What is the ruling on i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) in other than the three mosques?

The questioner : He saysThe questioner : Is i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) permissible in other than the three mosques? Thank you.

The Shaykh : This is a matter in which there is, without doubt, an old disagreement among the Companions, let alone those who came after them. The matter in this issue, like others, must be subjected to the previously mentioned verse, which is the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He: It is authentically established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: This is according to the scale of hadith known to the majority of scholars. It mentions al-Masjid al-Haram, al-Masjid al-Nabawi, and al-Masjid al-Aqsa. Likewise, he said: Al-Masjid al-Haram, al-Masjid al-Nabawi, and al-Masjid al-Aqsa. And with this, the one I mentioned to you earlier issued a fatwa, stating: "Any act of worship that the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not perform, do not perform it." Who is he? Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman. Remember and do not forget; Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman is the one who issued the fatwa based on the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that I mentioned last: Al-Masjid al-Haram, al-Masjid al-Nabawi, and al-Masjid al-Aqsa. In this lies a profound wisdom, similar to the wisdom in the prohibition of traveling except to the three mosques. What is the wisdom in each of the two hadiths? There is no mosque on the face of the earth after these three mosques that has a special virtue and to which travel is prescribed; there is absolutely no fourth mosque. Likewise, he (peace be upon him) said: There is no i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) except in these three mosques. What is the ruling from that? It is a directive for Muslims to take care of these three mosques and to increase their visits to them, because in that lies the exchange of religious benefits first, and social and economic benefits second. This is the ruling of Allah, so it is not befitting for a Muslim to transgress the Shari'ah of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He.