What is the authenticity of the hadith that says: "There is no i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) except in the three mosques"?
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The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Your Eminence, I came across a hadith to the effect that: "There is no i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) except in the three mosques." It is well known that in books of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and hadith, we always read the rulings on i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) and its details, what is prescribed for it, and what invalidates it, and so on. How is that?
The Shaykh : Yes, 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 in i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) 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 (spiritual retreat in the mosque) in the mosque in Kufah, and that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had said: ", so Abdullah ibn Mas'ud said to him: "Perhaps they preserved it and you did not, and they remembered it and you forgot". So it seems that Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) preferred their action to the action of Hudhayfah, or 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 the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Al-Baqarah 2:187]. The mosques are general, with no specification in them. It is not possible that Allah the Exalted would address the Ummah (the Muslim community) with this general ruling regarding i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) and say: , and then mean by it only three mosques, which some people may reach and others may not.
Then, even if we assume its authenticity, if we suppose it is authentic and preserved, it means: that there is no complete i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) except in these mosques. It does not mean: that no i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) is valid. For this reason, we see that i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) is valid in every mosque, in the three mosques and in others. And that is in the last ten days of Ramadan, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did. It is not as some scholars said: "that it is recommended (mustahabb) for everyone who enters the mosque to intend i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) in it". For this is a bid'ah (religious innovation), which was not known to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or to his Companions. If it had been part of the Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would have guided to it by his saying and his doing. Here he is (peace and blessings be upon him) speaking about those who come early for Friday, saying:Muwatta Malik 5:1 to the end of the hadith. And he did not say: "And let them intend i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque)," even though he encouraged coming early. And he did not say: "And let them intend i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) 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.
The questioner : And even if it were authentic, would the negation be a negation of perfection?
The Shaykh : Yes.
Your Eminence, I came across a hadith to the effect that: "There is no i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) except in the three mosques." It is well known that in books of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and hadith, we always read the rulings on i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) and its details, what is prescribed for it, and what invalidates it, and so on. How is that?
The Shaykh : Yes, 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 in i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) 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 (spiritual retreat in the mosque) in the mosque in Kufah, and that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had said: "
There is no i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) except in the three mosques: the Sacred Mosque, the Prophet's Mosque (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
لا اعتكاف إلا في المساجد الثلاثة: المسجد الحرام، ومسجد النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم، والمسجد الأقصىAnd do not have relations with them as long as you are staying for worship in the mosques
وَلا تُبَاشِرُوهُنَّ وَأَنْتُمْ عَاكِفُونَ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِin the mosques
في المساجدThen, even if we assume its authenticity, if we suppose it is authentic and preserved, it means: that there is no complete i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) except in these mosques. It does not mean: that no i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) is valid. For this reason, we see that i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) is valid in every mosque, in the three mosques and in others. And that is in the last ten days of Ramadan, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did. It is not as some scholars said: "that it is recommended (mustahabb) for everyone who enters the mosque to intend i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) in it". For this is a bid'ah (religious innovation), which was not known to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or to his Companions. If it had been part of the Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would have guided to it by his saying and his doing. Here he is (peace and blessings be upon him) speaking about those who come early for Friday, saying:
If someone does ghusl for major ritual impurity on the day of jumua and then goes in the first part of the time, it is as if he had offered up a camel.
من اغتسل فجاء في الساعة الأولى فكأنما قرب بدنةSo 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.
The questioner : And even if it were authentic, would the negation be a negation of perfection?
The Shaykh : Yes.