Itikaf is a Sunnah, particularly in Ramadan and especially during its last ten nights. Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, described the Prophet's practice:

Meaning: He used to observe itikaf during Ramadan's last ten until Allah took his soul; his wives then observed itikaf after him. Al-Bukhari 2026, excerpt. Itikaf is also prescribed outside Ramadan; the Prophet observed it in Shawwal. Muslim 1173.

Someone who makes a valid vow of obedience to observe itikaf must fulfil it. The Prophet said:

Meaning: Whoever vows to obey Allah must obey Him. Al-Bukhari 6696, excerpt. Simply intending to stay for several days is not itself a vow. Ibn Baz held that a voluntary retreat may be ended, unlike a binding vowed retreat.

Its conditions include:

1. Being Muslim, of sound mind and able to discern what one is doing. 2. Intending itikaf as worship of Allah. Merely sitting or sleeping in a mosque does not become itikaf without that intention. 3. Staying in a mosque, not a room at home or work simply because it is used for prayer. 4. Being free of janabah (major ritual impurity requiring ghusl), menstruation and postpartum bleeding. Maintaining wudu throughout the retreat is not a condition.

Allah says:

Meaning: Do not have intercourse with them while you are observing itikaf in the mosques. Al-Baqarah 2:187, excerpt.

A man obliged to attend congregational prayer observes itikaf in a mosque where the congregation is held, so he does not neglect it or repeatedly leave to attend elsewhere. If his retreat includes Friday, choosing a mosque that holds Jumuah is more convenient. If it does not hold Jumuah, he leaves to attend when it is obligatory upon him, then returns, as Ibn Baz explained.

Ask the mosque management which areas have the religious status of the mosque. Not every room, courtyard or car park belonging to an Islamic centre necessarily does. Follow the arrangements for accommodation, cleanliness and safety, and do not occupy space in a way that inconveniences worshippers. See Adhkar for Going to, Entering and Leaving the Masjid for mosque duas and etiquette.

Jurists differ about the minimum duration and whether fasting is a condition. Ibn Baz preferred the view that itikaf may last less than a day, such as an hour spent in the mosque with that intention, and that fasting is not a condition. On this view, someone unable to stay for the ten may observe one night or part of a day.

One piece of evidence concerning fasting is Umar's vow to spend one night in itikaf in al-Masjid al-Haram, which the Prophet told him to fulfil. Al-Bukhari 2042. However, saying that fasting is not a condition of itikaf does not permit someone obliged to fast Ramadan to break that fast. A person whose vow includes both fasting and itikaf should ask how to fulfil what they undertook.

According to the majority of scholars, someone intending the whole last ten enters the mosque before sunset after Ramadan's twentieth day, so the twenty-first night begins while they are in itikaf. Al-Nawawi explained this view when discussing Aishah's report:

Meaning: When he intended to observe itikaf, he prayed Fajr and then entered his place of retreat. Muslim 1173, excerpt. The majority understood this as entering his separate place within the mosque after Fajr, rather than beginning itikaf then. Other scholars, including Ibn Baz, followed the apparent wording in beginning after Fajr. This is a matter of disagreement; entering before sunset also includes the first night.

Itikaf during the last ten ends when Ramadan ends, at sunset on its final day once Shawwal is established, whether Ramadan has twenty-nine days or thirty. Remaining until the Eid prayer is not required for the retreat's validity. Someone intending a shorter period starts when that intended period begins, while observing any binding vow they have made.

You may eat, drink, sleep, keep yourself clean, change clothes, have lawful conversations and receive visits from your family, while protecting the mosque and respecting others. Safiyyah visited the Prophet during itikaf and spoke with him. Al-Bukhari 2035.

You do not have to spend every moment standing in prayer or reciting. Rest that helps you worship does not invalidate itikaf. But do not turn your stay into long social gatherings or constant phone use. Give prayer, recitation and dua a generous share of your time. See Qiyam al-Layl and Tahajjud for night prayer, and Comprehensive Duas of the Prophet for authentic supplications.

Aishah said of the Messenger of Allah:

Meaning: He would not enter the house except for a need when observing itikaf. Al-Bukhari 2029, excerpt. You may leave for unavoidable needs, such as using the toilet, making wudu or taking an obligatory ghusl where the facilities are located. You may obtain food or drink when it is unavailable in the mosque and nobody can bring it. Limit the outing to the need and return; do not add a shopping trip or an unnecessary visit.

Do not miss obligatory Jumuah on the grounds that you must remain in the mosque. However, going out for your daily job or returning home each night to sleep is not like leaving to use the toilet: it interrupts a continuous retreat. You can arrange separate voluntary periods when free, rather than count days interrupted by regular work trips as one continuous itikaf.

If your family needs care you are obliged to provide, or necessary financial support that nobody else can provide, give that duty priority over voluntary itikaf. Do not delay emergency assistance or necessary treatment to remain. A voluntary act does not excuse neglecting an obligation or exposing yourself to harm.

The main practical matters are:

- Deliberate intercourse during itikaf: This invalidates it, by night or day, even when the person is outside the mosque for a permitted need. The verse prohibits intercourse during the retreat, not only inside the mosque. - Leaving without a recognised need: This interrupts a continuous retreat. In voluntary itikaf, you may return and begin a new retreat with a new intention. An outing for shopping or sleeping at home is not a continuation of the earlier retreat. - Deliberately causing ejaculation through sexual touching or masturbation: The majority of jurists count this among the invalidators, although scholars differ on whether it invalidates the retreat. Sexual touching and kissing with desire are prohibited during itikaf; disagreement about invalidation does not make them permissible. A wet dream is different, as explained below.

If you end the intention of itikaf, simply remaining in the mosque does not mean you are still observing it. Menstruation and postpartum bleeding prevent a woman from continuing itikaf in the mosque until she becomes pure and performs ghusl; they are not like merely losing wudu.

Ending voluntary itikaf does not mean every earlier act of worship is lost. According to Ibn Baz, ending a voluntary retreat does not by itself require you to make up the time you had planned. A vow requiring continuity or a specified time is different: restarting with a new intention does not automatically discharge that obligation.

The Prophet's wives observed itikaf after his death, so it is prescribed for women too. According to the majority, it takes place in a mosque, not the prayer area at home; this is also Ibn Baz's ruling. A married woman needs her husband's permission for voluntary itikaf. She should have a safe place that protects her modesty and privacy, without neglecting a binding duty or exposing herself to danger.

A woman unable to observe itikaf still has many opportunities for worship: prayer when not menstruating or experiencing postpartum bleeding, dhikr, dua, charity and Quran recitation according to its rulings. Itikaf is not a condition for benefiting from Laylat al-Qadr. Being unable to stay overnight in a mosque does not close the other doors of worship.