Which is better: i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) in al-Masjid al-Haram, or attending to the needs of one's parents?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : A question also regarding i'tikaf. The questioner says: Which is better for one who wants to perform i'tikaf in al-Masjid al-Haram: to perform i'tikaf, or to attend to his parents' affairs by taking them to the Haram and returning them to their home throughout the nights of the last ten days?
The Shaykh : It is better for him to attend to his parents' affairs, because dutifulness to parents is better than jihad in the cause of Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Riyad as-Salihin 1286 So dutifulness to parents is undoubtedly better than i'tikaf. If his parents need him, then it is better that he attend to their needs, whether in Makkah or in his home country.
The Shaykh : It is better for him to attend to his parents' affairs, because dutifulness to parents is better than jihad in the cause of Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
I asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): "Which action is dearest to Allah?" He (ﷺ) replied, "Performing As-Salat (the prayer) at its earliest fixed time." I asked, "What is next (in goodness)?" He (ﷺ) said, "Kindness towards parents." I asked, "What is next (in goodness)?" He (ﷺ) said, "To participate in Jihad in the Cause of Allah."
حين سأله عبد الله بن مسعود فقال يا رسول الله أي العمل أحب إلى الله؟ قال الصلاة على وقتها قلت ثم أي؟ قال بر الوالدين قلت ثم أي؟ قال الجهاد في سبيل الله
Source
اللقاءات الرمضانية لعام 1411هـ - 7 — binothaimeen.net (39:20)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.