The Meaning of the Hadith: (There is no i'tikaf except in the three mosques)
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[The Meaning of the Hadith: (There is no i'tikaf except in the three mosques)]
I came across a hadith whose meaning is: There is no i'tikaf except in the three mosques. It is well known that in the books of Islamic jurisprudence and hadith, we always read the rulings on i'tikaf, its details, what is prescribed for it, and what invalidates it.
And so on. How is that?
This hadith you referred to is from the hadith of Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him). He saw a group of people doing i'tikaf in the mosque of Kufah, between his house and the house of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him). So he went to Ibn Mas'ud and told him that he had seen a group of people doing i'tikaf in the mosque of Kufah, and that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had said: (There is no i'tikaf except in the three mosques: the Sacred Mosque, the Prophet's Mosque (peace and blessings be upon him), and al-Aqsa Mosque) Ibn Mas'ud said to him: Perhaps they were right and you were wrong, and they remembered and you forgot. It seems that Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) preferred their action to what Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) said. There is no doubt that this hadith is not authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him);Because it contradicts the generality of His saying, the Exalted: [al-Baqarah:187] and the mosques are general, with no specification. It is not possible that Allah the Exalted would address the Muslim community with this general ruling on i'tikaf, saying "in the mosques," and then mean only three mosques, which some people may reach and others may not.
Then, even if we assume it is authentic, if we suppose it is authentic and preserved,It means: it means that there is no complete i'tikaf except in these mosques, and the meaning is not: there is no valid i'tikaf. We see that i'tikaf is valid in every mosque, in the three mosques and in others, and that it is done in the last ten days of Ramadan, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did.And it is not as some scholars said: As for the idea that it is recommended for everyone who enters the mosque to intend to do i'tikaf in it, this is a religious innovation. It was not known from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or from his Companions. If it had been part of the Shari'ah, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would have guided to it by his words and his actions. Here he is (peace and blessings be upon him) speaking about the one who goes early to Jumu'ah,So he says: (Whoever takes a bath and comes in the first hour, it is as if he had offered a camel) and so on of the hadith,And he did not say: and to intend i'tikaf, even though he encouraged coming early, and he did not say "and intend i'tikaf until the prayer comes."
So the correct view is that the prescribed i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) is what is done in the last ten days, as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do.
I came across a hadith whose meaning is: There is no i'tikaf except in the three mosques. It is well known that in the books of Islamic jurisprudence and hadith, we always read the rulings on i'tikaf, its details, what is prescribed for it, and what invalidates it.
And so on. How is that?
This hadith you referred to is from the hadith of Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him). He saw a group of people doing i'tikaf in the mosque of Kufah, between his house and the house of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him). So he went to Ibn Mas'ud and told him that he had seen a group of people doing i'tikaf in the mosque of Kufah, and that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had said: (There is no i'tikaf except in the three mosques: the Sacred Mosque, the Prophet's Mosque (peace and blessings be upon him), and al-Aqsa Mosque) Ibn Mas'ud said to him: Perhaps they were right and you were wrong, and they remembered and you forgot. It seems that Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) preferred their action to what Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) said. There is no doubt that this hadith is not authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him);Because it contradicts the generality of His saying, the Exalted:
And do not have relations with them as long as you are staying for worship in the mosques
وَلا تُبَاشِرُوهُنَّ وَأَنْتُمْ عَاكِفُونَ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِThen, even if we assume it is authentic, if we suppose it is authentic and preserved,It means: it means that there is no complete i'tikaf except in these mosques, and the meaning is not: there is no valid i'tikaf. We see that i'tikaf is valid in every mosque, in the three mosques and in others, and that it is done in the last ten days of Ramadan, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did.And it is not as some scholars said: As for the idea that it is recommended for everyone who enters the mosque to intend to do i'tikaf in it, this is a religious innovation. It was not known from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or from his Companions. If it had been part of the Shari'ah, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would have guided to it by his words and his actions. Here he is (peace and blessings be upon him) speaking about the one who goes early to Jumu'ah,So he says: (Whoever takes a bath and comes in the first hour, it is as if he had offered a camel) and so on of the hadith,And he did not say: and to intend i'tikaf, even though he encouraged coming early, and he did not say "and intend i'tikaf until the prayer comes."
So the correct view is that the prescribed i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) is what is done in the last ten days, as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do.