What is the ruling on i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) on Friday night because he is busy with work all week

The questioner : Peace be upon you.

The Shaykh : And upon you be peace.

The presenter : How are you, Shaykh Muhammad?

The Shaykh : May Allah greet you with peace and good, and all praise is due to Allah.

The questioner : From the Emirates, Shaykh, I have two questions if you permit, may Allah preserve you. The first question: some people are at work all week, so they perform i'tikaf on Friday night because that is the opportunity that becomes available to them. Is that permissible or not?

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them in excellence until the Day of Judgment. It is not specific to Friday night for i'tikaf. The i'tikaf that is prescribed, which a person wants to follow in accordance with the Sunnah, is to perform i'tikaf for all of the last ten nights, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did.
Allah the Exalted said: , and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not perform i'tikaf for one night, nor two nights, nor three, nor four. Rather, he used to perform i'tikaf for all of the last ten nights. So whoever wants to follow the example of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), let him perform i'tikaf for all of the last ten nights and not be stingy with his time. And whoever cannot do that, the matter is not obligatory, and praise be to Allah. I'tikaf is a recommended practice (sunnah). If you are able to perform i'tikaf as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did, then you have hit upon the Sunnah and done good, on the condition that it does not occupy you from something obligatory, such as caring for your family, guiding them, and disciplining them.
Because some people perform i'tikaf in the mosque and leave their family, their sons and daughters, running around in the markets, and fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) occurs with them or from them. And this is a mistake. This is due to a lack of insight. Because maintaining the obligatory is more important than maintaining the voluntary. And this is a matter, unfortunately, that many people are deceived by. You find them doing such things and not caring about their families. And likewise are those who go to perform 'Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage).
So people who go to perform 'Umrah are divided into three categories. The first category is the one who goes, performs 'Umrah himself, and returns. Three days or two days, he returns to his family to reside with them, discipline them, guide them, and teach them. And this is on the right path. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Malik ibn Haydar and his companions who came to him and stayed with him for a period: "Return to your families, reside with them, teach them, and enjoin good upon them." So he ordered them to reside with their families, because a person residing with his family has many benefits. The second category of those performing 'Umrah is the one who goes to perform 'Umrah alone and stays for the last ten nights, or the first ten, or the middle ten, and neglects his family in his country. And this is undoubtedly a mistake. Because he did a recommended act and left an obligatory one. And leaving the obligatory makes a person sinful. And leaving the recommended does not make a person sinful. And it is known that the wise person leaves what he is not sinful for leaving in order to do what he is certain he will be sinful for leaving. The third category is a group who go to Makkah with their families.
But they leave their families behind. He remains in the Sacred Mosque worshipping Allah with prayer, recitation, and dhikr (the remembrance of Allah), but his family are running around in the markets, and fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) and great evil occur from them or with them. And this is also a mistake. Therefore, it is obligatory for our Muslim brothers, if they want to do acts of obedience or worship, that they consult the scholars so that they may be made clear in their religion. And they should not be followers who do what people do without insight. We ask Allah for guidance and success for us and our brothers. O Allah, amen.