Describe how I;tikāf is observed with emphasis on acts that vitiate it

Answer Details

Meaning of I'tikaf: I'tikaf is the act of secluding oneself in a mosque for a fixed period with the intention of drawing nearer to Allah through worship. It is a confirmed Sunnah of the Prophet (S.A.W), who observed it during the last ten days of Ramadan every year, and in the year of his death he observed twenty days.

How I'tikaf is observed:

1. The person forms a sincere intention (niyyah) to devote himself to Allah alone.
2. He must be a Muslim, of sound mind, and free from major ritual impurity (janabah, menstruation and post-natal bleeding).
3. It is performed in a mosque where the five daily prayers are held in congregation; for men the Jumu'ah mosque is preferred.
4. The observer remains within the mosque and does not leave except for pressing natural needs such as answering the call of nature, performing obligatory ablution or bath, or eating and drinking where no one can bring it to him.
5. He occupies himself with acts of worship: recitation of the Qur'an, dhikr (remembrance of Allah), nawafil prayers, istighfar (seeking forgiveness), du'a and reflection.
6. He avoids idle talk, quarrelling and worldly engagements, keeping his attention on devotion.
7. Fasting accompanies the recommended I'tikaf of Ramadan.

Acts that vitiate (nullify) I'tikaf:

1. Leaving the mosque without a valid or pressing reason, even for a short while.
2. Sexual intercourse, and according to many jurists direct sexual contact or foreplay with one's spouse.
3. Loss of sanity or fainting for a prolonged period, and intoxication.
4. Apostasy (leaving the fold of Islam), which cancels every act of worship.
5. Menstruation or post-natal bleeding in the case of a woman.
6. Deliberately abandoning the intention or forming the resolve to end the seclusion.
7. Major ritual impurity (janabah) if the person does not purify himself.

Conclusion: I'tikaf trains the Muslim in discipline, single-minded devotion and detachment from worldly distractions, and its reward is preserved only when the observer guards against the acts that nullify it.