What is the prescribed i'tikaf and clarification of the error in mentioning the intention upon first entering the mosque for i'tikaf.
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The Shaykh : And there is another matter we discussed regarding i'tikaf, and I said that the prescribed, recommended i'tikaf that is asked of us to perform, as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed it, is the last ten days of Ramadan. And i'tikaf for one day, two days, or three days is among the permissible matters, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) permitted 'Umar, and 'Umar asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about a vow he had made in the pre-Islamic age of ignorance to perform i'tikaf in the Sacred Mosque for a day, a night, or a day and a night, and he said to him: And we also said that it is not from the way of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) for a person, when he enters the mosque, to intend i'tikaf, because the intention of i'tikaf is an act of worship, and if this had been prescribed, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) would have clarified it for his Ummah and said, "If you come to the Friday prayer in the first hour, intend i'tikaf," or "If you come to the prayer early, intend i'tikaf." And this has not been reported. Therefore, what is more likely in my view is that it is not recommended for one who enters the mosque to intend i'tikaf for the duration of his stay in it, because if this had been a prescribed matter, Allah the Exalted would have clarified it through the tongue of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), either by speech, action, or approval. And I hope, my brothers, that you do not understand from the scholars what they do not intend, because if you do that, you wrong the scholar himself to whom you attribute the knowledge, and you wrong the people who follow him and follow you in what you said, and the matter is not so. So be firm in transmission and be firm in understanding, so that your seeking of knowledge is a correct and beneficial seeking.
