Exiting the Spiritual Retreat

Question : The questioner says: If I intended to perform i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) for the last ten days, and I want to go to Jeddah on this night, am I required to stay until the morning, or is there no harm in leaving?

Answer : It is well known that i'tikaf in the last ten days is not obligatory, except for one who has vowed it; in that case, he must fulfill his vow because it is an act of obedience. It is a recommended practice (sunnah). If a person breaks it on the twenty-fifth day, in the middle of the ten days, there is no sin on him. However, if one wishes to complete it in order to attain the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he should not leave his place of i'tikaf until the entry of the month of Shawwal is confirmed. This confirmation is either by the setting of the sun if we have completed thirty days of Ramadan, or by new news if Ramadan was twenty-nine days. The important point is that once the month is confirmed, the time for i'tikaf has ended, so the person should leave his place of i'tikaf, thereby having performed the Sunnah that came from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). However, some of the Salaf, as we mentioned before this lesson, recommended staying in the place of i'tikaf until one goes out for the Eid prayer. They also recommended that the person in i'tikaf not adorn himself, but rather go out in his i'tikaf clothes. We have clarified that this is not correct, and that the person in i'tikaf should adorn himself just as other people do.