The ruling on engaging in reading and dhikr during i'tikaf
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
Some people perform i'tikaf in the Haram, and the whole time they are talking and speaking about ordinary matters that do not involve any form of worship.
The Shaykh:
The matter is broad, if Allah wills. The matter is broad. However, it is better if he engages in what benefits him, such as reading, dhikr, and other acts of worship. Or, no, he should not talk as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) talked with Safiyyah and others who visited him. Yes.
The questioner:
I mean, if he engages in reading books of knowledge and memorizing some of the texts, is that considered obligatory?
The Shaykh:
The matter is broad, if Allah wills. It is made easy for you, not made difficult. A person may get bored, may become weak, or may need someone to talk to or visit him. The matter is broad. Yes.
Some people perform i'tikaf in the Haram, and the whole time they are talking and speaking about ordinary matters that do not involve any form of worship.
The Shaykh:
The matter is broad, if Allah wills. The matter is broad. However, it is better if he engages in what benefits him, such as reading, dhikr, and other acts of worship. Or, no, he should not talk as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) talked with Safiyyah and others who visited him. Yes.
The questioner:
I mean, if he engages in reading books of knowledge and memorizing some of the texts, is that considered obligatory?
The Shaykh:
The matter is broad, if Allah wills. It is made easy for you, not made difficult. A person may get bored, may become weak, or may need someone to talk to or visit him. The matter is broad. Yes.
Source
التعليق على كتب: التراويح - ليلة القدر - الاعتكاف من صحيح البخاري، كتاب الاعتكاف: باب الاعتكاف في العشر الأواخر - باب الحائض ترجل رأس المعتكف - باب لا يدخل البيت إلا لحاجة إلى باب هل يخرج المعتكف لحوائجه إلى باب المسجد — islamhouse.com (31:47)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.