What are the deeds of the last ten days of Ramadan?
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Question : The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) would single out the last ten days of Ramadan for deeds and characteristics that he did not practice in the rest of the month. We would like Honorable Shaykh Muhammad to inform our esteemed listeners about these deeds. May Allah reward you with good.
Answer :[Al-Fatihah 1:1-2], and may Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence, without end. The most important thing I single out for these ten days is i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque). Did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) perform i'tikaf in the last ten days of Ramadan to seek the Night of Decree? He would enter the mosque, may Allah send prayers and peace upon him, and not leave it except for what was absolutely necessary. However, he would remain in i'tikaf in the mosque, seeking blessing through obedience to Allah and cutting off contact with people. The days are only ten. I'tikaf is among the established Sunnahs upon which there is consensus. But.
Some people today perform i'tikaf in a way where they retreat on their own, and their companions who joined them in the retreat, or those who did not join them, come and talk a lot about things of no benefit. This is truly a waste of time, just as in the number of days of i'tikaf. A person in i'tikaf should devote himself to the obedience of Allah the Exalted and Majestic. But there is no harm in us talking about what is necessary, such as admonition that is needed, or sitting in a circle of knowledge, or talking to some of your family in a way that fosters reconciliation and casts affection. It was narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that Khafiyah, the daughter of Ahmad (may Allah be pleased with her), came to him in his mosque while he was in i'tikaf, and he talked to her for a while. Then she stood up, and he stood up with her to see her off, may Allah send prayers and peace upon him, meaning to escort her, as we express it. And among the things he singled out for these last ten days is that he (peace and blessings be upon him) would keep the entire night awake, meaning he would not sleep, may Allah send prayers and peace upon him, or he would engage in supplication, recitation, and other things that bring one closer to Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He. He did not keep the entire night awake in any ten days other than the last ten of Ramadan, as far as we know.
The presenter : May Allah reward you,
Answer :
(1) In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. (2) [All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds -
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَSome people today perform i'tikaf in a way where they retreat on their own, and their companions who joined them in the retreat, or those who did not join them, come and talk a lot about things of no benefit. This is truly a waste of time, just as in the number of days of i'tikaf. A person in i'tikaf should devote himself to the obedience of Allah the Exalted and Majestic. But there is no harm in us talking about what is necessary, such as admonition that is needed, or sitting in a circle of knowledge, or talking to some of your family in a way that fosters reconciliation and casts affection. It was narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that Khafiyah, the daughter of Ahmad (may Allah be pleased with her), came to him in his mosque while he was in i'tikaf, and he talked to her for a while. Then she stood up, and he stood up with her to see her off, may Allah send prayers and peace upon him, meaning to escort her, as we express it. And among the things he singled out for these last ten days is that he (peace and blessings be upon him) would keep the entire night awake, meaning he would not sleep, may Allah send prayers and peace upon him, or he would engage in supplication, recitation, and other things that bring one closer to Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He. He did not keep the entire night awake in any ten days other than the last ten of Ramadan, as far as we know.
The presenter : May Allah reward you,
Source
ابن العثيمين - فتاوى على الهاتف - فتاوى الصيام — archive.org (11:23)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.