What is the ruling on reserving spaces for the one in i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) in the mosque?

The questioner : Your Eminence the Shaykh, what is the ruling on reserving spaces for the one in i'tikaf in the mosque?

The Shaykh : Reserving spaces. Yes.

The questioner : The first part, O Shaykh. But I don't eat, I mean, I just put, I put something. I put the prayer mat, I put this. That's it.

The Shaykh : Yes, some people told me yesterday that some of the brothers who are in i'tikaf, or those who are not, reserve two spaces in the Sacred Mosque, two spaces. So if he reserves two spaces and he himself occupies a third space, this man becomes the third of three, yes.
This is haram (forbidden), it is not permissible, it is not permissible for a person to reserve two spaces. Now, if he reserves one space and leaves it to relieve himself and returns, or to sleep and rest and get away from the noise, but he does not leave the mosque, then in our view this is permissible, but on the condition that he does not delay until the rows are filled and they prevent him from reaching his reserved space except by stepping over their backs and harming them. So reserving a space is permissible with two conditions: the first condition is that the one reserving the space is present in the mosque, and the second condition is that the rows do not fill up and prevent him from reaching the space he reserved, such that his reaching it would require stepping over their backs and harming them. There is a third condition: that he does not reserve more than one space, because he does not need more than one space.
This is what we see regarding reserving spaces. I said there is no harm, but the best is one space. This is all leaving for a necessity, there is no harm. For example, relieving oneself, the suhur (pre-dawn meal). And I am in doubt about the one in i'tikaf leaving for suhur, because he is able to have suhur in the mosque. The scholars say it is not permissible to leave except for what is absolutely necessary. Eating, yes, it is necessary for him. But is this possible for him in the Sacred Mosque, my brothers? How does he do it? How much? There is no god but Allah. If Allah wills.
Is it not possible for him to enter with dates and water? And dates are the best food. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) would go two or three months without a fire being lit in his house. It was said to 'Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), "What is your food?" She said, "The two blacks: dates and water." Three months, ninety days. And what is required of you now is ten days or nine days, ten or nine. If it is hot, dates are easier than food, my brother, they do not make you thirsty; it is the food that makes you thirsty. In any case, I do not want to be strict with you, but I want to say this in response to the laxity I have heard from some of the people in i'tikaf. They are very lax in i'tikaf. They leave for something for which they have an alternative, to one place, or they asked me for a ruling, or two, or more than two. One said, "A person invited me to a distant place, is it permissible?" I said, "It is not permissible." He said, "I am obligated." I said, "Even if you are obligated, unless you wish to invalidate your i'tikaf and start i'tikaf anew, then that is another matter. So the important thing is that this is my intention, and I love for i'tikaf to be according to the pattern established by the Sunnah. Our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is our model and our leader. He performed i'tikaf for all of the last ten days. In fact, he performed i'tikaf for the first ten days, then for the middle ten days, then for the last ten days seeking the Night of Decree. So he performed i'tikaf for the last ten days, after performing i'tikaf for the first ten and then the middle ten, he performed i'tikaf for the last ten days, ten full days seeking the Night of Decree. It is not that he comes and performs i'tikaf for a day and leaves, or a day and a night and leaves, then comes and asks for a ruling: "What is the minimum i'tikaf?" I say, "The minimum i'tikaf is an hour," so I sit in the mosque for an hour, and I go out and say, "I performed i'tikaf." What is this Sunnah?
If the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) permitted 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) when he vowed to perform i'tikaf in the pre-Islamic age of ignorance for a night or a day in the Sacred Mosque, this does not mean that this is a general legislation for the community and that this is the i'tikaf recommended by the Sunnah in which a person applies the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). You will not apply the Sunnah of the Messenger in i'tikaf unless you perform i'tikaf for ten days, all of the last ten days. And when the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) left i'tikaf in the last ten days of Ramadan because the tents of his wives increased, he ordered that the tents be removed and did not perform i'tikaf that year. He made up for it in Shawwal. He made up ten days; he did not make up a day or a night, he made up ten days. So I ask Allah to increase the youth in enthusiasm for the religion of Allah and steadfastness upon it. I desire this and love it, and it honors me and pleases me and others who love good for this community. But our actions must be exactly according to the pattern established by the Sunnah.
So I am now saying, search: Did the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) perform i'tikaf for less than ten days? Do not say "no," search for yourselves from today until the second Ramadan, if Allah wills. This is one point. Second, did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stipulate that one should have lunch at home or dinner at home, or visit a friend, or visit a sick person? Did he stipulate this? Do not say "no," my brother. I am giving you a grace period, and if you find this, then act upon it. As for making i'tikaf easy to break, stipulating whatever you want, leaving whenever you want, eating whatever you want, and wearing whatever you want. A person must have clean clothes, I mean very clean, but it is his habit that he changes them every three days. He says, "I want to go out and change my clothes." Does he have an alternative to this, or does he not? May Allah except the case where his clothes become so foul that he cannot bear their smell, in which case he has an alternative; it occurs, and he changes them.