His third and final question is: Does the person in i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) leave his place of retreat if one of his parents dies, or if both die? And does he leave if his young child goes out and does not return?
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The questioner : His third and final question is: Does the person in i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) leave his place of retreat if one of his parents dies, or if both die? And does he leave if his young child goes out and does not return to the house from the rising of the sun until its setting, or if a fire breaks out in his property or his house? Please inform us, may Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : The exit of the person in i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) from his place of retreat is divided into three categories.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : The first category is an exit for something that contradicts i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque), such as leaving to have intercourse with his wife, or leaving to buy and sell, or similar matters that are contrary to and negate i'tikaf. This exit is not permissible and it invalidates the i'tikaf, whether he stipulated it or not. The meaning of our statement "it is not permissible" is that if it occurs during the i'tikaf, it invalidates it. Accordingly, if the i'tikaf is voluntary and not obligatory by a vow, then if he leaves, he does not sin, because breaking off a voluntary act does not involve sin. However, it invalidates his i'tikaf, so he does not build upon what preceded.
The second category of the exit of the person in i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) is leaving for a matter that is necessary for him, which is a continuous matter, such as leaving to eat if no one brings him food, or leaving to relieve himself if there is nothing in the mosque with which he can relieve himself, or similar matters that are necessary and are continuous and recurring. He is permitted to do this, whether he stipulated it or not, because even if it is not stipulated verbally, it is stipulated by custom, as everyone knows that he will leave for these matters.
The third category is what does not contradict i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) but for which there is an alternative, such as leaving to attend a funeral, to visit a sick person, to visit a relative, or similar matters that are obedience but for which there is an alternative. The scholars say: If he stipulated it in his i'tikaf, he does it; and if he did not stipulate it, he does not do it. This is what concerns the exit of the person in i'tikaf from the mosque. As for his leaving to search for his lost son, or to extinguish a fire in his property, this is an obligatory matter for him. He must leave to search for his son, and he must leave to extinguish the fire in his property, because he is commanded to protect his wealth and his children. So let him leave. Here, if we say that it is a sudden dire necessity, it does not invalidate the i'tikaf, and this has a basis. And if we say that it invalidates it, but he has moved from the lesser to the greater, because performing the obligatory is better than continuing in the voluntary, then when this dire necessity is removed, he returns to his place of retreat.
The questioner : This is a question from the listener Najih Khalaf, an Egyptian resident of al-Zulfi, who says.
The Shaykh : The exit of the person in i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) from his place of retreat is divided into three categories.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : The first category is an exit for something that contradicts i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque), such as leaving to have intercourse with his wife, or leaving to buy and sell, or similar matters that are contrary to and negate i'tikaf. This exit is not permissible and it invalidates the i'tikaf, whether he stipulated it or not. The meaning of our statement "it is not permissible" is that if it occurs during the i'tikaf, it invalidates it. Accordingly, if the i'tikaf is voluntary and not obligatory by a vow, then if he leaves, he does not sin, because breaking off a voluntary act does not involve sin. However, it invalidates his i'tikaf, so he does not build upon what preceded.
The second category of the exit of the person in i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) is leaving for a matter that is necessary for him, which is a continuous matter, such as leaving to eat if no one brings him food, or leaving to relieve himself if there is nothing in the mosque with which he can relieve himself, or similar matters that are necessary and are continuous and recurring. He is permitted to do this, whether he stipulated it or not, because even if it is not stipulated verbally, it is stipulated by custom, as everyone knows that he will leave for these matters.
The third category is what does not contradict i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) but for which there is an alternative, such as leaving to attend a funeral, to visit a sick person, to visit a relative, or similar matters that are obedience but for which there is an alternative. The scholars say: If he stipulated it in his i'tikaf, he does it; and if he did not stipulate it, he does not do it. This is what concerns the exit of the person in i'tikaf from the mosque. As for his leaving to search for his lost son, or to extinguish a fire in his property, this is an obligatory matter for him. He must leave to search for his son, and he must leave to extinguish the fire in his property, because he is commanded to protect his wealth and his children. So let him leave. Here, if we say that it is a sudden dire necessity, it does not invalidate the i'tikaf, and this has a basis. And if we say that it invalidates it, but he has moved from the lesser to the greater, because performing the obligatory is better than continuing in the voluntary, then when this dire necessity is removed, he returns to his place of retreat.
The questioner : This is a question from the listener Najih Khalaf, an Egyptian resident of al-Zulfi, who says.