid (performing I'tikaf) and I would comb his hair. When he was in I'tikaf he would not enter the house except for some need." Agreed upon and the wording is from Al-Bukhari'.

722. 'A'ishah   narrated, 'It is Sunnah. for the one performing I'tikaf not to visit the sick, attend a funeral, or touch his wife (with sexual desire), nor have sexual intercourse with her. He should also not go out (of the mosque) except for an extreme necessity, and no I'tikaf  is accepted without fasting,(209) or without being in a congregational mosque (where Friday prayer is performed).' Related by Abu Dawud with an acceptable chain of narrators, but scholars say that the last part (starting: 'no I'tikaf accepted ...) is most probably the saying of Aishah   ,i.e, Hadith Mauquf (i.e. that which the companion does not connect to the Prophet   and it is not the saying of the Prophet    himself.


209. According to most scholars it is preferable for one to fast while performing I'tikaf  but he is not obliged to do so.







723. Ibn 'Abbas   narrated that the Messenger of Allah    said. 'The one who is performing I'tikaf does not have to fast unless he obliges himself to do so," Related by ad-Daraqutni and ai-Hakim, and most probably it is also the saying of Ibn 'Abbas, i.e. Mawquf and not of the sayings of the Prophet   .




724. Ibn 'Urnar    narrated, 'Some of the companions of the Prophet    were shown in their dreams that the night of Qadr (210) is in the last seven nights of Ramadan. The Messenger of Allah    said to them, "It seems that all of your dreams agree that (the Night of Qadr) is in the last seven nights, and whoever wants to seek that night should do so in the last seven nights (of Ramadan)." Agreed upon.

210. Tbe night of Qadr' is the most virtuous night of the year, as Allah says in the Qur'an: "Verily! We have sent it in the night of al-Qadr. And what will make you know what the night of al-Qadr is? The night of Al-Qadr s better than a thousand months ...• (Surah 97). Any action done on that night for example, reciting the Qur'an, making dhikr of Allah. and so on, is better than acting for one thousand months, which do not contain the night of Qadr. It is to be expected In the last ten days of Rarnagan.







725. Mu'awiyah bin Abi Sufian    narrated, 'The Messenger of Allah  said regarding the night of Al-Qadr, "It is the 27th night (211)(of Ramadan)." Related by Abu Dawud. But it is most probably the saying of Muawiyah and not the Prophet


211. Scholars hold different opinions as to when the night of Al-Qadr occurs. Some are of the opinion that it is the 21st , some say the 23rd others say the 25th and yet others say that it is the 29th. Some are of the opinion that it varies from year to year, but most scholars believe that it is most probably the 27th  of Ramadan, due to the hadith related by Ahmad on the authority of Ibn Umar    that the Messenger of Allah    said, "He who likes to seek that night should do so on the 27th ."






726. Aishah  narrated, 'I asked the Messenger of Allah   , '0 Messenger of Allah, if I know what night the night of Qadr is, what should I say during it?' Hesaid, "Say: 0 Allah, You are the Pardoner and You love to pardon, so pardon me." Related by the five Imams except for Abu Dawud. At-Tirmidhi and Al-Hakim reported it as Sahih





727. Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri   narrated that the Messenger of Allah    said, "One should not undertake journeys except to three mosques: al-Masjid al-Haram (in Makkah), the Aqsa mosque, or this mosque (in Madinah). (212) Agreed upon.


212. Scholars say that if one makes a vow to perform I'tikaf in one of these three mosques in particular then he should fulfill his vow, due to this hadith, which indicates that these mosques have special preference over any other mosque. But if someone vows to perform I'tifak in another mosque, it is not obligatory on him to fulfill it and he may perform it in any place.