I’tikaaf is an act of
worship where a worshipper secludes himself or herself from the
public and from routines of daily life and, in addition to fasting,
spends time exclusively in remembering Allaah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aala
with a profound consciousness of His presence and a strong feeling
of humility in front of His majesty, glory and greatness (Dzikr).
This Dzikr or remembrance may also be expressed by performing
supererogatory Salaah (Nawaafil), reflecting on the messages of the
Qur-aan, sharing and propagating those messages, reflecting deeply
on the ways of effectively achieving Islamic objectives and executing
those plans. These activities take all of a worshipper’s time during
the days and nights of I’tikaaf, except for the minimum time
required for sleep, suĥoor and iftaar. During the period of
I’tikaaf, the Mu’takif (one performing the I’tikaaf) cannot leave
the place of seclusion except for calls of nature or physical
cleanliness and purification needs. All social activities and
obligations are completely abandoned during the period of I’tikaaf.
Even utterance of any words not directly related to the
aforementioned acts of worship is avoided. The men seclude
themselves in a Masjid and women in a room of their home where they
usually perform their Salaah.
I’tikaaf can be
performed for any duration of time at any time of the year -- from a
few hours to a few days. The Prophet Sall Allaahu `alayhi wa sallam
had started performing I’tikaaf in the cave of Hiraa in his yearning
to worship Allaah even before he was told that he was being
appointed as the Messenger of Allaah. In fact, the first revelation
came to him during such an I’tikaaf in Hiraa on one of the last ten
nights of Ramadhaan -- the night of Qadr. The Prophet Sall Allaahu
`alayhi wa sallam continued to perform this I’tikaaf during the
last ten days of Ramadhaan every year. It is reported that one year
he could not perform it so the subsequent year, he performed it for
20 days, as he did in the last Ramadhaan of his life.
In this way, I’tikaaf
during the last ten days of Ramadhaan is a highly emphasized Sunnah
of the Prophet, Sall Allaahu `alayhi wa sallam.
If I’tikaaf is
performed, sincerely and devotedly, it has all the ingredients of
spiritual growth as well as rejuvenation of mental faculties and
relaxation from stress and pressure of daily life. Unfortunately,
Muslims have stopped paying much attention to this very important
tool of upliftment and rejuvenation that not only helps a person
grow in their relationship with Allaah but also washes away their
stresses and pressures, giving a very healthy contentment to their
hearts – a contentment that only comes from the relationship and
remembrance of Allaah:
“Those who believe and whose hearts
attain peacefulness by the remembrance of Allaah; know that it is by
the remembrance of Allaah that hearts attain peacefulness.”
(Ar-Ra’d
13:28)
This is the Islamic
concept of vacationing and taking holiday from the drudgeries of
day-to-day life. This kind of holiday not only gives us the benefits
of relaxation and rejuvenation, but also helps us fulfill the
objectives of pleasing Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala through
excellence and purification of our personal and collective life. It
leads us to the eternal and permanent happiness, joys and relaxation
among the superbly beautiful gardens, rivers, springs and the
perfect weather conditions of Jannah as well as enjoyment of the
exquisitely delicious food and amazing refreshing drinks of Jannah.
It prepares us for our release from the prison of the earthly life
to the freedoms and joys of the eternal life
Hereafter.
One of the prominent
contemporary concepts of relaxation is going for a vacation to a
resort on a beach, where the vacationers forget about everything in
the world, sitting around leisurely and indulging in excessive
drinking and extravagant fulfillment of their lusts and desires.
Families with small children may opt for theme parks. It is supposed
to relax and rejuvenate them for being more productive and healthy
on their return. Whether it makes them more productive or not is
subject to debate. However, it definitely makes them more subjugated
to their lusts and desires and to instant gratifications of their
urges. They become more of the slave of animalistic urges and
tendencies instead of redeeming and uplifting themselves to become
better human beings. This concept is based on the view of living
this life as if it is itself Jannah with no other life beyond it,
while making them commit the crimes that will take them into the
prison of Hell forever.
The Prophet, Sall
Allaahu `alayhi wa sallam mentioned this difference in the two
paradigms of life in the following words:
“This world is a prison for the
believer and the paradise for the disbeliever.” (Reported from Aboo Hurayrah in
Muslim and Tirmidzee)
Unfortunately, many
Muslims have been deeply affected by the Western philosophy of life.
When they think of vacations, they only think of visiting back home
or going on tours, beaches and theme parks like Disney World. Hardly
anyone thinks of taking a true holiday from the drudgeries of this
world and committing their time to I’tikaaf. The people who usually
perform this important act of worship are those who have nothing
else to do, are retired or are on welfare. Usually it is performed
more as a ritual that someone has to do, rather than an act of
passion and love for Allaah Subhaanahu wa
Ta`aala.
We need to retune our
thinking to the Islamic paradigms. That will benefit us both in this
world and in the Hereafter. Many working people who have two or
three weeks of vacation and have the option of choosing their own
vacation time must pay attention to this important act of worship
and use their vacation time for their spiritual growth as well as
physical and mental health through I’tikaaf, Hajj or ‘Umrah
Those who spend their
vacation time only on visiting vacation attractions created by
Dajjaalies not only end up wasting their precious time and money on
something that is totally useless for any of a Muslim’s objectives
in this life, they also end up contributing to the war against Islam
and Muslims, financed from profits of those ventures.
