The ruling on a woman performing i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) in her home

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, is it permissible for a person to perform i'tikaf for just one day, and is it permissible for a woman to perform i'tikaf in her home?

Answer:
I'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) is only performed in a mosque; it is not permissible for a person to perform i'tikaf anywhere other than a mosque. Allah the Exalted said: And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform i'tikaf in the mosque. Therefore, i'tikaf is only done in a mosque, not in houses. The mosque in question is one where congregational prayer is held. As for an abandoned mosque, one does not perform i'tikaf in it; one does not perform i'tikaf in it. Rather, one performs i'tikaf in a mosque where congregational prayer is held, so that one does not abandon congregational prayer.
And a woman does not perform i'tikaf in her home. This is not i'tikaf. Neither the woman nor the man. I'tikaf is in the mosques for men and women. The women of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to have tents set up for them so they could perform i'tikaf in the mosque. So if a woman wants to perform i'tikaf, she makes a private place where she is secluded from people and is alone with her Lord. Yes.